This is an ‘Empire Actioner’ made in 1959 by the Rank Organisation and set in the Northwest Frontier Province of British India in 1905. The plot revolves around the son of a Hindu Maharajah who has to be taken from his home and put in the safety of the Governers residence in Haserabad because of the danger from Muslim rebels.
The Wiki on the film (known to British audiences as Northwest Frontier Province), says:
“On arrival at Haserabad, Captain Scott sees that the last trainful of local Hindus and Europeans are leaving on the last train to Kalapur. After it leaves, the rebels close in and take control of the outer wall and gate beside the railway yard. The British governor then tells Scott that he must take the young prince to Kalapur because it has become too dangerous to keep him in Haserabad. In the railyard, the British captain discovers the Empress of India, an old, obsolete engine lovingly cared for by its driver Gupta (I. S. Johar) and a battered old carriage.
In the early hours of the next morning, Captain Scott quietly loads the passengers on the train. They include Mrs Wyatt, Prince Kishan, arms dealer Mr Peters (Eugene Deckers), British ex-pat Mr Bridie (Wilfrid Hyde-White), Lady Wyndham (the governor’s wife), two Indian NCOs and half-Dutch, half-Indian journalist Mr Van Leyden (Herbert Lom). “
This film is another rattling good yarn with Kenneth More as Captain Scott being most swashbuckling in the role. Lauren Bacall playing a doctors widow, provides the American view of the situation the cast of characters are in. Notable as characters was Gupta played by IS Johar, who was perfect for the part of the everyman philosopher who loved his old engine and refused a firearm because ‘Indian should not fire upon Indian’ and ‘I care nothing about what or how other men worship god’. The passengers on the train pass through attack, blocked rail lines, the aftermaths of Muslim massacres on their journey all the while not knowing who the traitor is among them.
It’s a long film but I really enjoyed it. It was directed by the same director who went on to make The Guns of Navarone, J. Lee Thompson
Here’s the film
The film is known in the UK as “North West Frontier” (there is no “Province”).
J. Lee Thompson directed a fair number of classics in various genres, including the original “Cape Fear”, “Tiger Bay” and “Ice Cold in Alex”. His work up to the 1970s especially is always worth a look.
He was one of those under-rated filmmakers who was able to pull off the trick of making popular mainstream films which didn’t insult the intelligence. There aren’t enough of them around these days.