472 The Lives of a Bengal Lancer

[MichaelB]

THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER
(Henry Hathaway, 1935)
Release date: 20 January 2025
Limited Edition Blu-ray (UK premiere)

Pre-order here.

Gary Cooper (Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife), Franchot Tone (Mutiny on the Bounty), and Richard Cromwell (Baby Face Morgan) head the cast of spectacular adventure classic The Lives of a Bengal Lancer.

When Lieutenant McGregor (Cooper) welcomes officers Forsythe (Tone) and Stone (Cromwell) to a remote outpost on the northwest frontier of the British Raj, they face overwhelming odds as they battle a local insurgency.

A high point in the diverse and celebrated career of prolific filmmaker Henry Hathaway (The Shepherd of the Hills), and featuring stunning photography by Charles Lang (The Big Heat), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• 4K restoration
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with screenwriter and novelist C Courtney Joyner and filmmaker Steve Latshaw (2025)
• Sheldon Hall on ‘The Lives of the Bengal Lancer’ (2025): critical appreciation by the academic and film historian
• Lux Radio Theatre: ‘The Lives of a Bengal Lancer’ (1939): radio adaptation of the film’s screenplay starring Errol Flynn, Brian Aherne and Jackie Cooper, alongside original cast members C Aubrey Smith and Douglass Dumbrille
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Sam Wigley, an archival production report, an extract from an archival interview with Henry Hathaway, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK
• All features subject to change

#PHILE472B
BBFC cert: U
REGION B
EAN: 5060697924794

[domino harvey]

My write up from the Alt Best Picture list

the Lives of a Bengal Lancer Note to Hollywood, c. 1935: Franchot Tone and Richard Cromwell look almost identical in this movie and casting them alongside each other in a trio where the third party is Gary Cooper makes both men "That guy that's not Gary Cooper." This action-packed male-centric adventure unfolds too dryly and without curiosity into its premise to engage me in the well-staged but tiresome antics of its assorted action figures. Interesting to note that this was one of Hitler's favorite movies, though I'm not sure what he got out of it. Maybe he could tell Tone and Cromwell apart!

[Aspect]

Well, count me as a big fan of this movie. I even like it more than similar titles like Gunga Din and Beau Geste. It’s a great adventure that unfolds with nary a dull moment and lots of humor between the three players, whom I had no trouble telling apart (I’m not Hitler!). Everyone is cast well, plus the movie looks gorgeous on Kino’s disc, so I’m sure this version will be just as good if not slightly better. I don’t know, this one’s just great fun. One of Hathaway’s best IMO.