Rifles para Bengala

The first couple of years of the decade, Rock Hudson was just breaking into the business, playing bit parts or Indian chiefs. Within a couple more years, he was headlining movies, but not all of them were great. If you doubt that, you obviously haven't rented The Golden Blade, Sea Devils, or Captain Lightfoot yet. I wasn't able to get through any of those, but I did manage to sit through Bengal Brigade, solely because it was Rock Hudson's time as Star of the Week and I thought I owed it to him to review at least one terrible movie.

The story of this one is intriguing, but it's executed so poorly, it's just not worth watching unless Rock Hudson is your favorite actor or celebrity boyfriend and you want to watch all of his movies. Rock is a soldier in the British army in occupied India during the 1800s. He disobeys an order during a battle and gets court-martialed. After a harsh reprimand, he resigns from the army and makes it his personal mission to redeem himself and prove that he's not a disgrace to his country. Along the way, he tries to infiltrate among Indian rebels and reassure his fiancé Arlene Dahl that his feelings haven't changed, even though he can't marry her just yet. Seriously, folks, this is not another Four Feathers. This is a B-picture from the '50s, and if you've ever sat through one of those, you know that you don't want to make a habit of it.

I can't imagine that a director such as Laslo Benedek made this adventure studio movie, a film that could be done by a Budd Boetticher, Joseph Pevney, Douglas Sirk - why not...All Universal home directors of this period, among many others: Nathan Juran, Jack Arnold...But Laslo Benedek;..I can't believe it. What happened to him? I can understand THE WILD ONE, but this adventure flick.... Ths director seemed to have greatest difficulties to find his own trademark. He worked for US movie and TV industry, European productions too. NIGHT VISITOR is a terrific story, but I still don't understand why Benedek made this however excellent adventure war yarn about the fall of the British colonialism. I recommend it.

A thoroughly enjoyable story. Rock Hudson is cashiered from the Regiment for disobeying a direct order, in order to save his men from slaughter. He is still loyal to the Raj and ultimately his loyalty to his men is returned to him in the last exciting action scene when India is in the throws of the Mutiny. Excellent action scenes and characterisations make this a movie well worth watching.

"Bengal Brigade" is a strange movie for two reasons in particular-- the casting as well as its championing British colonialism. As far as the casting goes, several Americans without even a hint of a British accent were cast (such as Rock Hudson and Arlene Dahl)...and Hudson seemed completely out of place here. By the 1950s, the British Empire was being split apart and colonialism was on its way out and India had already gained its independence...yet this American film is another 'Hizzuh and three cheers for the Empire' sort of picture they made in the 1930s. We are supposed to be rooting for the Brits in this one...though the Indians were fighting for self-determination, an admirable thing!

The film begins with Captain Claybourne (Hudson) being court martialed unfairly. The problem was that the man in charge during battle was indecisive and suffering from anxiety...and Claybourne took command. Later, the C.O. lied to save his reputation and Claybourne was charged with disobeying and striking his C.O....and soon he's out of the British army. There's some stuff after this...but it's all unimportant until the great Sepoy Rebellion which breaks out soon thereafter (in 1857)...and the film actually did a very good job of explaining it...most other films set during this time don't bother explaining why many Indians revolted against British rule.

Overall, a rather dull film that covers a lot of familiar material but which seems hopelessly out of date with changing times and attitudes.

Another B movie that explains a hundred years of British occupation in India, l like this genre of movie, it are cheap entertainment but have a charming of those glorious days in 50', almost done in studios with fine sets gave us a good feeling of nostalgia, Arlene Dahl was so gorgeous, but Hudson didn't like to kiss, sorry for him missing a good opportunite to take in arms such beauty girl!! Fine casting with Arnold Moss, Michael Ansara, Torin Tatcher and the exotic beauty of Ursula Thiess as a friend mine said, how more B, more better it is!!

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First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.5