The tile Northwest Frontier immediately conjures images of a western into my head, and I suspect that is why director J. Lee Thompson's film was later retitled Flame Over India. That second title seems more in keeping with the actual film, a rousing, epic adventure set in 1905 India.
Set against the backdrop of a Muslim uprising, Northwest Frontier" tells the story of a British Officer, Captain Scott (Kenneth More), who is charged with transporting a young Hindu prince to the Governor's residence is Hazerabad, where he will be protected from the fighting. This being a movie, Scott is accompanied by a eclectic mix of companions who must band together to survive the a series adventures as they cross the frontier in a a ricket old train called "The Empress of India". The group includes:
Mrs Wyatt (Lauren Bacall), the Prince's plucky nanny/governess, who is distrustful of the military and immediately clashes with Captain Scott (the fact that a romantic interest developes between them will only be a surprise to those who have never seen a movie).
Mr. Peters (Eugene Deckers), a pragmatic arms dealer who clashes with the others because of their disdain for his profession.
Mr. Bridie (Wilfid Hyde-White), a blustery old Brit.
Lady Wyndham (Ursula Jeans), the governor's wife.
Gupta (I.S. Johar), the pleasantly goof but wise engineer.
And Mr. Van Layden ( Herbert Lom), a muckraking journalist disliked by the other passengers.
Though late in his career he descended into directing brainless Charles Bronson vehicles and the awful Richard Chamberlain version of King Solomon's Mines, J. Lee Thompson was once a skilled director of adventure films, and here he more closely recalls his classic The Guns of Navarone, with the help of veteran cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth (perhaps best known for his contribution to "Superman"), Thompson creates a sweeping adventure which is sure to entertain fans of the genre (which certainly includes me). The interplay between the characters is entertaining, and the political/social issues that both divide them and bring them together are surprising relevant today.
The performances are strong. Bacall is terrific in a rather non-glamorous role, playing a determined and strong-willed woman who is easily the most identifiable character in the film. Though More is the action hero, she feels like the true protagonist of the film. More is quite entertaining, and one of the real charms of the film is how little like a conventional action hero/soldier he seems. A film like this, made at this time, typically called for a stoic, "man's man" Gregory Peck or Charlton Heston type. More is a teddy bear, the nice guy up the street who never quite knows when to stop talking.
Johar's Gupta is a bit of a condescending stereotype (this was 1959, afterall), but the character also has a certain wisdom and dignity that makes that easier to forgive. Lom, as the enigmatic Van Layden, is both the film's most intriguing and, in some ways, least satisfying character.
SPOILER ALERT
Van Layden is revealed midway through the film to be a Muslim, and the moments where Scott and the audience suspect he is attempting to kill the young Prince are thrilling suspense sequences, and very well-acted by Lom. But, the 21st Century liberal in me was disappointed when Van Layden, who protests that being a Muslim doesn't make him a killer, did indeed turn out to be the villain of the film BECAUSE he is a Muslim. While the character is more multi-layered and symapthetic than most Arab terrorist characters in modern thrillers, I have to admit this left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. But, as a fan of old fashioned adventures, I'm used to having to put aside some of my modern sensibilities and keep in mind the time in which the story was first told.
END OF SPOILER
As is common for the epics of it's time, Northwest Frontier is a bit overlong, but for those who enjoy old-fashioned adventure epics, it's a thrilling good time that actually provides some chances to think along the way.
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