Gunga Din (1939)

   "Hollywood, however, even when it was not deliberately repeating itself, repeated itself unconsciously.  Gunga Din is an example of this unconscious repetition."

With Victor McLaglen.

Gunga Din - Review is taken from 'The Films of Cary Grant' by Donald Deschner (1973):

"Gunga Din, the most expensive picture in the history of RKO, which was last week on the point of emerging from a six-year bankruptcy, unfolds a jolly story about high jinks on India's frontier.  Poor old Gunga Din has small part of the proceedings.  In the first part of the picture he wobbles about carrying a goatskin water bag.  In the last part, he inspires a scared-looking Rudyard Kipling to produce a commemorative poem.  The rest of the time Gunga Din's doings are eclipsed by those of the three agile young sergeants - Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.  The story of Gunga Din appears to be a sort of Anglo-Indian Three Musketeers.  Funny, spectacular, and exciting.  Typical sequence: battle between a regiment of Scots Highlanders and Thug cavalry, filmed on the slopes of Mt. Whitney last summer, with a cast of 900 extras.  

As an individual product of the cinema industry, there is practically nothing to be said against Gunga Din.  First-class entertainment, it will neither corrupt the morals of minors nor affront the intelligence of their seniors.  But unfortunately, Gunga Din is not an isolated example of the cinema industry's majestic mass product.  It is a symbol of Hollywood's current trend.  As such it is as deplorable as it is enlightening.  

Hollywood, however, even when it was not deliberately repeating itself, repeated itself unconsciously.  Gunga Din is an example of this unconscious repetition.  Whatever there is to be said about the minor matter of barrack-room life in India has been more than sufficiently said by the cinema many times, most recently in Lives of a Bengal Lancer, Charge of the Light Brigade and Drums.  

Moving pictures are a vigorous entertainment medium.  There has probably never been a moment in the world's history when more exciting things were going on than in this year of 1939.  That Hollywood can supply no better salute to 1939 than a $2,000,000 rehash, however expert, of Rudyard Kipling and brown Indians in bed sheets, is a sad reflection on its state of mind." 

- Time

New Artwork by Rebekah Hawley at Studio36 -
Number 32 - Gunga Din (Lobby Card Style)

Part Of

For more, see also:

Gunga Din, On This Day, 17th February 2022

Gunga Din, On This Day, 17th February 2021