La révolte des cipayes

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

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.

So many whites in brownface. The film seems to live in its own little bubble, partly filmed in India but without a single Indian in the cast.

And the sense of unreality doesn't stop there. Two Americans play British without even trying for a British accent. Every single English playing Indian doesn't bother trying for Indian accents, and half the "Indians" they don't even bother putting makeup on.

But they sure pile on the brown makeup on Ursula Theiss, almost as heavy as her dayglo red lipstick. They also pile on the makeup on the sole nonwhite, Syrian actor Michael Ansara, when he would be far more believable without it.

The result is this film is far from "rousing." You find yourself amused rather than offended, even while it shows all Indians as ignorant, evil, violent, superstitious, and treacherous. The one exception of course is Theiss, who plays a South Asian version of Pocahontas who just loves all them white guys.

Again, it's too goofy to be offensive. You'll be amused at Rock Hudson beating up half a dozen Indians with soggy leaves. You'll laugh at the obvious stunt doubles. And let's not forget the conveniently bad shooting of Indians unless they are loyal to the British.

IRL the "Sepoy Mutiny" was the First War for Indian Independence. It was spontaneous and by average Indian soldiers. Here it's an oh so evil plot by a scheming rajah who fools the gullible Indian soldiers who deep down really really love their white officers. As propaganda this is so clumsy.

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.

The most surprising thing about this movie is that it was directed by Laslo Benedek ,a man associated with the more serious end of the movie market -as per Death of a Salesman and the Brando vehicle The Wild One .It is set in the year 1856 in British India ,more specifically on the North West Frontier .Rock Hudson is improbably cast as a British army Captain who is tried ,convicted and forced to resign his commission for disobeying the orders of a senior officer even though by doing so he was responsible for the capture of a key rebel stronghold .He becomes a big game hunter but continues to be devoted to the British cause and infiltrates a group of rebels plotting to overthrow the Raj .In between all these distractions he manages to make time to woo Vivian Morrow(Arlene Dahl)the daughter of the regimental commander Colonel Morrow (Tobin Thatcher) Hudson is miscast but battles valiantly with the role ,Dahl is merely decorative as is Ursula Thiess . The best performances -mostly because they are better cast-are given by Thatcher and Dan O'Herlihy as British soldiers

This is a good co-feature movie and will be enjoyed by lovers of the old style "ripping yarn