Gunga Din 1949 American Adventure DVD Cay Grant Douglas Fairbanks

Gunga Din is a 1939 American adventure film directed by George Stevens and starring Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.. It is loosely based on an 1890 poem of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. Plot Summary Set in 19th-century colonial India, the film follows three British sergeants of the Royal Engineers who are sent to investigate a lost outpost after telegraph contact is lost. Along with their loyal water bearer, Gunga Din (played by Sam Jaffe), they encounter the Thuggee, an Indian murder cult dedicated to the goddess Kali, and work to stop the cult from rampaging across the land. In the climactic battle, Gunga Din heroically sacrifices his life to warn the British forces of a trap, and is posthumously inducted into the British army as a corporal. The film has been both praised for its adventure and spectacle, and criticized for its portrayal of Indian characters and perceived imperialist themes.