‘BENGAL LANCER'

Evening Star, Issue 22032, 18 May 1935, Page 11

‘BENGAL LANCER '

EXTENDED SEASON AT REGENT ‘ Lives of a Bengal Lancer ’ began the second week of its Dunedin season at the Regent Theatre yesterday. Men’s comradeship in the barracks and on the fields of sport and battle, is quite as noble a theme, and one that cannot be assailed by the “ suggestiyenesa ” that creeps into too many pictures, Femininity is represented by Kathleen Burke, who has, however, a very small part. The picture is true to its name—an episode in the history of the 4th Bengal Lancers, engaged m keeping order amongst the turbulent tribfis on the North-west Frontier of India. There are thrilling scenes or intrigue and warfare, and exciting chases after wild pig, tne one being no more dangerous than the other. There is humour, too, in plenty, though some of it is tinged with grimness, as when two brother officers try to keep up their courage by mutual bickerings as they lie in a dungeon in an Afghan stronghold, 1 waiting to be tortured. Although Gary Cooper is c redited with the leading role, as Alan M Gregor, hot-headed, kind-hearted ScotsCanadian, Franchot Tone and Richard Cromwell, as two junior officers of the regiment, divide the honours evenly with him. In barracks, Cooper and Tone bicker incessantly, though the latter’s perverted sense _ of humour nearly brings him to grief when, to annoy the other, he insists on trying to play Scots airs on a snake-charmer s pipe, saying .that the music is very like that of the,bagpipes. His playing lures a cobra into his room, and he has tq play in deadly earnest until Cooper comes to his rescue. One of the regiment’s tasks is to hunt down Mohammed Khan, a daring hill robber, who has defied British arms for years. The outlaw captures Cromwell, and takes him to his stronghold, and the other two officers, disguised as native merchants, make their way thither in the hope of rescuing him. Recognised by the outlaw, they are imprisoned and tortured until one of them breaks down and tells Mohammed Khan the route by which a consignment of ammunition, on its way to a friendly ruler, will be taken. His capture of the ammunition train, however, is nullified by the self-sacrifice of the captives, who, at heavy cost to themselves, break out of prison, turn a machine gun on the Khan’s men, and blow up the magazine, making a breach in the defences of the fort through which the Lancers can enter. The supporting films are of an equally entertaining character.