North West Frontier (AKA Flame Over India, AKA Empress of India)
Directed by J. Lee Thompson
Written by Frank S. Nugent, Patrick Ford, Will Price, and Robin Estridge
1959/UK
The Rank Organization
First viewing/Netflix Rental
Catherine Wyatt: The British never do anything until they’ve had their cup of tea, and by then it’s too late.
This is a grand British Cinerama spectacle in the Western tradition, with the British army standing in for the cavalry and hordes of enraged Muslims standing in for the Indians.
The story takes place at around the turn of the last century when Victoria was India’s Empress. Warring Muslim factions have united in an effort to overthrow a Hindu maharajah. The maharajah calls on the British Army to take his six-year-old heir to safety in Delhi. The rebels manage to disable the train the British had planned to use. Then they eliminate the maharajah.
Captain Scott (Kenneth More) is put in charge of the boy. He locates a decrepit steam engine, “The Empress of India”, and makes plans to break out. Accompanying the party are the prince’s independent-minded American governess, Catherine Wyatt (Lauren Bacall), an arms merchant; a half-cast independence minded journalist (Herbert Lom); a kindly old India-hand (Wilfred Hyde-White) and the snooty wife of a British official. Much adventure ensues.
This film has been aptly compared to Stagecoach in an Indian setting. It is basically a road movie exploring the arcs of the various characters. J. Lee Thompson is no John Ford, of course, nor does Kenneth More have the gravitas of John Wayne. It’s pleasant enough viewing. The outstanding aspect is the beautiful widescreen Eastmancolor cinematography.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R9qLxeJ3vM
Montage of clips
