--- title: "Gunga Din" year: 1939 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/gunga-din" fi1m_id: "gunga-din" imdb_id: "tt0031398" tmdb_id: 24965 wikidata_id: "Q760012" fi1m_score: 68 critics_reviews: 3 published: "2026-09-25T02:56:47.847658+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T02:56:48.781921+00:00" region: "PL" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Gunga Din (1939) Directed by George Stevens · 1h 57m · Adventure, War, Action, Comedy ## Identity Gunga Din - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/gunga-din - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** gunga-din - **IMDb ID:** tt0031398 - **TMDB ID:** 24965 - **Wikidata ID:** Q760012 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031398/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/24965, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q760012 **Fi1m score: 68** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Cary Grant is excellent company; the film’s colonial manners require more patience > Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. provide good reasons to try *Gunga Din*. George Stevens’s adventure is enjoyable enough for the interested, but its colonial condescension remains a substantial fault. ## Synopsis Archibald Cutter (Cary Grant), MacChesney (Victor McLaglen) and Thomas Anthony Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) feature in an adventure combining war, action and comedy. Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe) gives the film its name, while Eduardo Ciannelli plays Guru and Joan Fontaine plays Emmaline “Emmy” Stebbins. The company also includes Colonel Weed (Montagu Love), Bertie Higginbotham (Robert Coote) and Major Mitchell (Lumsden Hare). George Stevens directs, with a screenplay by Joel Sayre and Fred Guiol and a running time of 117 minutes. ## Review *Gunga Din* is an enjoyable adventure with a serious fault: it patronises the man whose name it puts in the title. George Stevens gets enough out of his leading actors to make the film worth considering, particularly for anyone with an appetite for broad comedy alongside the action. We can see why those performances might settle the matter for some viewers. They do not quite settle it for us, because the condescension keeps intruding on the pleasure. Cary Grant plays Archibald Cutter with an exuberance that makes him the chief attraction. We laughed at the sheer relish of his performance, which makes the comedy feel companionable rather than merely noisy. Victor McLaglen, as MacChesney, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., as Thomas Anthony Ballantine, are lively company for him. The three performances give the adventure much of its appeal, and their enthusiasm makes a persuasive case for allowing the comedy plenty of space. Joseph H. August’s cinematography serves the physical performances well: the action feels clear enough for the actors to remain interesting within it. There is room to appreciate their energy without feeling that the photography is competing for attention. Editors John Lockert and Henry Berman make the changes between action and comedy reasonably comfortable, although the pace can feel uneven. At 117 minutes, the film needs that variety, and usually gets enough from its performers to keep moving. Alfred Newman’s music contributes to the adventure’s confidence, though its encouragement can feel excessive when our enthusiasm is less secure. It works best when helping the action along without asking us to admire everything the film admires. The screenplay by Joel Sayre and Fred Guiol benefits from actors who can make broad comedy feel inviting. Its treatment of Gunga Din is harder to accept, because the indulgence becomes an obstacle to taking the character seriously. Sam Jaffe has the title role, and the film’s patronising approach leaves us wishing it would allow him more dignity. The trouble is not cured by affection: admiration can still be belittling when it comes with so much assumed superiority. We wanted the film to grant him the respect it takes for granted elsewhere. That reservation affects the drama, since the attitude towards a character influences how freely we can respond to the performance. An adventure comedy can accommodate absurdity and broad characterisation without making some of its people seem inherently less deserving of respect. Here, the colonial attitudes are too closely attached to the entertainment to be dismissed as an occasional lapse. By the genre’s own standards, that is a weakness: the enjoyment becomes harder when accepting the joke also means accepting the film’s condescension. The actors remain engaging, but they cannot do all the work of making this agreeable company. There is still enough pleasure in the performances to justify a qualified recommendation for anyone interested in older adventure films. Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. give it a liveliness that survives substantial objections. We would not recommend approaching it with the expectation that its treatment of the title character can simply be overlooked. Choose it for the actors, with no obligation to accept its assumptions. *Fi1m score 68, published 25 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Gunga Din worth watching?** *Gunga Din* is worth considering for admirers of older adventure comedies, and we score it 68 out of 100. Cary Grant’s exuberance, alongside Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., supplies much of the pleasure, but uneven pacing and the film’s patronising treatment of its title character make our recommendation a qualified one. **How long is Gunga Din, and what is it rated?** *Gunga Din* runs 1h 57m. It is an adventure and war film. **Where can I watch Gunga Din in Poland?** *Gunga Din* is not on any streaming or rental service in Poland at the moment. It is available in 12 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Gunga Din, and is it suitable for children?** *Gunga Din* has a UK U certificate, indicating generally suitable viewing for children, though that does not guarantee it will suit every child. It combines war, action and broad comedy; our stronger reservation for family viewing is its colonial condescension, which merits discussion rather than being treated as harmless background. **How does Gunga Din compare to The Adventures of Robin Hood?** *Gunga Din* is the more qualified recommendation beside [*The Adventures of Robin Hood*](https://film.one/film/the-adventures-of-robin-hood), which we prefer for its clearer loyalties and more generous heroism. Both offer buoyant adventure, but *Gunga Din* relies heavily on its leading actors’ comic energy, while its patronising colonial attitudes make the entertainment harder to enjoy freely. **What should I watch after Gunga Din?** After *Gunga Din*, try [*The Adventures of Robin Hood*](https://film.one/film/the-adventures-of-robin-hood) (1938, Fi1m 90): A similarly buoyant adventure, with clearer loyalties and more generous heroism. Then [*The Wages of Fear*](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear) (1953, Fi1m 90): For those drawn to comradeship tested by danger, with far less comfort; and [*Three Kings*](https://film.one/film/three-kings) (1999, Fi1m 80): Soldiers, comic friction and action, with rather more suspicion of military righteousness. ### Reviews we read (3) - **The Guardian**, Philip French (85/100, inferred): French regards the film as a great, highly enjoyable action movie. He praises the lively performances of Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/jul/15/dvdreviews) - **Time Out**, TM (65/100, inferred): The review appears broadly appreciative, while acknowledging that the film’s attitudes have not aged well. It singles out its smug colonialism and patronising treatment of Gunga Din for criticism. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/gunga-din) - **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page is identified as a screen review, but its text is inaccessible. The available material does not reveal the critic’s verdict or specific praise. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1939/01/27/archives/the-screen-in-review-rudyard-kipling-and-rko-bring-a-spectacular.html) ## Details - **Director:** George Stevens - **Director:** George Stevens - **Screenplay:** Joel Sayre, Fred Guiol - **Story:** Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur - **Cinematography:** Joseph H. August - **Editor:** Henry Berman, John Lockert - **Music:** Alfred Newman - **Producer:** George Stevens - **Cast:** Cary Grant as Archibald Cutter; Victor McLaglen as MacChesney; Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Thomas Anthony Ballantine; Sam Jaffe as Gunga Din; Eduardo Ciannelli as Guru; Joan Fontaine as Emmaline "Emmy" Stebbins; Montagu Love as Colonel Weed; Robert Coote as Bertie Higginbotham - **Runtime:** 1h 57m - **First release (the US):** 24 January 1939 - **Genres:** Adventure, War, Action, Comedy - **Budget:** $2 million - **Box office:** $3 million ## Where to watch in Poland Not streaming, renting or buying in Poland at the last check. Also available in: AU, CA, ES, FR, GB, IT, JP, MX, NL, NZ, RO, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1940: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated) ## If you liked this - *The Adventures of Robin Hood* (1938), Fi1m 90: A similarly buoyant adventure, with clearer loyalties and more generous heroism. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-adventures-of-robin-hood.md) - *The Wages of Fear* (1953), Fi1m 90: For those drawn to comradeship tested by danger, with far less comfort. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear.md) - *The Man Who Would Be King* (1975): Another colonial adventure, with friendship and imperial arrogance given sharper scrutiny. - *Three Kings* (1999), Fi1m 80: Soldiers, comic friction and action, with rather more suspicion of military righteousness. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/three-kings.md) - *RRR* (2022): Colonial rule faces open defiance in an action film driven by friendship. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/gunga-din