North West Frontier

"Two people trapped by fate. In a country with no destiny."

1959 2h 9m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 58

AdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the rebellious northern frontier province of colonial India, British Army Captain Scott, a young prince and the boy's governess escape by an obsolete train as they are relentlessly pursued by Muslim rebels intent on assassinating the prince.

“Two people trapped by fate. In a country with no destiny.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kenneth More
Capt. Scott
Lauren Bacall
Catherine Wyatt
Herbert Lom
Van Layden
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Bridie
I.S. Johar
Gupta
Ursula Jeans
Lady Windham
Eugene Deckers
Mr Peters
Ian Hunter
Sir John Wyndham

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: J. Lee Thompson
Writers: Robin Estridge, Frank S. Nugent, Patrick Ford
Languages: English, Hindi
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hindi.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by J. Lee Thompson, shot by Geoffrey Unsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frederick Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kenneth More and Lauren Bacall and Herbert Lom carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Two people trapped by fate. In a country with no destiny.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0053126 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

J. Lee Thompson directs. Geoffrey Unsworth behind the camera. Frederick Wilson cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Hindi.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

167 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hindi.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by J. Lee Thompson, shot by Geoffrey Unsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Frederick Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kenneth More and Lauren Bacall and Herbert Lom carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Two people trapped by fate. In a country with no destiny.".
8IMDB entry: tt0053126 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 58 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "army", "muslim", "escape", "chase".

The technical file

Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Editing: Frederick Wilson
Runtime: 129 min · 2h 9m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: North West Frontier (1959)

Also by

J. Lee Thompson

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-12-28
★ 9/10
A positively rip-roaring joy from start to finish. We are in British India, Moslem rebels want to kill a young Hindu prince and thus killing his family blood line. The British army are charged with the task of ensuring the prince is safely escorted from the troubled provinces. The duty falls to one intrepid Captain Scott, the only chance to achieve the aim is by train, with his allies on board being a rather unique group of individuals, can Scott achieve the mission against the mounting odds?. North West Frontier has everything a great action adventure should have, whilst also adding in tension, drama and an array of wonderfully colourful characters. The opening to the film is pulsating, as Scott has to fight off the rebels whilst smuggling the prince and his governess out to safety. From then on we are on a train journey that is rich with enjoyment, the tension mounts among the passengers, not least because of the class and cultural differences, and perhaps allmotives are not in alignment? But they must club together if they are to survive this dangerous journey. Kenneth Moore, Lauren Bacall, Herbert Lom and Wilfrid Hyde-White (comedy gold when under attack) are all pulling together to make a cracking yarn. Directing duties falls to J. Lee Thompson, whose CV boasts "Ice Cold In Alex", "The Guns Of Navarone" and "Cape Fear", so this material was thankfully in very safe hands. The photography from Geoffrey Unsworth is top notch, barren and desolate landscapes beautifully realising the peril of the passengers' journey, whilst the music from Mischa Spoliansky leaves a lasting impression. This train may well be crammed full of genre stereotypes, and sure enough the patronising nature of the piece is dated at the edges, but this remains a gloriously enjoyable film that the whole family can readily digest. 9/10

Production companies