Not until the story reaches the tense banquet scene does THE DRUM really come to life. Before that, there's a lot of character and plot exposition that slows things up considerably before the big showdown toward the end that is really the highlight of the drama.
SABU is the young prince that RAYMOND MASSEY wants to depose so that he can rule the unruly Indian tribes that resent British rule. ROGER LIVESEY is Captain Carruthers and VALERIE HOBSON is his lovely wife, a British couple adept at keeping a stiff upper lip while they deal with the uprising around them. RAYMOND MASSEY has the juiciest role and he's at his villainous best without overdoing it.
It's all very Rudyard Kiplingesque in treatment and if you've got a feeling of deja vu, you're not alone. What it lacks is the excitement of a "Gunga Din" or "Lives of the Bengal Lancers." The story is slow to build suspense and the Technicolor print shown on TCM had a washed out look that made THE DRUM look like a film in need of color restoration.
Livesey and Hobson haven't too much to do except to be their charming selves in a very British way and Sabu has been seen to better advantage in countless other films that followed.
Summing up: Not one of the best of this genre but worth watching for the climactic banquet and battle.
SABU is the young prince that RAYMOND MASSEY wants to depose so that he can rule the unruly Indian tribes that resent British rule. ROGER LIVESEY is Captain Carruthers and VALERIE HOBSON is his lovely wife, a British couple adept at keeping a stiff upper lip while they deal with the uprising around them. RAYMOND MASSEY has the juiciest role and he's at his villainous best without overdoing it.
It's all very Rudyard Kiplingesque in treatment and if you've got a feeling of deja vu, you're not alone. What it lacks is the excitement of a "Gunga Din" or "Lives of the Bengal Lancers." The story is slow to build suspense and the Technicolor print shown on TCM had a washed out look that made THE DRUM look like a film in need of color restoration.
Livesey and Hobson haven't too much to do except to be their charming selves in a very British way and Sabu has been seen to better advantage in countless other films that followed.
Summing up: Not one of the best of this genre but worth watching for the climactic banquet and battle.