While Hammer Studios produced some fairly able historical adventures in the early 1960s - titles such as the serviceable FURY AT SMUGGLER'S BAY and THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES - they also made their fair share of stinkers, of which THE BRIGAND OF KANDAHAR is probably the worst. This is an entirely stodgy costume adventure, made on a low budget and with a script which feels like it was rushed out in a hurry.
The story is cheap and carries some distinctly colonial racial overtones, not least in the presence of anti-hero Ronald Lewis, blacked-up as a half-caste for his role. Lewis must be the singular most obnoxious heroic character in a Hammer film, a guy who I actually despised throughout much of the running time; were we really supposed to feel sorry for him after he swapped allegiances like that?
Elsewhere, it's sub-ZULU antics throughout, enlivened by a handful of larger-scale battle sequences which employ some dodgy back projection which saps them of realism. Once again Hammer has an eye for a distinguished supporting cast, but most of them are wasted here; the only ones who come out of it well are Duncan Lamont and Katherine Woodville. Oliver Reed is cast as the bad guy but I feel he would have made a much more compelling protagonist. In any case, this is as dull as dishwater and one of Hammer's weakest efforts.
The Brigand of Kandahar
1965
Action / Adventure / History
The Brigand of Kandahar
1965
Action / Adventure / History
5.4Keywords: india
Plot summary
In 1850, a British garrison defends Fort Kandahar on the North West Frontier of British India. Lieutenant Case is a mixed race British officer under the command of Colonel Drewe. Case is despised by his colonel and a few jealous fellow officers for being part-native. However, due to his background, Case is useful to the British who use him to infiltrate the local tribes. The tribes, united under a war chieftain named Ali Khan, have been fomenting revolt against the British colonial forces. Disguised as a native, Lieutenant Case collects valuable intelligence for his regiment. Unfortunately, during a spying mission, Case and a fellow officer, Captain Connelly are discovered. Case escapes under the cover of darkness but Connelly is captured. On his return to Fort Kandahar, Case is accused of deliberately abandoning Connelly to the enemy and of cowardice as he made no attempt to rescue Connelly. The love affair between Connelly's wife and Case is well-known at the fort and many officers suspect that Case abandoned Connelly to his fate in order to have Connelly's wife. When Case is court-martialed, he defends himself against these accusations but the court mercilessly discharges him from the army and sentences him to 10 years in the brig. Case's native man-servant comes to visit Case in the fort's prison and eliminates the guards, freeing Case. The two run away in the desert where the servant reveals to Case that he is in fact a spy of Ali Khan. He takes Case to the rebel chieftain who offers to hire Case to work for his rebellious tribes. Emboldened by revenge against his former commander, Case accepts to work for Ali Khan and train his troops, provided they don't attack or harm civilians or captured prisoners. Case and Khan's sister Ratina become good friends. Case and Khan gradually learn to trust one-another. But for the British, Case is an escaped prisoner and a traitor. The British place a bounty on Case's head. Unfazed by this, Case continues to train Khan's men, fight numerous skirmishes against small British patrols and prepare for the upcoming assault against Fort Kandahar. The fort's commandant requests and awaits reinforcements from other nearby forts. However, Case has conflicting feelings. On one side he hates his former commander and wishes to kill him and on the other side he still thinks of himself as being British.
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Stodgy costume fare
Not one of Hammers finest
This is an extremely curious film from Hammer.They did look to diversify from their Hammer horrors and this is one of the results.The plot seems quite strange and very muddled.What is more it is difficult to take seriously.Normally in an adventure film you know which side to support.However in this film it is difficult to know who is worse.The Army comes out of it just as badly as the warring tribes.Also here we have a film as late as 1967 where it was thought not to be a problem having a white European actor putting on make up to play an Asian character.The plot revolves around the fact that Lewis is discharged from the army and imprisoned on very circumstantial evidence and racial prejudice.I have to say that "Carry On Up The Khyber" is a far better film and a lot more fun too.
Kandahar Calling!
An interesting little Hammer offering story wise. You'd think the red coats of the British Army would be the heroes of this Raj story set in 1850. But as it turns out in a welcome twist, they're more the villains, doing the colonial nasty on the local tribespeople, made up generally of black-faced English actors.
Had to laugh at the indignant shock of a couple of reviewers here expressing amazement that more Indians didn't feature in the cast. This is a Hammer production made in around 1964/65 and as such was made on the smell of an oily rag in England. For goodness sake, check out those vintage painted back drops of the castle in the mountains. There is absolutely no Indian location footage and in fact, footage was "borrowed" from a couple of other films to round out the battle scenes. Before we get all lathered up about the casting in a 55 year old "B" grade supporting feature, let's also remember that a bare 3 years before, it was perfectly acceptable for Alec Guinness to play an Arab in Lawrence of Arabia. In fact a couple of years after this, Lawrence Olivier played the Mahdi in Khartoum with little criticism.
As mentioned the only really stand-out feature of this film was the anti-colonial perspective of the British Raj. The villains of the piece were the senior British Officers who fitted up a fellow officer Case for a court-martial, because besides supposedly having "a touch of the tar brush", he had also had an affair with another officer's wife. He ends up running with the local rebel alliance, though their leader, Eli Khan (an hilariously black-faced Oliver Reed),is also depicted as being somewhat cruel and untrustworthy.
It all ends up in a gloriously romantic tragedy of near -Shakespearean proportions, as bodies litter a paper-mache cave hideout and accusing fingers are afterwards pointing in the British establishment direction. Cue the casting credits for this little oddity. I'm sure the production only ever had pretensions to being a support feature, but I give it a 5 for trying something a little different with the story line.