For all his faults, Alex Korda stood head and shoulders above other British film producers in the 30s because of his ambition, including a willingness to tackle Hollywood head on. British empire epics had been in vogue since the success of Lives of a Bengal Lancer – Korda responded with a series of his own, including Sanders of the River, Elephant Boy, The Four Feathers, Jungle Book and this. It was shot on colour and partly on location in India; it’s actually set in the present day even though it feels very 19th century.
Sabu is a prince of a state in the northwest frontier who has to deal with a troublesome, usurping uncle (Raymond Masssey). But luckily the local kindly British officer (Roger Livesy) and his wife (Valerie Hobson) are on hand to help. Livesy is an odd pick for a romantic heroic male lead – a very good actor with a superb voice and likeable persona, he’s not quite in the Robert Donat/Leslie Howard class… but he’s much better than the male models Korda used later (Barry Barnes, John Clements, John Justin). And it’s fun to hear him talk about how the British support equal rights between the sexes (ha), willingly walk into an ambush because it will inspire an avenging mission that will give rise to law and order, like Gordon at Khartoum, and fire away on a machine gun in evening dress.
Valerie Hobson is the perfect memsahib – sensibly pretty, at home in an evening dress or pukka shorts, defending Sabu from assassination and playing the piano. Sabu is very engaging as an Uncle Tom prince, who has an enjoyable friendship with rednut drummer Desmond Tester.
There’s plenty of depiction of life at a British output, reminiscent of John Ford’s cavalry films in some way: pipers playing at every opportunity (the British regiments are highland ones), dinner time with toasts to the King-Emperor and passing the port, singing ‘Loch Lomond’, polo games, Valerie Hobson on the piano after dinner, highland dancing. A decent amount of action, too.
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