Posted on 12/08/2019 10:23:18 AM PST by Steely Tom
This is a movie about the history of India and the events that led up to the splitting off of Pakistan from India in 1947. In it, British Army Captain Scott is tasked to rescue a Hindu child-prince from a "Muslim uprising" and convey him to safety at the Governor's residence in Haserabad (it is not clear whether "Haserabad" is a real place, or a renamed version of "Hyderabad).
They journey across the "North West Frontier," which is territory in what is now Pakistan, into India, which is more firmly controlled by the British. This journey takes place by means of an old steam train, and is similar in some ways to a Raiders of the Lost Ark type of adventure.
During the movie, the villain, a character named Peter van Leyden, tries repeatedly to murder the young prince; each time he does so he is thwarted by luck or courage on the part of Captain Scott.
As Scott's suspicions are aroused as to the intentions of van Leyden, Lauren Bacall scolds him and accuses him of being judgmental and prejudiced against Muslims. It turns out that Scott is right to be suspicious of van Leyden, who eventually shows his true colors and threatens to murder everyone on the train if he can't get the Prince.
In the end, van Leyden is thrown from the train but doesn't die, at least right away. He is treated with contempt by the locals in a brief scene.
The happy ending has the young Prince being delivered to safety, with Scott walking off with his arm around Lauren Bacall.
The villain is a Muslim, and no attempt is made to conceal or disguise this fact. The word "Muslim" is used on several occasions, with no excuses.
Also, the villain is a disguised as a journalist. Doubly interesting.
Lauren Bacall was a big liberal in real life (I don't know if we'd call her a "lefty" today), but her SJW instincts weren't aroused by the plot of this movie when she signed on back in the late 1950s. Also interesting.
The villain is played by Herbert Lom, who later became much more famous by playing Clouseau's boss (Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus) in The Pink Panther movies.
I watched it the other night, its a pretty good movie and what we now call “political correctness” is part of the plot where people refuse to see what is right in front of them.
Exactly. Also notice that the villain consistently and instinctively attempts to lay off the blame for each "accident" on the hero, thereby further confusing the situation. Lauren Bacall's character falls for it every time.
BTTT
walking off with his arm around Lauren Bacall.
Any time you can do that is A-OK.
Hollywood (inc. Bogie and Bacall) was hopping mad and traumatized that fellow actors were made persona non-grata and jobless by the Justice Department, who rightfully were caught up in the RED SCARE, and having school kids regularly rehearsing how quickly they could duck under their desks. And, President John F Kennedy was racing in Space to compete with the Russians.
After all, It was kind of a jolt to hear I Love Lucy in trouble for signing off on a communist certificate of some type or another, a few years before the sitcom.
I never understood how these actors ever saw the communist infiltration as being so innocuous, as if it were just another American political caucus to drop by and sign in, before drinks. That is what they seemed to claim anyway, for the consumption of an adoring public.
These people were supposed to be far better educated in the 1950’s when the world was smaller, and less complicated, and when civility and church on Sunday was not yet made a punch line.
Thanks for the movie tip!
I saw that movie many years ago.
About the only thing which made me remember was the train.
***The villain is played by Herbert Lom,***
Great movie! Got it on DVD! Lom earlier played Napoleon, and later the evil Ben Yusef in EL CID, one of my favorite movies.
I will not reveal what the little Hindu boy king said at the last, showing the futility of the British soldier’s efforts.
Back in those days they made great movies. No CGI superhero silliness coming in to save the day.
Yes, an arm filled with Lauren Bacall would have been a pretty happy arm.
Bump for later
Because the Soviets and their comrades in NYC targeted Hollywood as easy pickin’s, and it was. Ball came out of NYC as did Bacall.
These people were supposed to be far better educated in the 1950’s when the world was smaller, and less complicated, and when civility and church on Sunday was not yet made a punch line.
Lucille Ball was an official member of the Communist Party USA. She did say that she only joined to please her Grandfather.
I am not sure whether to believe her or not.
In a free country one should be allowed to be a member of any group they want. One can easily see the .gov hype train going after someone or a group. Just look at today. The joke was on US later when our enlightened leaders opened up trade with commies.
An EXCELLENT synopsis! You’re also kind of explaining why some in Hollywood could have approached these communist meetings with some naivety for sure, but at least maybe a modicum of sincerity, as being a possible path to Never-again NAZI Fascism, which the actors despised.
Thanks.
Yes, I knew Ball and Bacall grew up in NY. I know the communist starting place targets were Hollywood, the Catholic Church and Academia. And, stoking the lower working classes, unions, etc.
There must have been an ARMY of them, if 1500 pretty boys were slipped into Seminaries alone. Think of the numbers of targets just in universities.
I believe I heard a story once (probably here at FR) to the effect that when Stalin was told how easy it was to emigrate to the United States, he immediately asked "why don't we put 50,000 spies in there?"
To some extent, the plot sounds a bit like “The Year of Living Dangerously”, which stars youngsters Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver. That centers around journalists caught up in a revolution in Indonesia.
However, the “religion” in that movie is Communism.
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