Summary
At the height of the British Raj, trouble is brewing on the Northwest
Frontier in India. In an attempt to avoid a full-scale rebellion,
the British governor signs a peace treaty with the ruler of Tokot, an
area of great significance in the region. The ink on the treaty
is barely dry before the king of Tokot is slain, his throne usurped by
his brother, Prince Ghul, who intends to ignite a bloody revolution
against the British. Ghul’s nephew, Prince Azim, is saved by his
loyal followers and goes into hiding. A second attempt on Azim’s
life is thwarted by the wife of Carruthers, the British officer who
commands the garrison in Tokot. Anxious to stay on good
terms with the new ruler of Tokot, Carruthers accepts an invitation to
a banquet at the palace. What he does not know is that Ghul
intends to kill him and the party of soldiers who accompany him, to
encourage the Indian rebels to rise up and overthrow the British...
Review
The Drum was the second in a
loose trilogy of films about the British Empire that were made by the
Korda brothers, the others being Sanders
of the River (1935) and The Four Feathers (1939).
The film helped to make a star of the 14-year old Sabu Dastagir, the
impoverished orphan boy who had previously starred in the Kordas’
earlier film, Elephant Boy
(1937). The charismatic young actor would feature in several big
budget British productions, such as The Thief of Bagdad (1940) and Jungle Book (1942), but would have
difficulty making a career for himself in Hollywood subsequently.
Although slightly dated by its imperialistic stance, The Drum impresses with its stunning production values and exemplary performances. As the calculating Prince Ghul, Raymond Massey exudes vile villainy as effortlessly as his co-stars Roger Livesey and Valerie Hobson radiate quintessential English charm. The characterisation is, to modern eyes, slightly grotesque, carrying racist overtones which are now considered unacceptable, but the drama is so compelling, the action sequences so well realised that even this sin is forgiven.
Write a review for this film...
Although slightly dated by its imperialistic stance, The Drum impresses with its stunning production values and exemplary performances. As the calculating Prince Ghul, Raymond Massey exudes vile villainy as effortlessly as his co-stars Roger Livesey and Valerie Hobson radiate quintessential English charm. The characterisation is, to modern eyes, slightly grotesque, carrying racist overtones which are now considered unacceptable, but the drama is so compelling, the action sequences so well realised that even this sin is forgiven.
© filmsdefrance.com 2009
Write a review for this film...
User Comments
Useful links
- Best French films of 2011
- Best French films of the 2000s
- Best of the French New Wave
- Best of French film comedy
- The best 100 French films
- The most successful French films
- Great French filmmakers
Related links
- Other British films of the 1930s
- The best British films of the 1930s
- Other British war films
- The best British war films
- Biography and films of Zoltan Korda
To buy this film
Check DVD and Blu-ray availability:
Credits
- Director: Zoltan Korda
- Script: A.E.W. Mason (novel), Lajos Biró, Arthur Wimperis, Patrick Kirwan, Hugh Gray
- Photo: Osmond Borradaile, Georges Périnal
- Music: John Greenwood
- Cast: Sabu (Prince Azim), Raymond Massey (Prince Ghul), Roger Livesey (Capt. Carruthers), Valerie Hobson (Mrs. Carruthers), David Tree (Lieut. Escott), Desmond Tester (Bill Holder), Francis L. Sullivan (Governor), Archibald Batty (Major Bond), Frederick Culley (Dr. Murphy), Amid Taftazani (Mohammed Khan), Laurence Baskcomb (Zarullah), Roy Emerton (Wafadar), Michael Martin Harvey (Mullah), Martin Walker (Herrick), Ronald Adam (Major Gregoff), Charles Oliver (Rajab)
- Country: UK
- Language: English
- Runtime: 104 min
- Aka: Drums
Similar films
If you like this film you may also like the following:- 49th Parallel (1941)
- A Night to Remember (1958)
- The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
- Beat the Devil (1953)
- Cottage to Let (1941)
- The Foreman Went to France (1942)
- The Four Feathers (1939)
- The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
- Millions Like Us (1943)
- Reach for the Sky (1956)
- Richard III (1955)
- The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
- Scott of the Antarctic (1948)
- The Spy in Black (1939)
Important French filmmakers






- François Truffaut
- Jean Cocteau
- Abel Gance
- Jacques Demy
- Jacques Rivette
- Jean Renoir
- Jean Grémillon
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Marcel Carné
- Claude Chabrol
- Claude Lelouch
- Réné Clair
- Marcel Pagnol
- Eric Rohmer
- François Ozon
- Bertrand Tavernier
- Bertrand Blier
- Claire Denis
- Jacques Tati
- Jacques Audiard
- Maurice Pialat
- Robert Guédiguian
To buy The Drum:

Adventure / Drama / War / History


