I have a warm spot in my heart for three Hathaway movies.Although there are many films made by him I like,I can watch these three again and again and again.One of them is "Niagara" .The two others were made the same year ,and,most amazing thing,they are as different as they can be:"Peter Ibettson" is a romantic fantasy film the influence of which was huge on the French Realisme Poétique of the late thirties/early forties.And there's "lives of a Bengal lancer".

I was about 13 when I saw it for the first time with two of my pals who,having already seen the film ,had warned me:" there's horrible "Chinese" torture in it".At the time ,we thought that Mohammed Khan and his men were the villains and the English were the heroes.It was the first time I had seen Gary Cooper.

I should hate the colonialism,the military spirit now ,and however I don't: I love this film.I love the story,I love the three characters (particularly Franchot Tone),I love all the supporting characters ,I love everything .

The screenplay is so absorbing,the characters are so endearing that the simple idea of blaming the writers for their chocolate box India and their praise of the British Empire does not even come to mind."It looks like the Arabian night's "says young Stone in full regalia in the emir's palace.Would you blame Alexandre Dumas for his "three musketeers" because his rendition of the French seventeenth century and his vision of the Cardinal de Richelieu are approximative and a bit naive.But after all it's true that Richelieu did use female spies;hence the Milady character...

In "lives" our milady is Tania.Played by a gorgeous actress whose career was short-lived,Kathleen Burke ,this lady has only four or five lines to say in one of the most underwritten parts of the whole cinema.So underwritten we do not even know what becomes of her when the film ends .She leaves with "a terrible headache" and that's it.How could the thirties audience accept that?"Lives" is definitely a male movie whereas the contemporary "Peter Ibbetson " is a female one.

Franchot Tone has replaced Cooper as my favorite.He is ,IMHO,the stand-out of a stellar cast .A really fabulous actor,who achieves the incredible feat to be funny even when he is on the verge of tears.His nod to Mac in the dungeon when they are in a real plight in unforgettable;and it's easy to understand why Mac's last words were "poetry".

Forsythe is the most endearing character ,and even his gaffes are sublime.When he meets a babe on the train ,Mac tells him he should know better and that there are spies everywhere."Melodrama Melodrama" he answers;little did he know his pal was right and that would happen later.And the flute which sounds like "Scottish pipe" which turns him into a reluctant snake charmer is the most hilarious scene of the American thirties.

Hathaway's genius is to have maintained a " delicate balance" between comedy and drama.There are at least as many funny scenes as dramatic ones (some are both).Dig this line :"I told you this mardi gras would be a washout!"

The Stone jr/Stone sr relationship has often been described as "devoid of humanity ,of sentimentality,of heart" .It's completely untrue :the old man desperately tries to communicate with his only son ,but he is too shy and too proud to let his feelings flow.Two admirable scenes show this frustration: the "letter" which Mac gives to Donald to take to the colonel,and the night before they learn his rapt,when the old ramrod cannot open his heart to his son's two mates who act as his "military " fathers and more .

If Mac sacrifices his life ,it's not only for defeating Khan.He mainly wants to hide Donald Stone's weakness "who has betrayed his country" as Khan points out in the dungeon.The last scene bears this out.To the accents of "God Save the King" Stone's tears begin to fall...and you feel like crying as they decorate the hero's horse.

In the 1930s, there were many films that glorified the British Colonial army of the 1800s (such as THE FOUR FEATHERS, GUNGA DIN, and CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, among others). Because so many were done in such a short span of time, to me they tend to blend together in my mind. This is probably the biggest problem I had with this film--while very, very well-made, it also seemed too familiar and, as a result, predictable. If you had to choose only one of these films to watch, I would definitely watch THE FOUR FEATHERS, as it is the best--though this film is nearly as good.

Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone do a good job of playing British officers serving in what today would be the region of Pakistan and Afghanistan where Al qaeda has been hiding in recent years (ironic, isn't it?). Not surprisingly, the film portrays the British very sympathetically, as in the 1930s, Colonialism was glorified and all the inherent ill in it was pretty much ignored. My advice is just ignore this and enjoy the film.

The plot involves the son of the company's commander being assigned to the unit and Tone and Cooper watching over him. It seems that the little beggar has a tough time living up to his father's expectations, plus he is a pretty terrible soldier. So, his new mentors spend much of the movie keeping him out of trouble--or at least trying.

The acting, direction and especially the action are superb. This is a fun film--the sort of adventure film that the 1930s did so well. Other than the familiarness of the plot, there really isn't anything negative to say about this excellent and engaging film.

In the Northwest Frontier of India, the 41st Bengal Lancers leaded by the harsh Colonel Tom Stone (Sir Guy Standing) are having trouble with the rebellious leader Mohammed Khan (Douglas Dumbrille). After two casualties, the experienced but insubordinate Lieutenant Alan McGregor (Gary Cooper) receives as replacement, the arrogant and cocky Lieutenant Forsythe (Franchot Tone) and the immature and naive son of Colonel Stone, Lieutenant Donald Stone (Richard Cromwell). With the intention to prove that he will not have any privilege in the troop, the reception of Colonel Stone to his son is absolutely cold, but he becomes the protégé of McGregor. When Lieutenant Stone is kidnapped by Mohammed Khan, McGregor and Forsythe disobey the direct order of their commander, disguise as Indian peddlers and go to Khan's fortress to attempt to rescue their friend.

"The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" is a great dramatic adventure that won two Oscars and was nominated in six other categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. The acting is top-notch, with delightful witty and cynical dialogs. However, like in "Gunga Din" of "The Birth of a Nation", the story is dated and politically incorrect. The British invaders are the "good guys", while those that are fighting for the freedom of their country are the "bad guys". Therefore, is spite of being a terrific and entertaining movie, its message is morally equivocated and nasty. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Lanceiros da Índia" ("India Lancers")