It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Directed by Henry Hathaway, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer from 1935 is an excellent film that today is not as well-known as films like Beau Geste and Gunga Din.The film stars Gary Cooper, Franchot Tone, Richard Cromwell, Guy Standing, C. Aubrey Smith, and Douglas Dumbrille.The story takes place in India, in the northwest frontier. The 41st Bengal Lancers have had casualties due to a rebel leader, Mohammed Khan. Replacements for the lost men appear: Lt. Forsythe (Tone) and Donald Stone (Richard Cromwell), the son of the head of the Lancers, Colonel Stone. Lt. Alan McGregor (Cooper) rooms with them, due to the fact that he's usually in trouble. Forsythe loves singing "Mother Macree" and pushing McGregor's buttons; but McGregor bonds with the young Stone. Eventually all three become friends.When Stone's son is kidnapped by Mohammed Khan, McGregor and Forsythe want to go after him, but Stone forbids it. The two men dress as Indians and go to Khan's base to rescue Stone.Rousing film with plenty of action, which was one of Hathaway's specialties, with all locations in California but under the hot sun, it could be India. This is the movie where the famous line "We have ways of making you talk" comes from, except that's not the line, it's "We have ways of making men talk" - somehow these famous lines are never exact.Gary Cooper is excellent -- gorgeous as usual, energetic, and passionate. I just saw him in "Ten North Fredrick" so it was a delight to see him in this, 23 years earlier, so young and strong. Tone, who replaced Henry Wilcoxin is very good, and baby-faced Richard Cromwell is right for his role as a kid who wants to be treated like one of the Lancers and not have any special privileges. Cromwell was married to Angela Lansbury for five minutes or so, and was in and out of films, working ultimately as an artist.Lots of action and adventure - hard to know why it isn't appreciated today because the characters are strong, with real relationships and good dialogue. I think I know why - Gunga Din is a George Stevens' film, and Beau Geste was directed by William Wellman. Since Hathaway isn't considered a director in that league, I have a feeling this film is often passed over. It's a shame; it deserves rediscovery.

LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER is interesting, but very dated. This is Cooper before he really hit his stride, and one downfall of this film is that he talks so much (and a little too hammily). Cooper later came to epitomize the "strong silent type"... his eyes are so expressive that he was always more eloquent in silence.Because of this, the real standout in this film is Franchot Tone, who sparkles with wit, has a light touch with all the dialogue, and is a real "odd couple" match for Cooper, keeping things brisk, and bringing lots of levels to the table where Cooper keeps it broodingly within.Richard Cromwell is a strong and interesting presence. He looks slight and light and young, but has a surprising basso voice, and is a perfect fit for this role. The actor playing the General/his father is so clearly old enough to be his grandfather that it makes the plot even more confusing than it is all ready when it comes to their convoluted relationship.The outdoor sequences are so clearly filmed in Griffith Park area that it is amusing to watch for that... the action sequences would appeal to fans of early westerns, but are a little static, and there is just way too much talk in this film. Not active enough to be an action film, too weak a script to be a drama, it's a historical footnote on the way to more streamlined genres.

The epic scope of the film is particularly impressive considering it's release in 1935, and without the complexity of today's computer generated effects. Director Henry Hathaway relocates his experiences with the American Wild West to the more exotic locales of northwest India above the Khyber Pass. There he focuses on the good natured rivalry between Lieutenant Alan McGregor (Gary Cooper) and two newly assigned junior officers, Forsythe (Franchot Tone) and Stone (Richard Cromwell), members of the 41st Bengal Lancers. The plot is thickened by the authority of Colonel Tom Stone (Guy Standing), father of Mr. Stone from Sandhurst, immediately creating a dynamic tension between familial and military concerns.There's a bit more to it than that as well, weighing on the Colonel's mind are an impending retirement and the responsibility of his assignment to protect the Indian Emir from a coalition of hostile tribes led by Mohammed Khan (Douglas Dumbrille). His 'service comes first' mentality is repeatedly tested by Cooper's character, who refers to the Colonel as 'old ramrod'; in fact, McGregor is probably one of the most insubordinate officers in film history if you count the number of times he disobeys orders.The younger Stone is at odds throughout the story as to how to impress his overbearing father. The boar hunt goes badly, and later he falls victim to the Khan's kidnap plot, utilizing the wiles of the sultry Tania (Kathleen Burke). Ultimately he earns his redemption, but at a high price, as the officer trio reunites to destroy Khan's stolen ammunition supply. That he didn't have the courage to resist torture like his comrades is inexorably relived during the presentation of the Distinguished Service Order, when he has all he can do to hold back his welling tears.Any story set in India probably wouldn't be complete without the obligatory dancing cobra scene. Here it's done to somewhat comic effect when the bantering Forsythe finally receives his comeuppance from the older officer McGregor. Of course as with most films, this one doesn't get it scientifically accurate either. Cobras are not enchanted by the music they can't hear, but the swaying motion of the player and his instrument; for his part, Forsythe looked a bit too terrified to sway.Curiously, Canadian born Douglass Dumbrille has just the right look to be plausible as a foreigner. His character here exudes both charm and malice, and he would go on to portray a varied assemblage of international characters in film. One that immediately comes to mind was a comic turn in the 1950 team-up with "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion".As a fan of the classics, I have a preferred taste for black and white films, but every once in a while there's a scene that simply begs for the color treatment. As guests of the Emir, the Lancers are shown in full ceremonial regalia which look quite stunning. Kind of makes you wish for a modern day remake, if only they would stay away from the CGI.

Right. A snake is charmed by a musical instrument. There are only Moslems and Englishmen and no Hindus or Jains in India. A troop of Indians stop fighting and start praying when their commander is killed. The son of the very British captain has a distinctly American accent, and so does the Scotch-Canadian. The beautiful girl dances with anyone who walks up to her, even if they don't speak a word first. The British troop, when ambushed, doesn't run for cover or even stop chatting. This story is so full of holes I could barely watch it through to the end. If you're looking for a movie which has stood the test of time, this isn't it. Keep looking. Don't waste your time with "Lives of a Bengal Lancer."