Gunga Din (1939)

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Detective Jim McLeod
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Joined: December 2nd, 2022, 12:26 pm
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Gunga Din (1939)

Post by Detective Jim McLeod »

3 British Army sergeants battle a murderous Thuggee cult in 19th century India.

The greatest action/adventure film ever made and one of my top ten films. It starts with a rousing music score by Alfred Newman. The main characters are Sgt. MacChesney (Victor McLaglen), the gruff leader of the group who will do anything to keep the trio together, Sgt. Cutter (Cary Grant) a boisterous Cockney with a weakness for treasure hunts and Sgt. Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) who wants to leave the service and get married. The title character (Sam Jaffee) is a loyal native water carrier who wants to be a soldier.

There is terrific action combined with laughs including a great early scene in which the three battle the Thugs with guns, fists, swords and well thrown sticks of dynamite. Many funny scenes of spiked punch at a party, Mac's devotion to his pet elephant and Ballantine trying his best to avoid his friends while romancing his future wife.

Things turn dark when Cutter is captured by the Thugs. Eduardo Ciannelli is the vicious leader, he gives a blood chilling speech about killing. Mac, Ballantine and Din try to rescue their friend. There is a very touching ending in which we hear a portion of Rudyard Kipling classic poem.
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LawrenceA
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Joined: October 22nd, 2022, 1:04 pm

Re: Gunga Din (1939)

Post by LawrenceA »

Detective Jim McLeod wrote: December 16th, 2022, 12:23 pm 3 British Army sergeants battle a murderous Thuggee cult in 19th century India.

The greatest action/adventure film ever made and one of my top ten films. It starts with a rousing music score by Alfred Newman. The main characters are Sgt. MacChesney (Victor McLaglen), the gruff leader of the group who will do anything to keep the trio together, Sgt. Cutter (Cary Grant) a boisterous Cockney with a weakness for treasure hunts and Sgt. Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) who wants to leave the service and get married. The title character (Sam Jaffee) is a loyal native water carrier who wants to be a soldier.

There is terrific action combined with laughs including a great early scene in which the three battle the Thugs with guns, fists, swords and well thrown sticks of dynamite. Many funny scenes of spiked punch at a party, Mac's devotion to his pet elephant and Ballantine trying his best to avoid his friends while romancing his future wife.

Things turn dark when Cutter is captured by the Thugs. Eduardo Ciannelli is the vicious leader, he gives a blood chilling speech about killing. Mac, Ballantine and Din try to rescue their friend. There is a very touching ending in which we hear a portion of Rudyard Kipling classic poem.
LIKE :smiley_cheer:
Watching until the end.
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Swithin
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Joined: October 22nd, 2022, 5:25 pm

Re: Gunga Din (1939)

Post by Swithin »

:smiley_yeah:
Detective Jim McLeod wrote: December 16th, 2022, 12:23 pm 3 British Army sergeants battle a murderous Thuggee cult in 19th century India.

The greatest action/adventure film ever made and one of my top ten films. It starts with a rousing music score by Alfred Newman. The main characters are Sgt. MacChesney (Victor McLaglen), the gruff leader of the group who will do anything to keep the trio together, Sgt. Cutter (Cary Grant) a boisterous Cockney with a weakness for treasure hunts and Sgt. Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) who wants to leave the service and get married. The title character (Sam Jaffee) is a loyal native water carrier who wants to be a soldier.

There is terrific action combined with laughs including a great early scene in which the three battle the Thugs with guns, fists, swords and well thrown sticks of dynamite. Many funny scenes of spiked punch at a party, Mac's devotion to his pet elephant and Ballantine trying his best to avoid his friends while romancing his future wife.

Things turn dark when Cutter is captured by the Thugs. Eduardo Ciannelli is the vicious leader, he gives a blood chilling speech about killing. Mac, Ballantine and Din try to rescue their friend. There is a very touching ending in which we hear a portion of Rudyard Kipling classic poem.
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Swithin
Posts: 1732
Joined: October 22nd, 2022, 5:25 pm

Re: Gunga Din (1939)

Post by Swithin »

Might as well post the inspiration for the movie:

Gunga Din
BY Rudyard Kipling


You may talk o’ gin and beer
When you’re quartered safe out ’ere,
An’ you’re sent to penny-fights an’ Aldershot it;
But when it comes to slaughter
You will do your work on water,
An’ you’ll lick the bloomin’ boots of ’im that’s got it.
Now in Injia’s sunny clime,
Where I used to spend my time
A-servin’ of ’Er Majesty the Queen,
Of all them blackfaced crew
The finest man I knew
Was our regimental bhisti, Gunga Din,
He was ‘Din! Din! Din!
‘You limpin’ lump o’ brick-dust, Gunga Din!
‘Hi! Slippy hitherao
‘Water, get it! Panee lao,
‘You squidgy-nosed old idol, Gunga Din.’

The uniform ’e wore
Was nothin’ much before,
An’ rather less than ’arf o’ that be’ind,
For a piece o’ twisty rag
An’ a goatskin water-bag
Was all the field-equipment ’e could find.
When the sweatin’ troop-train lay
In a sidin’ through the day,
Where the ’eat would make your bloomin’ eyebrows crawl,
We shouted ‘Harry By!’
Till our throats were bricky-dry,
Then we wopped ’im ’cause ’e couldn’t serve us all.
It was ‘Din! Din! Din!
‘You ’eathen, where the mischief ’ave you been?
‘You put some juldee in it
‘Or I’ll marrow you this minute
‘If you don’t fill up my helmet, Gunga Din!’

’E would dot an’ carry one
Till the longest day was done;
An’ ’e didn’t seem to know the use o’ fear.
If we charged or broke or cut,
You could bet your bloomin’ nut,
’E’d be waitin’ fifty paces right flank rear.
With ’is mussick on ’is back,
’E would skip with our attack,
An’ watch us till the bugles made 'Retire,’
An’ for all ’is dirty ’ide
’E was white, clear white, inside
When ’e went to tend the wounded under fire!
It was ‘Din! Din! Din!’
With the bullets kickin’ dust-spots on the green.
When the cartridges ran out,
You could hear the front-ranks shout,
‘Hi! ammunition-mules an' Gunga Din!’

I shan’t forgit the night
When I dropped be’ind the fight
With a bullet where my belt-plate should ’a’ been.
I was chokin’ mad with thirst,
An’ the man that spied me first
Was our good old grinnin’, gruntin’ Gunga Din.
’E lifted up my ’ead,
An’ he plugged me where I bled,
An’ ’e guv me ’arf-a-pint o’ water green.
It was crawlin’ and it stunk,
But of all the drinks I’ve drunk,
I’m gratefullest to one from Gunga Din.
It was 'Din! Din! Din!
‘’Ere’s a beggar with a bullet through ’is spleen;
‘’E's chawin’ up the ground,
‘An’ ’e’s kickin’ all around:
‘For Gawd’s sake git the water, Gunga Din!’

’E carried me away
To where a dooli lay,
An’ a bullet come an’ drilled the beggar clean.
’E put me safe inside,
An’ just before ’e died,
'I ’ope you liked your drink,’ sez Gunga Din.
So I’ll meet ’im later on
At the place where ’e is gone—
Where it’s always double drill and no canteen.
’E’ll be squattin’ on the coals
Givin’ drink to poor damned souls,
An’ I’ll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!
Yes, Din! Din! Din!
You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!
Though I’ve belted you and flayed you,
By the livin’ Gawd that made you,
You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!
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Detective Jim McLeod
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Re: Gunga Din (1939)

Post by Detective Jim McLeod »

[quote=Cuthbert post_id=168794 time=1671269008 user_id=349020]
Might as well post the inspiration for the movie:

Gunga Din
BY Rudyard Kipling


Thanks, I would have loved to hear Cary Grant recite this in his Cockney voice. I think Victor McLaglen did a snippet of it at the beginning of the film, at least it sounded like him.
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