This movie could be called a forerunner to "Gunga Din". British Colonial Army in India, 3 buddies, and two have to go to rescue one. 'Gunga Din' did it better, though, and there is an undercurrent of animosity and less chemistry among the three here.The action is uneven, coming at the beginning and at the end of the picture, and in between it is a character study. Luckily for director Hathaway he had some excellent acting talent on hand and you are not conscious of the lack of action. C.Aubrey Smith, Sir Guy Standing, Douglas Dumbrille and Akim Tamiroff are present, in addition to the 3 principals, Cooper, Franchot Tone And Richard Cromwell. Standing is especially good as the Company Commander. He gives a sensitive, nuanced performance worthy of a British stage actor, which he was before coming to Hollywood. I don't often insert spoilers in my reviews but I just had to make mention of one of my all-time villainous movie characters, the wimpy, feckless Lt. Stone, played by Richard Cromwell. It is he who gets Gary Cooper killed towards the end of the picture and which has earned him my everlasting animosity. Why couldn't they just leave him prisoner? Why couldn't they get a different actor? Truly, there never was such a weakling as Cromwell.As you can see, I take my action heroes seriously. Maybe that's what makes motion pictures so entertaining - if done well, they seem real. "Lives Of A Bengal Lancer" easily earns a 7.

I have a warm spot in my heart for three Hathaway movies.Although there are many films made by him I like,I can watch these three again and again and again.One of them is "Niagara" .The two others were made the same year ,and,most amazing thing,they are as different as they can be:"Peter Ibettson" is a romantic fantasy film the influence of which was huge on the French Realisme Poétique of the late thirties/early forties.And there's "lives of a Bengal lancer".I was about 13 when I saw it for the first time with two of my pals who,having already seen the film ,had warned me:" there's horrible "Chinese" torture in it".At the time ,we thought that Mohammed Khan and his men were the villains and the English were the heroes.It was the first time I had seen Gary Cooper.I should hate the colonialism,the military spirit now ,and however I don't: I love this film.I love the story,I love the three characters (particularly Franchot Tone),I love all the supporting characters ,I love everything .The screenplay is so absorbing,the characters are so endearing that the simple idea of blaming the writers for their chocolate box India and their praise of the British Empire does not even come to mind."It looks like the Arabian night's "says young Stone in full regalia in the emir's palace.Would you blame Alexandre Dumas for his "three musketeers" because his rendition of the French seventeenth century and his vision of the Cardinal de Richelieu are approximative and a bit naive.But after all it's true that Richelieu did use female spies;hence the Milady character...In "lives" our milady is Tania.Played by a gorgeous actress whose career was short-lived,Kathleen Burke ,this lady has only four or five lines to say in one of the most underwritten parts of the whole cinema.So underwritten we do not even know what becomes of her when the film ends .She leaves with "a terrible headache" and that's it.How could the thirties audience accept that?"Lives" is definitely a male movie whereas the contemporary "Peter Ibbetson " is a female one.Franchot Tone has replaced Cooper as my favorite.He is ,IMHO,the stand-out of a stellar cast .A really fabulous actor,who achieves the incredible feat to be funny even when he is on the verge of tears.His nod to Mac in the dungeon when they are in a real plight in unforgettable;and it's easy to understand why Mac's last words were "poetry".Forsythe is the most endearing character ,and even his gaffes are sublime.When he meets a babe on the train ,Mac tells him he should know better and that there are spies everywhere."Melodrama Melodrama" he answers;little did he know his pal was right and that would happen later.And the flute which sounds like "Scottish pipe" which turns him into a reluctant snake charmer is the most hilarious scene of the American thirties.Hathaway's genius is to have maintained a " delicate balance" between comedy and drama.There are at least as many funny scenes as dramatic ones (some are both).Dig this line :"I told you this mardi gras would be a washout!"The Stone jr/Stone sr relationship has often been described as "devoid of humanity ,of sentimentality,of heart" .It's completely untrue :the old man desperately tries to communicate with his only son ,but he is too shy and too proud to let his feelings flow.Two admirable scenes show this frustration: the "letter" which Mac gives to Donald to take to the colonel,and the night before they learn his rapt,when the old ramrod cannot open his heart to his son's two mates who act as his "military " fathers and more .If Mac sacrifices his life ,it's not only for defeating Khan.He mainly wants to hide Donald Stone's weakness "who has betrayed his country" as Khan points out in the dungeon.The last scene bears this out.To the accents of "God Save the King" Stone's tears begin to fall...and you feel like crying as they decorate the hero's horse.

You are unlikely to have heard of "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer." It has long been overshadowed by it's more popular contemporaries "Beau Geste" and "Gunga Din", though it is, in my humble opinion, a finer film then either of them. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's start at the beginning."The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" is the story of a regiment of British soldiers in Imperial India. It's an adventure film first and foremost, but it is also an intimate drama about the life of a soldier in an age of Victorian honor, chivalry, and stiff upper lip stoicism. The characters are all interesting and complex and the dialogue is witty and literate.The film holds up very well for a movie made in 1935, largely due to the lack of any melodramatic romantic subplots, which have permanently marred other adventure films of the period. This is a man's film about men in desperate situations, it's about being willing to die for your country or your friends at a moments notice. It's about a concept that most people consider outdated, honor. How many films have you seen recently about honor, loyalty, and true courage? Probably not many. The action scenes are exhilarating, and the film really does a wonderful job of establishing it's Indian setting.The performances are all first rate, Gary Cooper stars as Lt. McGregor. I've always imagined Cooper as the quiet, serious, everyman characters he played later in his career. Here he gets to try his hand at comedy and complexity and gives arguably the most layered performance of his career. Franchot Tone is also perfectly cast, he won on Oscar the same year for his performance in Mutiny on the Bounty, but his performance in this film is equally deserving of acclaim. Tone was one of the best actors of the 1930's, though he never really hit it big as a leading man. He's wonderful here, his character exudes charm and wit, and he and Cooper bounce off each other wonderfully. Richard Cromwell is a little over the top, but he makes sense for the character. British stage actor Guy Standing plays Colonel Stone as being emotionless on the outside, and yet torn apart on the inside, having to make the impossible choice between loyalty to one's family and loyalty to one's country. It's a great performance for which he should have received an Oscar nomination. As for C. Aubrey Smith, he is wonderful as usual, the quintessential British officer, often imitated but never equaled, there is no one like the man himself. Douglas Dumbrille also gives a fine performance as the evil Muhammad Khan."The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" is a great film, that has been unfairly denied the classic status it so deserves. For years the only way to see it was on Turner Classic Movies, but recently it was released as one of the five films on the $25 "Gary Cooper Collection". Don't miss it.10 out of 10 Also, though most people don't know it, this is the film in which the now famous line "We have ways of making men talk" is first uttered.

Gary Cooper stars as a professional soldier opposite Franchot Tone as the cocky one and Richard Cromwell as the wide eyed new recruit. Cromwell's father happens to be the commanding officer and that puts Cooper and Tone against Cromwell for the time being. Of course, the two main leads are also at odds and that makes for some interesting situations.Henry Hathaway gave us his best work with Gary Cooper and this is their best collaboration. It's also Franchot Tone's best film and that's saying a lot when you look at his resume. He may be fairly unknown with today's audience, but the star of Five Graves to Cairo, Dangerous, and Mutiny on the Bounty is one of the best actors of the golden age of Hollywood.Nothing beats Gary Cooper though, and this is his film. He's the main lead and he's the one you'll probably identify with the most. His noble character is something that we see all the time from him, but this is the role that started it all and that's why he plays it so well.This very good adventure story will keep you on the edge of your seat during most of the film. It's especially harrowing in the climactic fight scene. I definitely recommend it to any fan of Gary Cooper and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.