Runtime: 85 minutes
Directed by: John Ford
Starring: Many famous faces, as described below
From: 20th Century Fox
Minor John Ford, but still intriguing. After all, I know some mutuals on Letterboxd will have their ears perk up when they hear that the plot is that British Army officer C. Aubrey Smith is dishonorably discharged from service in India, his sons George Sanders, David Niven, Richard Greene & William Henry come together to investigate their father being railroaded in a tale also involving Loretta Young, Alan Hale, John Carradine, Barry Fitzgerald and Reginald Denny: they will want to hear my opinion. The movie can be found on YouTube but it was easier to DVR a showing on the Fox Movie Channel a few weeks ago.
The cast is swell and as a LOT happens in 85 minutes (it was based on a novel, according to the opening credits) it is never dull. Yet, it does seem overstuffed at the same time as the characters split up to investigate, thus several exotic locations are visited… or recreated on a soundstage, to be exact. You probably wouldn’t think that a Ford trademark-a bar fight-would appear here, but you’d be mistaken. An actual massacre was for certain NOT on my BINGO card yet this happened in a film that also included a romance, Fitzgerald acting wacky and time spent in a banana republic in what was nominally a mystery/adventure picture.
In fact, at times the movie was bewildering and I did not love the story as presented. Those points noted, I can still say this was fine due to Ford’s direction, the famous faces, and some wild moments. Young seems shoehorned in and the movie is not one I ever need to see again. It’s best for completionists of the director and/or one of the main stars. That’s unless you want to hear Niven speak like Donald Duck (not only do I have no idea, no one else does either) or see him taking a bath.
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