Agrega una trama en tu idiomaDuring the British Raj, Captain Carruthers works undercover to track smuggled shipments of arms on the restless North West Frontier of India. He fears a full-scale rebellion is brewing. To f... Leer todoDuring the British Raj, Captain Carruthers works undercover to track smuggled shipments of arms on the restless North West Frontier of India. He fears a full-scale rebellion is brewing. To forestall this, the British governor signs a treaty with the friendly, peace-loving ruler o... Leer todoDuring the British Raj, Captain Carruthers works undercover to track smuggled shipments of arms on the restless North West Frontier of India. He fears a full-scale rebellion is brewing. To forestall this, the British governor signs a treaty with the friendly, peace-loving ruler of Tokot, a key kingdom in the region, which is described as four days' march northward fro... Leer todo
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Elenco
- Premios
- 1 premio ganado y 1 nominación en total
- Governor
- (as Francis L.Sullivan)
- Zarullah
- (as Lawrence Baskcomb)
- Sergeant
- (as Julian Mitchell)
Opiniones destacadas
As a boy growing up in a small mid-western town, I never missed this epic and its companion feature Four Feathers (1939) in our theater. After all, where else in pre-TV middle America could all that scenic exotica be seen. The be-turbaned Indian natives, the be-skirted English soldiers, the high mountain passes, all in rich Technicolor, along with the rich pageantry of masses of people moving here and there. And shouldn't forget the crackling, if somewhat clichéd, storyline, along with a charmingly youthful Sabu, a gloweringly sinister Raymond Massey, and a slim, long-limbed Valerie Hobson. Then there's that thundering drum, along with slinky native girls and twirling British Highlanders. The Korda's certainly spared no expense and it shows, from spirited opening to satisfying close. Sure, the subtext amounts to British colonial propaganda that no longer wears well. Still, the lavish spectacle remains, a treat for the eye. Of course, I've changed in many ways from those earlier days, but the Korda production can still entertain and impress, if given half a chance.
The always-excellent Sabu steals the film, as ever, in his role first as a self-possessed princeling and then as a fugitive in exile from his throne; the romantic leads, while well-performed, are less memorable. The tension in the banquet scene is tangible, and Raymond Massey as the usurper brings brains as well as menace to his role. The one element that rather shocked me -- with the exception of the inadvertent glimpse of buttock that reveals exactly what Scotsmen do or don't wear under their kilts! -- was the scene in which the said usurper is shot down by our wounded hero in cold blood, having thrown down his weapon. It's not customary for such an act to be depicted in an apparently approving manner; and certainly not in a film of this period...
I must admit that the question of the period itself had me slightly puzzled, although the mention of syncopation in the drum part for the dance should have given me a clue. I had automatically assumed the story to be set in nineteenth-century India in the heyday of the Raj rather than the contemporary world, and with few European civilian fashions on display, there was nothing to disabuse me of this until the heroine made an appearance in jodhpurs, which came as something of a shock! (And the subconscious resonance with the valleys of 'Carry On up the Khyber' turns out to be based in fact: locations from both were shot in Wales...)
But 'The Drum' is a rousing adventure as they used to make 'em, in the tradition of 'Charge of the Light Brigade' or 'Northwest Frontier'; if you like the genre, this one is a cracker.
¿Sabías que…?
- TriviaThe film caused protests when shown in Bombay and Madras, as it was considered by many to be British propaganda.
- Versiones alternativasVersion shown on Turner Classic Movies from "The Criterion Collection" runs 93 minutes
- ConexionesFeatured in Family Classics: Family Classics: The Drum (1964)
Selecciones populares
- How long is The Drum?Con tecnología de Alexa
Detalles
- Tiempo de ejecución1 hora 44 minutos
- Relación de aspecto
- 1.37 : 1