The Lives of a Bengal Lancer

"The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" (1935) is a Paramount adventure film starring Gary Cooper — watch it online on iFILM. Henry Hathaway set the story on India's Northwest Frontier, where the 41st Bengal Lancers are trying to keep a cache of two million rounds out of rebel hands.

Lieutenant McGregor (Cooper) follows orders on his own terms — effective, but not exactly by the book. His commanding officer, Colonel Stone, lives by the regulations. When Stone's inexperienced son Donald joins the regiment, McGregor and his sardonic partner Forsythe (Franchot Tone) take the young man under their wing. Donald carries a grudge against his cold, duty-first father, and the rebel chieftain Mohammed Khan is paying close attention.

The film landed seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director — an unusual haul for a straightforward action picture at the time, and a sign of how tightly Hathaway had assembled the thing. Cooper speaks mostly through what he does rather than what he says. Stream "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" (1935) online on iFILM.