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.
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.
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.
https://www.amazon.com/North-West-Frontier-Lauren-Bacall/dp/B07KN2K15J
Hyderabad exists in India!
Just watched it. FANTASTIC MOVIE. The Herbert Lom character is a perfect exemplar of all the murderous Mudslime terrorists we’ve encountered since, with on exaggeration. Hard to find any better, more contemporaneous movie. FIVE STARS!!