SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Brucey D In the dying days of the Raj, a tribal leader struggles for freedom against the Imperial Indian Police forces. The man charged with the task of apprehending the rebels sees things differently from his superiors, who wish to use the blunt instrument of force alone to suppress the insurgents.Ken Annakin knew how to make a good movie and here he had the undoubted talents of Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Harry Andrews, Charlotte Rampling, and Edward Fox to hand, amongst others. Behind the camera Oscar-winner Jack Hildyard was DoP.Given the cast and crew, one would expect a movie that looks great and holds your attention. Those with short attention spans may disagree, but I think they did that, and (in a recently broadcast version which appears to have been restored) this movie still looks stunning. The problem perhaps is that the script is not quite up to the same standard as the rest of the film, or that it superficially resembles something else.Superintendent Harry Andrews is well-cast as the blunt instrument of Imperial Power, leading a force that look more like regular soldiers than policemen. Yul Brynner does a competent job too.However Trevor Howard looks somewhat out of place, and unrealistic as love interest for Charlotte Rampling. But to my mind, both these things are quite deliberate; Rampling's character is attracted to Howard's personality, which contrasts with that of her father and (presumably) the others in the police force; of those that inhabit her insular world, she is drawn to him because of this, and despite the obvious age gap.Howard's character looks out of place and it is meant to; not everyone could the job that is asked of him. His humanity and compassion underlie the dilemma he faces, the conflict within, between his idealism and his sense of duty. I thought this a very good performance from Howard; he spends much of the film looking both world-weary and internally riven.Some aspects of this film are well-founded in fact; very many administrators in the days of the Raj loved the country and the people, yet felt deeply conflicted in the course of their duties. For example Eric Blair (better known as George Orwell) served in the Imperial Indian Police force in the 1920s, reaching the rank of Assistant District Superintendent in Burma.He said that, on the one hand, seeing "the dirty work of Empire at close quarters" (which included being hated by much of the local populace) had affected his outlook on almost every aspect of his life; on the other hand he also wrote that "I loved Burma and the Burman and have no regrets that I spent the best years of my life in the Burma police.".This film is not meant to have a happy ending, any more than 'Bridge on the River Kwai' or 'Lawrence of Arabia' (both also psychological studies of the lead character) are meant to. Those that might naively suppose that a younger man could have played Howard's role and then swanned off into the sunset with Rampling or something are completely missing the point. In what may be an allegory of Indian independence itself, no-one involved comes out of it very well; all that remains is a little hope for the future, as symbolised by Sultan's son.

Spikeopath Run of the mill historical adventure yarn set on India's North-West Frontier during the British Raj. Yul Brynner plays rebel tribesman Sultan who is pursued by Brit copper Freddy Young (Trevor Howard), who while chasing down the enigmatic rebel comes to respect him and is unwilling to execute the justice requested by his superiors.The intent to make an historical epic of some worth, that is based on facts, is honourable. It looks nice with an authentic feel to the surroundings of the story, if only it wasn't so laboured, so full of inane posturing and poorly scripted characters, then it might just about crawl its way to being just above average.It rarely excites, director Ken Annakin unable to inject life into the more perkier aspects of plotting, and a cast that also features Harry Andrews, Charlotte Rampling, Virginia North and Andrew Keir, aren't tasked with much more than reading their lines efficiently. All in all, not very convincing away form the location photography and costuming. 4/10

ma-cortes The film portrays a group people formed by Indian rebels tribes, banded together against the Brits and they're led by Sultan(Brynner). The rebels surrounded by British army which spent time in the chase. The tough leader Sultan is taken prisoner but his action led to getaway from a stronghold pursued by British military. As adversaries are Young(Trevor Howard), a honorable captain, while Stafford(Harry Andrews) is a cruel officer. The governor(Maurice Denham)assign them to capture the obstinate rebel. Meantime, Sultan is double-crossed by a beautiful dancer(Imogen Hassal). Then he takes action by aiding the tribes group in robbing, raiding and murdering British forces and the rich and higher castes. The Brits contra-attack displaying on a train a machine-gun , making a brutal slaughter.This is a British attempt to match the US adventures spectacles of the mid-sixties, containing derring-do, spectacular battles, gorgeous outdoors and is quite entertaining, though a little overlong. It's a fiery early 20th-century adventure yarn that makes little sense but bulges with emotion that keeps coming at you, as action and adventures is maintained throughout. It's one of several adventures-action pictures made in Britain in the sixties that such Hollywood stars as Yul Brynner and previously in the fifties as Victor Mature and Robert Taylor. Brynner plays with some of sensitivity, he's habitual in exotic roles , such as Ramses, Taras Bulba, The Buccaneer, Karamazov and Salomon.There are strong performances from Trevor Howard and Harry Andrews, who have made few bad films, they're two contenders officers and Andrew Keir as rebel leader. Furthermore, three beauties, Charlottle Rampling, still successfully playing, as severe captain's daughter, and Virginia North and the early deceased, Imogen Hassal. Latterly, as very secondaries appear Edward Fox,Laurence Nashmaith, Patrick Newell, among others. Luminous cinematography by Jack Hildyard, David Lean's usual cameraman, though with abuse of transparency. The movie was glamorously shot in Spain outdoors and interior filmed in Rank studios.Emotive and atmospheric musical score by John Scott.The motion picture is well directed by Kenn Annakin, he's a skill and successfully craftsman. He has directed numerous films ,British comedies, his most successful films are the fresh and diverting adventures( The sword and the rose, probably one of the best of his bigger films), dramas of the 1950s, for Walt Disney(Swiss family Robinson, Robin Hood and the Merry men), the Jack London adventures(Call of the wild, White Fang), warlike(Battle of Bulge, The longest day), about the long distance rally(Those magnificent men in their flying machines,The biggest bundle of them all, Montecarlo or bust) and a string of TV movies until his recent demise.

Theo Robertson That's something you don't see every day . A western that doesn't take place in the United States , has no native American characters or white guys with American accents but THE LONG DUEL is undoubtedly a western that has been relocated from the American plains to British run India . Hey even most of the protagonists are called Indians and that's no coincidence .THE LONG DUEL is by no means a terrible wretched movie but it is rather mediocre . The story as I mentioned is something that has appeared countless times where an injun war party has gone on the loose and it's up to a sympathetic calvary officer to negotiate with the dove and kill the hawk only this time the Indians are Hindus and the calvary officer is a fine upstanding spiffing chap The production values are hardly outstanding with some very obvious studio exteriors and back screen projection and no doubt the PC fascists will have a field day when they see that most of the Asians aren't actually Asian at all but a bunch of British actors in dark make up . The film does contain some gun battles and fist fights so it's not exactly a total bore and one scene with a fugitive hiding down a well does contain some suspense . Make up your own mind as to the movies merits