The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)

100% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
66% of users liked it
(338 ratings)

Gary Cooper stars in this rousing adventure saga of three British officers of the 41st Regiment of Bengal Lancers of India. The story begins as Lt. McGregor (Gary Cooper) accepts two new officers to his company -- the brash Lt. Fortesque (Franchot Tone) and Lt. Stone (Richard Cromwell), the son of… More Gary Cooper stars in this rousing adventure saga of three British officers of the 41st Regiment of Bengal Lancers of India. The story begins as Lt. McGregor (Gary Cooper) accepts two new officers to his company -- the brash Lt. Fortesque (Franchot Tone) and Lt. Stone (Richard Cromwell), the son of the garrison's commander, Col. Stone (Guy Standing). In an effort not to show favoritism, Stone's father barely acknowledges his son during a parade of the new officers. Lt. Stone resents this treatment by his father and becomes embittered at both his dad and the British army. McGregor is ordered to search for a British spy, Lt. Barrett (Colin Tapley), who has infiltrated the army of crazed chieftain Mohammed Khan (Douglas Dumbrille). The three officers find Barrett, who tells them Khan is planning an uprising against the British, utilizing the mountain tribes for a massive assault. Lt. Stone finds himself captured by the rebels and is taken to Mohammed Khan's mountain fortress to be tortured. Stone's father refuses to send in the lancers to save his son, reasoning that his son was captured to lure the British forces to their doom. Disguising themselves as Indian peddlers, McGregror and Fortesque go off to rescue Stone. But they are soon discovered and taken to Mohammed Khan's lair to be tortured, with Khan telling McGregor, "We have ways of making men talk." Mohammed wants the soldiers to tell him where a shipment of ammunition will be delivered. McGregor and Fortesque withstand the torture without divulging the location, but Lt. Stone cracks and tells Khan what he wants to know. The three officers see the ammunition delivered to Khan's fortress, but then they hear Col. Stone and 300 lancers have arrived outside of Khan's gates. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Henry Hathaway
Written By: Grover Jones
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 11, 1935 Wide
On DVD: May 31, 2005
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
One of the most exciting action-adventures of the 1930s (perhaps of all time), catapulting Gary Cooper to major stardom.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A rousing adventure story in the Kiplingesque fashion.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Pretty good, but it should have been great.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

No Featured Audience Ratings Found…

Cast

            Gary Cooper as Capt. McGregor

            Franchot Tone as Lt. John Forsythe

            Richard Cromwell as Lt. Donald Stone

            Guy Standing as Col. Stone

            C. Aubrey Smith as Maj. Hamilton

            Monte Blue as Hamzulla Kahn

            Akim Tamiroff as Emir

            Kathleen Burke as Tania Volkanskaya

            Colin Tapley as Lt. Barrett

            Douglas Dumbrille as Mohammed Khan

            Jameson Thomas as Hendrickson

            Noble Johnson as Ram Singh

            Lumsden Hare as Maj. Gen. Woodley

            J. Carrol Naish as Grand Vizier

            Rollo Lloyd as The Ghazi a Prisoner

            Charles Stevens as McGregor's Servant

            Mischa Auer as Amdi

            James Bell
            
            Sam Harris as British Officer

            Jamiel Hasson
            
            Claude King as Experienced Clerk

            Leonid Kinskey as Snake Charmer

            Lya Lys as Girl on Train

            Clive Morgan as Lt. Norton

            George Regas as Kushal Khan

            Reginald Sheffield as Novice

            Ram Singh
            
            James Warwick as Lt. Gilhooley

            Carlie Taylor as British Officer

            Eddie Das as Servant

            Bhogwan Singh as Nuim Shah

            Ray Cooper as Assistant to Grand Vizier

            Douglass Dumbrille
            
See full cast

Trailers & Clips

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started