THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER (1935) B/W 109m dir: Henry Hathaway

w/Gary Cooper, Franchot Tone, Richard Cromwell, Sir Guy Standing, C. Aubrey Smith, Kathleen Burke

Action-escapism at its zestiest, this glorified schoolboys' adventure is a spirited salute to stiff-upper-lip heroics, as the British Empire defends its colonial holdings. Pure excitement, as Cooper and Tone, the experienced soldiers, serve as big brothers to a fledgling recruit (Cromwell). The political aspects of the film are, of course, couched in a nineteenth century morality; but, if you can get over that, this is one hell of a show.