Gunga Din (1939)

My Review

“Gunga Din” is a war drama movie about three British sergeants and Gunga Din, their loyal Indian water bearer, in conflicts in colonial British India. Director George Stevens (“Swing Time” 1936) expertly balanced drama, comedy, and complex battle scenes in assembling this classic film. The excellent screenplay was written by Joel Sayre and Fred Guiol, from a story by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. It was adapted from the famous 1890 poem “Gunga Din” by Rudyard Kipling.

The cast includes Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Victor McLaglen as the three Army buddies, Sam Jaffe as Gunga Din, as well as Joan Fontaine, Montagu Love, Eduardo Ciannelli, Cecil Kellaway, and Reginald Sheffield as Rudyard Kipling. The watchable and inspiring “Gunga Din” was popular in theatrical release for producer George Stevens and RKO Radio Pictures. The musical score was composed by Alfred Newman. It was filmed in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range.