Editing The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (film)

{{short description|1935 film by Henry Hathaway}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
| image          = Bengal_lancer_movieposter.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Henry Hathaway]]
| producer       = [[Louis D. Lighton]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (book)|The Lives of a Bengal Lancer]]''<br>1930 novel|[[Francis Yeats-Brown]]}}
| screenplay     = [[William Slavens McNutt]]<br>[[Grover Jones]]<br>[[Waldemar Young]]<br>[[John L. Balderston]]<br>[[Achmed Abdullah]]<br>[[Laurence Stallings]] (offscreen credit)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/5531?sid=5b751402-e114-47c3-9c1d-c07512b9c673&sr=7.186763&cp=1&pos=0|title = AFI&#124;Catalog}}</ref>
| starring       = [[Gary Cooper]]<br>[[Franchot Tone]]<br>[[Richard Cromwell (actor)|Richard Cromwell]]<br>[[Guy Standing (actor)|Guy Standing]]
| music          = Herman Hand<br>[[John Leipold]]<br>Milan Roder<br>[[Heinz Roemheld]]
| cinematography = [[Charles Lang]]
| editing        = [[Ellsworth Hoagland]]
| studio         = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| distributor    = Paramount Pictures
| released       = {{Film date|1935|1|11|United States}}
| runtime        = 109 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| gross          = $1.5 million (worldwide rentals){{sfn|Welky|2008|pp=88–89}}
}}

'''''The Lives of a Bengal Lancer''''' is a 1935 American [[adventure film]] starring [[Gary Cooper]], directed by [[Henry Hathaway]], and written by [[Grover Jones]], [[William Slavens McNutt]], [[Waldemar Young]], [[John L. Balderston]], and [[Achmed Abdullah]]. The setting and title come from the [[The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (book)|1930 autobiography]] of the British soldier [[Francis Yeats-Brown]].

The story, which has little in common with Yeats-Brown’s book, tells of a group of [[United Kingdom|British]] cavalrymen and high-ranking officers desperately trying to defend their stronghold and headquarters at [[Bengal]] against the rebellious natives during the days of the [[British Raj]]. Cooper plays Lieutenant Alan McGregor, [[Franchot Tone]], Lieutenant John Forsythe, [[Richard Cromwell (actor)|Richard Cromwell]], Lieutenant Donald Stone, [[Guy Standing (actor)|Guy Standing]], Colonel Tom Stone, and [[Douglass Dumbrille]] plays the rebel leader Mohammed Khan, who speaks the now often-misquoted line "We have ways to make men talk."<ref name="Deis 2015">{{cite web|last1=Deis|first1=Robert|title=The Origin of the Movie Cliché 'We Have Ways of Making You Talk!'|url=http://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2010/01/lives-of-bengal-lancer-we-have-ways-to.html|website=This Day in Quotes|access-date=April 4, 2016|date=January 11, 2015}}</ref>{{sfn|Knowles|1999|p=196}}<ref>[http://listverse.com/2007/10/18/top-15-film-misquotes/ "Top 15 Film Misquotes"] (October 18, 2007). Listverse. Retrieved July 13, 2015.</ref>

The film was produced and released by [[Paramount Pictures]]. Planning began in 1931, and Paramount had expected the film to be released that same year. However, most of the location footage deteriorated due to the high temperatures, and the project was delayed. It was eventually released in the US in 1935.

It met with positive reviews and good box office results, and was nominated for seven [[Academy Awards]], winning [[Academy Award for Best Assistant Director|Assistant Director]], with other nominations including [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] and [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]. The film grossed $1.5 million in worldwide [[theatrical rental]]s.{{sfn|Welky|2008|pp=88–89}}

==Plot==
[[File:Gary Cooper and Richard Cromwell scene from "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer", 1935.gif|thumb|left|280px|Stone (''left'') and McGregor hunting [[wild boar]] as a cover for an intelligence gathering mission ]]

On the [[Military history of the North-West Frontier|northwest frontier]] of [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|India]] during the [[British Raj]], [[Scottish Canadian]]  Lieutenant Alan McGregor, in charge of newcomers, welcomes two replacements to the [[Bengal Lancers|41st Bengal Lancers]]: Lieutenant John Forsythe and Lieutenant Donald Stone, the son of the unit's commander, Colonel Tom Stone. Lieutenant Stone, a "cub" (meaning a newly commissioned officer), eagerly anticipated serving on the Indian frontier, particularly because he specifically was requested and assumed that his father sent for him; Lieutenant Forsythe, an experienced cavalrymen and something of a teasing character, was sent out as a replacement for an officer who was killed in action.

After his arrival Lieutenant Stone discovers that his father keeps him at arms length, wanting to treat him the same as he treats all of the other men. He also reveals that he did ''not'' request his son serve in his regiment, a discovery that breaks his heart and leads to him going on a drunken bender. Attempting to show impartiality, the colonel treats his son indifferently. The Colonel's commitment to strictly military behavior and adherence to protocol is interpreted by young Stone as rejection. He had not seen his father since he was a boy and had looked forward to spending time with him.

Lieutenant Barrett, disguised as a native rebel in order to spy on Mohammed Khan, reports that Khan is preparing an uprising against the British. He plans to intercept and hijack a military convoy transporting two million rounds of ammunition. When Khan discovers that Colonel Stone knows of his plan, he orders Tania Volkanskaya, a beautiful Russian agent, to seduce and kidnap Lieutenant Stone in an attempt to extract classified information about the ammunition caravan from him, or use him as leverage to attract his father. When the colonel refuses to attempt his son's rescue, McGregor and Forsythe, appalled by the seeming lack of concern the colonel has for his own son, leave the camp at night without orders. Disguised as native merchants trying to sell blankets, they successfully get inside Khan's fortress. However, they are recognized by Tania, who had met the two men at a social event. McGregor and Forsythe are taken prisoner.

During interrogation, Khan wants to know when and where the munitions will be transported so that he can attack and steal the arms. He has the prisoners tortured for the information. Bamboo shoots are shoved under their fingernails and set on fire. McGregor and Forsythe refuse to talk, but the demoralized Stone, feeling rejected by his father, cracks and reveals what he knows. As a result, the ammunition convoy is captured.

After receiving news of the stolen ammunition, Colonel Stone takes the 41st to battle Khan. From their cell, the captives see the overmatched Bengal Lancers deploy to assault Khan's fortress. They manage to escape and blow up the ammunition tower, McGregor manning a machine gun and dying in the assault. Young Stone redeems himself by killing Khan with a dagger. With their ammunition gone, their leader dead, and their fortress in ruins, the remaining rebels surrender.

In recognition of their bravery and valor in battle, Lieutenants Forsythe and Stone are awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]]. McGregor posthumously receives the [[Victoria Cross]], Great Britain's highest award for military valor, with Colonel Stone pinning the medal to the saddle cloth of McGregor's horse in the custom in the 41st Lancers.

==Cast==
* [[Gary Cooper]] as  Lieutenant Alan McGregor, a highly experienced officer in his mid-thirties, who has spent a long time with the regiment. McGregor, a Canadian, is portrayed as a charming, open character who befriends most officers, but because of disregard for his superiors and habit of speaking his mind is regarded askance by his superiors, who nevertheless respect his military abilities.<ref name="nyt"/>
* [[Franchot Tone]] as  Lieutenant John Forsythe, an upper-class cavalryman in his mid-twenties from the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]]. Transferred from the [[Royal Horse Guards|Blues]], one of the two regiments at the time the movie was made tasked with guarding the Sovereign, Forsythe is presented as the  funny guy  of the main characters, and is noteworthy for his Sandhurst style in military exercise, something that earns him countless compliments from his superiors.<ref name="nyt"/>
[[File:Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone in "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer", 1935.gif|thumb|right|300px|McGregor (''left'') and Forsythe lighting a cigarette with their [[torture|heavily burned fingers]] during captivity.]]
* [[Richard Cromwell (actor)|Richard Cromwell]] as  Lieutenant Donald Stone, a recent graduate of [[Sandhurst military academy|Sandhurst]] and a ''very'' young officer. As the son of a colonel with a famous name, he is treated respectfully but becomes frustrated and morose because of personal issues with his father.<ref name="nyt"/>
* [[Guy Standing (actor)|Guy Standing]]  as  Colonel Tom Stone, a long-serving colonel who left his home in [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] to serve on the Frontier, and explains to his son in the film that the "service always comes first&nbsp;... something your mother never understood." He is considered to be a dyed-in-the-wool, by-the-book colonel who suppresses his feelings and never does anything without orders.<ref name="nyt"/>
* [[C. Aubrey Smith]] as  Major Hamilton, an old, very experienced major who serves as Colonel Stone's [[adjutant]] and Lieutenant Stone's second father and friend. He, along with his chief, planned and coordinated the big assault on Mohammad Khan's fortress.<ref name="nyt"/>
* [[Kathleen Burke]] as  Tania Volkanskaya, a beautiful and seductive young Russian woman who is Khan's ally. She is used as Khan's secret ace, who seduces young men when needed to forward Khan's plans. It was she who, with considerable ease, outwitted first Stone and then McGregor and Forsythe.<ref name="nyt"/>
* [[Douglass Dumbrille]] as  Mohammed Khan, a well-known, wealthy prince of the region, educated at [[Oxford University|Oxford]] and ostensibly a friend of the British. He is also the secret rebel leader who fights for Bengal's independence from the British Crown. He is portrayed as the film's villain and is responsible for the death and torture of many people.<ref name="nyt"/>
* [[Colin Tapley]] as  Lieutenant Barrett, a close friend of Lieutenant McGregor who has been ordered to infiltrate Khan's group of bandits and delivers vital information about the rebels' location and movement.<ref name="nyt"/>
* [[Lumsden Hare]] as  Major General Woodley, the man in  command of the British intelligence service in India. He is disliked by most of the regiment's officers, especially McGregor, because his orders usually involve training exercises in locations where the [[pig-sticking]] is good. He thought of and approved the attack on Khan's stronghold.<ref name="nyt"/>
* [[Akim Tamiroff]] Emir
* [[James Dime]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Freese |first=Gene Scott |title=Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s–1970s: A Biographical Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=10dXAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA75 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |edition=2nd |year=2014 |page=75 |isbn=978-0786476435}}</ref> uncredited

==Production==
===Stock crisis===
Paramount originally planned to produce the film in 1931 and sent cinematographers [[Ernest B. Schoedsack]] and [[Rex Wimpy]] to India to film location shots such as a tiger hunt.{{sfn|Richards|1973|pp=120–123}}<ref name="variety"/> However, much of the film stock deteriorated in the hot sun while on location, so when the film was eventually made, much of the production took place in the hills surrounding [[Los Angeles]], where [[Northern Paiute people]] were used as extras.{{sfn|Richards|1973|pp=120–123}}<ref name="variety"/>

According to Hathaway, Schoedack struggled with the studio so was replaced by [[Stephen Roberts (director)|Stephen Roberts]], who began spending more money than Paramount were willing to, so he was fired. Gary Cooper had director approval and he suggested Henry Hathaway, whose Westerns the actor admired – it was Hathaway's entry into big budget films. The director had been to India for nine months and remembered everything being white so insisted on that in the film.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Take One|first=Scott|last=Eyman|title='I made movies' an interview with Henry Hathaway|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_take-one_september-october-1974_5_1/page/8/mode/1up|date=September–October 1974|page=8}}</ref>

===Filming===
Among the filming locations were [[Lone Pine, California|Lone Pine, Calif]]., Buffalo Flats in [[Malibu, California|Malibu, Calif]]., the [[Paramount Ranch]] in [[Agoura, California|Agoura, Calif]]., and the [[Iverson Movie Ranch]] in [[Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California|Chatsworth, Calif]].{{sfn|Richards|1973|pp=120–123}} For the climactic half-hour battle sequence at the end of the film, an elaborate set was built in the Iverson Gorge, part of the Iverson Movie Ranch, to depict Mogala, the mountain stronghold of Mohammed Khan.{{sfn|Richards|1973|pp=120–123}}

==Release==
===Box office===
The film was released in American cinemas in January 1935.<ref name="nyt"/><ref>[https://archive.today/20140915195907/http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-sragow-garycooper-p,0,1490544.photo "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer"]. ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''. Retrieved September 15, 2014.</ref> It was a big success at the box office and kicked off a cycle of Imperial adventure tales, including ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]'' (1936), ''[[Another Dawn (1937 film)|Another Dawn]]'' (1937), ''[[Gunga Din (film)|Gunga Din]]'' (1939), ''[[The Four Feathers (1939 film)|The Four Feathers]]'' (1939), and ''[[The Real Glory]]'' (1939).{{sfn|Welky|2008|pp=88–89}} The film had [[theatrical rental]]s of about $1 million in the U.S. and Canada,<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 15, 1990|title=All Time Film Rental Champs|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|issn=0042-2738|page=M-170|first=Lawrence|last=Cohn}}</ref> and $1.5 million worldwide.{{sfn|Welky|2008|pp=88–89}} 

It was the second most popular film at the British box office in 1935–36.<ref>"The Film Business in the United States and Britain during the 1930s" by John Sedgwick and Michael Pokorny, ''The Economic History Review''New Series, Vol. 58, No. 1 (Feb. 2005), p. 97</ref> (Another account stated it was the most popular.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55724940 |title=Sex Does Not Appeal To Talkie Fans |newspaper=[[The Mail (Adelaide)]] |volume=21 |issue=1,239 |location=South Australia |date=22 February 1936 |accessdate=18 April 2025 |page=21 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref>)

The film was successful enough that it led to Gary Cooper being booked to star in a number of films of similar plots that were also set in "exotic" locales, including ''[[Beau Geste]]'', ''[[The Real Glory]]'', ''[[North West Mounted Police (film)|North West Mounted Police]]'' and ''[[Distant Drums]]''.<ref>''Gary Cooper, An Intimate Biography'' by Hector Arce.  Bantam Books, 1980 {{ISBN?}}{{page needed|date=September 2022}}</ref>

===Critical reception and influence===
[[File:Poster - Lives of a Bengal Lancer, The 01.jpg|thumb|right|210px|''The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'' re-release poster from 1958 showcasing [[Gary Cooper]].]]

Laura Elston from the magazine ''Canada'' wrote that ''The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'' did "more glory to the British traditions than the British would dare to do for themselves."{{sfn|Welky|2008|pp=88–89}} In response to the film success, Frederick Herron of the [[Motion Picture Association of America]] wrote "Hollywood is doing a very good work in selling the British Empire to the world."{{sfn|Welky|2008|pp=88–89}}

Writer John Howard Reid noted in his book ''Award-Winning Films of the 1930s'' that the film is considered "one of the greatest adventure films of all time" and highly praised Hathaway's work by saying "the film really made his reputation."{{sfn|Reid|2004|pp=118–119}} It also received a praised review in ''[[Boys' Life]]'' magazine, starting off the review with the words "You will be immensely pleased with ''The Lives of a Bengal lancer''" and went on to compare the style and class of the three main characters to that of ''[[The Three Musketeers]]''.{{sfn|Mathiews|1935}} The film holds an overall approval rating of 100% on the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 9 reviews, with a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|rating average]] of 8 out of 10.<ref name="rottentomatoes"/>

Critic Otis Ferguson said he was "taken by the show, imperialism and all." [[Andre Sennwald]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' said the film "glorified the British Empire better than any film produced in Britain for that purpose."  Sennwald added that Paramount's "Kiplingesque" movie "ought to prove a blessing to Downing Street." The film proved so popular in the United States that it spurred a series of imperial films that continued throughout the decade and into the next decade. [[Frank S. Nugent]], also of ''The New York Times'', wrote that "England need have no fears for its empire so long as Hollywood insists upon being the Kipling of the Pacific." Nugent commented that movies such as ''The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'' and ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]'' were far more pro-British than actual British filmmakers would ever dare to be: "In its veneration of British colonial policy, in its respect for the omniscience and high moral purpose of His, or Her, Majesty's diplomatic representatives and in its adulation of the courage, the virtue and the manly beauty of English soldiery abroad, Hollywood yields to no one—not even to the British filmmakers themselves."<ref>''The American Experience in World War II: The United States and the road to war in Europe'' by Walter L. Hixson, Taylor & Francis, 2003 p. 24 {{ISBN?}}</ref>

In [[Kingdom of Italy under Fascism (1922–1943)|Fascist Italy]], [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]]'s motion picture bureau had the movie banned, as well as several other British-themed American movies, including ''[[Lloyd's of London (film)|Lloyd's of London]]'' and ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]'', on the grounds that they were "propaganda".

According to [[Ivone Kirkpatrick]], who met [[Adolf Hitler]] at [[Berchtesgaden]] in 1937, one of Hitler's favorite films was ''The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'', which he had watched three times.<ref name="Kirkpatrick">Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick, ''The Inner Circle'' (London: Macmillan, 1959), p. 97. {{ISBN?}}</ref> He liked the film because "it depicted a handful of Britons holding a continent in thrall. That was how a superior race must behave and the film was a compulsory viewing for the S.S."<ref name="Kirkpatrick"/><ref>David Faber (2009). [https://books.google.com/books?id=OaRF5yLeuZoC&pg=PA40 ''Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II'']. Simon and Schuster. p. 40. {{ISBN|143913233X}}.</ref>
Also, [[Karl Wilhelm Krause|his valet]] recalled that Hitler enjoyed the film.<ref name="DAlmeida">{{cite book | last = DAlmeida | first=Fabrice | title = High Society in the Third Reich | year = 2008 | publisher = Polity Press | isbn =  978-0745643113 |page=138}}</ref><ref name="Hamilton">{{cite book | last = Hamilton | first = Charles | title = Leaders & Personalities of the Third Reich, Vol. 1 | year = 1984 | publisher = R. James Bender Publishing | isbn = 0912138270 | page=158 }}</ref><ref name="Toland">{{cite book | last = Toland | first = John | author-link = John Toland (author) | title = Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography | publisher = Book Club Associates | location = London | year = 1977 | orig-year = 1976 |page=411 }}</ref>
It was one of the eleven US movies that, from 1933 to 1937, were considered "artistically valuable" [[Nazism and cinema|by the Nazi authorities]].<ref>Ursula Saekel: Der US-Film in der Weimarer Republik – ein Medium der "Amerikanisierung"?: Deutsche Filmwirtschaft, Kulturpolitik und mediale Globalisierung im Fokus transatlantischer Interessen. Verlag Schoeningh Ferdinand, 2011, {{ISBN|3506771744}}, pp. 169, 255, 258</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://newpolitic.com/2021/11/what-the-british-empire-taught-the-nazis/ |title=What the British Empire Taught the Nazis |last=Anwar |first=Zeyd |date=November 19, 2021 |website=New Politic |access-date=December 31, 2022}}</ref>

===Plot discrepancies===
The film shares nothing with the source book, except the setting.{{sfn|Reid|2004|p=120}} Reid noted in ''Award-Winning Films of the 1930s'' that "none of the characters in the book appear in the screenplay, not even Yeats-Brown himself. The plot of the film is also entirely different."{{sfn|Reid|2004|p=120}}

==Home media==
The Paramount picture was distributed to home media on [[VHS]] on March 1, 1992, and on [[DVD]] on May 31, 2005.<ref name="variety"/><ref>[https://www.amazon.com/The-Lives-Bengal-Lancer-VHS/dp/6300185826 "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (VHS)"]. [[Amazon.com|Amazon]]. Retrieved December 4, 2014.</ref> It has since been released in multiple languages and is included in several multi-film collections.<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/The-Oscars-Collection-Midsummer-Courageous/dp/B00AHNSOXU "The Oscars 30' Collection – 5 DVD Set"]. [[Amazon.com|Amazon]]. Retrieved December 4, 2014.</ref>

==Awards==
The film was nominated for the following [[Academy Awards]], winning in one category:<ref name="variety"/><ref>[http://global.britannica.com/topic/The-Lives-of-a-Bengal-Lancer "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer – Film by Hathaway (1935)"]. [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]. Retrieved July 13, 2015.</ref>
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Award
! Nominee
! Result
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Louis D. Lighton]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]]
| [[Hans Dreier]]<br>[[Roland Anderson]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Assistant Director|Best Assistant Director]]
| [[Clem Beauchamp]]<br>[[Paul Wing]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Directing]]
| [[Henry Hathaway]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
| [[Ellsworth Hoagland]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound Recording]]
| [[Franklin B. Hansen]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]
| [[William Slavens McNutt]]<br>[[Grover Jones]]<br>[[Waldemar Young]]<br>[[John L. Balderston]]<br>[[Achmed Abdullah]]
| {{nom}}
|}

==See also==
{{commons category}}
* ''[[The Witching Hour (1934 film)|The Witching Hour]]''
* ''[[The Shepherd of the Hills (1941 film)|The Shepherd of the Hills]]''
* ''[[Now and Forever (1934 film)|Now and Forever]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="nyt">[https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E00EFD61E3FE03ABC4A52DFB766838E629EDE "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer"] (January 12, 1935). ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved September 13, 2014.</ref>
<!--<ref name="newyorker">[http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/how-could-harvard-have-published-ben-urwands-the-collaboration "How Could Harvard Have Published Ben Urwand's "The Collaboration"?"] (September 23, 2013). ''[[The New Yorker]]''. Retrieved December 4, 2014.</ref>-->
<ref name="rottentomatoes">[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lives_of_a_bengal_lancer/ "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer"]. [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. Retrieved September 13, 2014.</ref>
<ref name="variety">[https://variety.com/1934/film/reviews/the-lives-of-a-bengal-lancer-1117792662/ "Review: The Lives of a Bengal Lancer"] (December 31, 1934). ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. Retrieved January 10, 2014.</ref>
}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book | last = Kirkpatrick | first = Ivone | author-link = Ivone Kirkpatrick|title=The Inner Circle: Memoirs | publisher = [[St. Martin's Press]] | year = 1959 | oclc = 1101750744 }}
* {{cite book | last = Knowles | first = Elizabeth M. |title= The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | year = 1999 | isbn = 978-0-19-860173-9 }}
* {{cite journal | last = Mathiews | first = Fraklin K. |title=Movies of the Month | journal = Boys' Life. Inkprint Edition |publisher = [[Boys' Life]]| year = 1935 | issn = 0006-8608 }}
* {{cite book | last = Richards | first = Jeffrey | author-link = Jeffrey Richards| title=Visions of Yesterday | url = https://archive.org/details/visionsofyesterd0000rich | url-access = registration | publisher = [[Routledge]] | year = 1973 | isbn = 978-0-415-72681-8 }}
* {{cite book | last = Reid | first = John |title=Award-Winning Films of the 1930s | publisher = [[Lulu Publishing]] | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-1-4116-1432-1 }}
* {{cite book | last = Welky | first = David |title=The Moguls and the Dictators: Hollywood and the Coming of World War II | publisher = [[Johns Hopkins University Press]] | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-0-8018-9044-4 }}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|tt0026643}}
* {{TCMDb title|81625}}
* {{AFI film|5531}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVe9y1en6Kc The Lives of a Bengal Lancer] trailer on [[YouTube]]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Okh8m6bxC8 The Lives of a Bengal Lancer] scenes on [[YouTube]]

{{Henry Hathaway}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lives of a Bengal Lancer (film)}}
[[Category:1935 films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:British Empire war films]]
[[Category:1935 adventure films]]
[[Category:1930s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films based on biographies]]
[[Category:Films directed by Henry Hathaway]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films set in the Indian independence movement]]
[[Category:Films set in the British Raj]]
[[Category:American adventure films]]
[[Category:American epic films]]
[[Category:Censored films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Lone Pine, California]]
[[Category:1930s American films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by John L. Balderston]]
[[Category:English-language adventure films]]