North West Frontier

North West Frontier - 1959 | 130 mins | Drama | Colour

The Production Team

Director: J. Lee Thompson.
Producer: Marcel Hellman.
Script: Robin Estridge and Frank S. Nugent. (from a story by Patrick Ford and Will Price)
Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth.
Editing: Frederick Wilson.
Art Direction: Alex Vetchinsky.
Costume Department: Yvonne Caffin and Julie Harris.
Makeup Department: Pearl Orton and W.T. Partleton.
Sound Department: E.G. Daniels, Roy Fry, Gordon K. McCallum and Don Sharpe.
Original Music: Mischa Spoliansky.

The Cast

Kenneth More - Captain Scott
Lauren Bacall - Catherine Wyatt
Herbert Lom - Van Layden
Wilfrid Hyde-White - Bridie
I.S. Johar - Gupta
Ursula Jeans - Lady Windham
Eugene Deckers - Peters
Ian Hunter - Sir John Wyndham
Jack Gwillim - Brigadier Ames
Govind Raja Ross - Prince Kishan

Plot Synopsis

Thoroughly enjoyable historical adventure yarn set in colonial India, directed with great tempo and suspense by J Lee Thompson.

1905, British officer Scott (Kenneth More) comes to the aid of six-year-old Hindu Prince Kishnan (Govind Raja Ross) and his governess Catherine (Lauren Bacall) whose lives are threatened by an uprising of rebel Moslem tribesmen attacking a British fortress. Captain Scott commandeers an old steam locomotive, the Empress of India, engineered by the sincere Gupta (I.S. Johar) they embark on a perilous 300-mile journey across enemy territory to the safety of Kalapur. Also along for the perilous ride are gentlemanly English diplomat Bridie (Wilfrid Hyde White), cynical journalist Van Layden (Herbert Lom) and arms dealer Peters (Eugene Deckers), as they journey through a massacre, repair broken rails, traverse rickety bridges and evade marauding tribesmen. A sinister moment when the young prince is encouraged to dangerously play with a spinning flywheel gives forewarning of a traitor in their midst who might prove their biggest danger.