crector
02-11-17, 01:32 AM
The Drum is a fun flick from the Golden Age of Hollywood when the
studio system routinely turned out movies that provide much better
entertainment than what Hollywood can make today. It is set in
British India during the reign of Queen Victoria. Directed by
Zoltan Korda, it is a movie that proved to be a morale booster
for the increasingly beleagured British people during the later
years of the Great Depression that also saw the rise of Hitler.
The Drum depicts life in British India as being good for both British
and Indians alike. This was certainly true for the common folk
since they were free of the pre-British feudalism and backwardness
that held the common folk back. However, the upper classes and the
noble lords chafed under British rule and they lusted for a return
to the feudalism of the past. The differences between the pro-British
Indians and the anti-British Indians is personified by Prince Azim
(Sabu) and Prince Ghul (Raymond Massey).
Prince Azim befriends several British officers and is himself an
elightened nobleman. Prince Azim is a good guy and exhibits a rather
cheeky sense of humor throughout the movie. Many of his best
friends in life are British Army officers and soldiers such as Captain
Carruthers (Roger Livesey). Captain Carruthers brought to life the sort of positive relationship that existed between British officers and civil servants and the Indian people. Prince Azim remains solidly pro-British throughout the flick.
Most of the Indian noblemen in The Drum are anti-British and
yearn for the overthrow of British rule. Under the leadership of Prince
Ghul, they form a conspiracy aimed at achieving that end. The evil
cabal aims not only at ending British rule, but at overturning all the
positive reforms, that the British brought to India that worked in the favor of the common folk. Prince Azim, being a plucky fellow, discovers the plot and endeavors to expose it to the British.
However, there is a little problem. Prince Azim finds it impossible to
get away from the company of the conspirators. He cannot entrust a
servant with the message since the servant might be in on the conspiracy. Prince Azim winds up finding a solution to this problem that is most inventive and involves a quite creative use of a drum.
The Drum is great escapist fun. Both the cinematography and the
screenplay are very well done. Many of the performances, including
those of Livesay, Massey and Sabu are of a fine caliber. The Drum accurately portrays the India of the 1930's as what it really was like as opposed to the revisionist history of the post-independence era. The British receive their just due for their efforts to bring Western civilization and strong moral values to India to raise the living standards of the common folk and to free them from the yoke of the feudal lords. The Drum is most heartily recommended.
studio system routinely turned out movies that provide much better
entertainment than what Hollywood can make today. It is set in
British India during the reign of Queen Victoria. Directed by
Zoltan Korda, it is a movie that proved to be a morale booster
for the increasingly beleagured British people during the later
years of the Great Depression that also saw the rise of Hitler.
The Drum depicts life in British India as being good for both British
and Indians alike. This was certainly true for the common folk
since they were free of the pre-British feudalism and backwardness
that held the common folk back. However, the upper classes and the
noble lords chafed under British rule and they lusted for a return
to the feudalism of the past. The differences between the pro-British
Indians and the anti-British Indians is personified by Prince Azim
(Sabu) and Prince Ghul (Raymond Massey).
Prince Azim befriends several British officers and is himself an
elightened nobleman. Prince Azim is a good guy and exhibits a rather
cheeky sense of humor throughout the movie. Many of his best
friends in life are British Army officers and soldiers such as Captain
Carruthers (Roger Livesey). Captain Carruthers brought to life the sort of positive relationship that existed between British officers and civil servants and the Indian people. Prince Azim remains solidly pro-British throughout the flick.
Most of the Indian noblemen in The Drum are anti-British and
yearn for the overthrow of British rule. Under the leadership of Prince
Ghul, they form a conspiracy aimed at achieving that end. The evil
cabal aims not only at ending British rule, but at overturning all the
positive reforms, that the British brought to India that worked in the favor of the common folk. Prince Azim, being a plucky fellow, discovers the plot and endeavors to expose it to the British.
However, there is a little problem. Prince Azim finds it impossible to
get away from the company of the conspirators. He cannot entrust a
servant with the message since the servant might be in on the conspiracy. Prince Azim winds up finding a solution to this problem that is most inventive and involves a quite creative use of a drum.
The Drum is great escapist fun. Both the cinematography and the
screenplay are very well done. Many of the performances, including
those of Livesay, Massey and Sabu are of a fine caliber. The Drum accurately portrays the India of the 1930's as what it really was like as opposed to the revisionist history of the post-independence era. The British receive their just due for their efforts to bring Western civilization and strong moral values to India to raise the living standards of the common folk and to free them from the yoke of the feudal lords. The Drum is most heartily recommended.