The Drum [Drums] **** (1938, Sabu, Raymond Massey, Roger Livesey, Valerie Hobson, Desmond Tester, David Tree) – Classic Movie Review 3067

Director Zoltan Korda’s 1938 British film stars a 14-year-old Sabu in this thrilling Raj tale based on an original screen story by A E W Mason, author of The Four Feathers, filmed by Korda in 1939.

It takes place on the North West frontier of India, where a young Indian prince called Azim (Sabu in a winsome performance) joins up with the British army.

His plan is to hide out from and eventually battle his rotten uncle, prince Ghul (a blood-curdlingly lip-smacking Massey), who has killed his father and stolen his crown. At the British garrison, Sabu raises the alarm just in time to prepare for a battle with Ghul and his ghoulish men who are out to massacre them all.

Alexander Korda’s handsome production, filmed in the Welsh hills in gorgeous Technicolor, rattles along at a steady beat with top turns from Raymond Massey as the hissable villain and Roger Livesey as the very stiff-upper-lipped Captain Tony Carruthers. Valerie Hobson also stars as Carruthers, with Desmond Tester as Bill Holder and David Tree as Lieutenant Escott.

It runs 104 minutes but was cut to 99 minutes in the US.

Also in the cast are Martin Walker, Francis L Sullivan, Roy Emerton, Edward Lexy, Julien Mitchell, Frederick Culley, Charles Oliver, Alf Goddard, Michael Martin Harvey, Ronald Adam, Amid Taftazani, Archibald Batty, Lawrence Baskcomb, Leo Genn, Guy Rolfe and Miriam Pieris.

Gerald Campion (50s TV’s Billy Bunter), who can be seen here briefly in his debut as a soldier, started a new career as a restaurateur after 1968’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He died on July 9 2002, aged 81.

Adaptation by Lajos Biro and scenario by Arthur Wimperis, Patrick Kirwan and Hugh Gray. Vincent Korda is the settings designer in colour.

Georges Périnal is the cinematographer and Osmond Borradaile photographed the Indian location scenes. Two famous future cinematographers are uncredited in the camera department: Christopher Challis was the focus puller and Robert Krasker the camera operator.

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© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3067

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