A privilege to watch

Rating: 9/10 (13 May 2001)

I have just seen this film for what must be the fifth time. This production must be elevated to the ranks of the all time time classics. Connery and Caine play the two lovable rogues who attempt to seek their fortune in the mythical land of Kafiristan. Their portrayal of the two ex-British Army sergeants is masterful. Only someone who had served in the British armed forces could have achieved such an accurate characterisation of a British NCO teaching drill to raw recruits. Caine himself had served in the British Army during the Korean War, and he appeared to be reliving his army experiences with relish. We are indeed fortunate to have been spared the original partnership of Bogart and Gable, or the other, later planned partnerships of Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster, or Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Fine actors that these all are, they simply wouldn't have been able to play the roles of Peachey or Dravant with the understated humour that sustained British soldiers abroad through thick and thin. Only Newman and Redford could have come close, but their version would more likely have turned out to be "Butch and Sundance Go to India". Saeed Jaffrey is also magnificent and infinitely believeable. The whole film makes those with a spirit of adventure yearn for the lost days of Empire. The film's depiction of naivete and brutality encapsulate human nature without any of the political correctness that would encumber such a film today. Superb.