Customer Reviews

Drums [VHS]

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This is another Korda brothers classic. There is a lot in this movie which the viewer can agree with today. Fanatical Islam and the drerams of world conquest. Sound familiar. It should, and the British dealt with this sort of thing long before the US ever did! This is a classic empire flick from the 1930s. What makes it great are the authentic sets, troops, and equipment. The setting is mostly likely post WW1, although some of the small arms and equipment certainly date the movie just before WW2. The story is your classic action adventure in the North West Frontier. A conspiracy of the local tribes to overthrow British rule, lead by a mad Khan. Raymond Massey does a great job here. He looks like a real 1930s Bin Ladin! The Britis are lead by a very classy Roger Livesey who couldn't be more English than in this film. Sabu is cute, as is the young scoits drummer he interacts with. There is a lot of rich detail in this film. Aspects of regimental life are shown, soldiering in the British army during the 1930s. The Highland regiment showcased seems to be the Gordon Highlanders. The drummer boy shows us some interesting details about regimental pipe bands in the 1930s. The mess scene which shows the kings toast with the pipe major is really fascinating! Sure the natives are evil, but what is new here! This fiolm shows us that islam and Afghans have not chnaged all that much in the last 70 years! This is a timeless old classic made relivant again by recent events. they really should bring this one out on DVD with production notes.

Drums came out the year before The Four Feathers and is fun but not as good. The time is the years before World War I. Sabu plays Prince Azim, a young princeling from a British protectorate up near the Khyber pass. His uncle, Prince Ghul, killed Sabu's father, the rightful ruler, and chased Sabu out. Prince Ghul is played by Raymond Massey with sneering lips, bulging eyes and dark makeup. After several adventures as Prince Azim tries to escape Prince Ghul's assassins, young Azim contacts Captain Carruthers (Roger Livesey), whom he had met earlier. Carruthers and a small contingent of British troops set out for the principality to inforce a peace treaty, not knowing that Ghul is organizing the mountain tribes in a revolt against the British. Will Prince Azim be believed when he tries to tell the British governor of the plot? Will Carruthers, his wife and his troops be betrayed at a great dinner by hidden machine guns? Will Prince Azim, who has sneaked back into the principality to save Carruthers, be able to warn them by beating the huge holy drum?

Even though all the natives are either childlike or evil, the last half of the movie picks up a lot of steam. And it's always reassuring to witness the unflappable, exquisite manners of the British ruling class in movies of this period. Dinner in the residency, for instance, is interrupted when something is thrown through a window. Carruthers starts forward, which will expose himself to whomever is outside. His wife, clutching her throat, says, "Darling, not you." "Darling," Carruthers says, "Of course me." He strides forward and finds a bloody...well, you need to see the movie.

Sabu was just 14 when he made this movie, his second. He handles himself well and has a good deal of natural charm. He was a very likeable actor whose career petered out as he grew older. Roger Livesey, with his inimitable, husky voice was a first-rate actor. In this movie, he's mainly the derring-do, upper-class Brit officer. To see just how good he was, watch him in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and I Know Where I'm Going.

Drums is not out on DVD as far as I know in either Region 1 or 2, but the VHS tape doesn't look too bad. And as usual with the Kordas, there is magnificent scenery and first-class sets, and in this case lots of marching troops with bagpipes playing.

If you love films on the British Empire then you ought to think about seeing this one. Based loosely on Kipling's story, It helps capture a taste of the Brits in India & the Northwest Frontier. Somebody did their research and things just look right in this film. (Uniforms, equipment, the Mess and the Loyal Toast to the Monarch etc but then Massey did serve in the British Army before he started acting )
The Brits never look more brave & noble and the locals more threatening. (Hey, Its a movie so get over it!) Its great non PC entertainment!

Based on story by A.E.W. Mason. The story takes place during the British Raj during the Edwardian era. A wonderful antique. Particularly appropriate now. Note the speech of the character of Raymond Massey who plays an Islamic radical bend on world conquest.

This film is a true cinematographic masterpiece. It is one of the few color films made in the thirties and the acting and directing are superb. It was filmed on location in India. It's definitely not a PC film but maybe that can be refreshing for a change. The films is loosely based on the book by A.E.W. Mason The Drum.

Item received. VHS played exactly as described. This is a classic film. Hope one day it will be on DVD..Good seller.