ALONGSIDE Sanders of the River and The Four Feathers, this rip-roaring Technicolor adventure completes what became known as Korda's 'Empire trilogy', made by London Films in the late 1930s. The Drum (U) is released on DVD on 21 March 2016, RRP £9.99, courtesy of Network’s ‘The British Film’ collection.
An unabashed celebration of the British Raj, The Drum made a star of Sabu (Jungle Book, The Thief of Bagdad), the young Indian actor who was to become a firm favourite in both British and American films over the coming decade. Also starring Roger Livesey (The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp) as an Army captain working undercover to monitor arms smuggling and featuring a brilliantly malevolent performance from Oscar nominee Raymond Massey (Abe Lincoln in Illinois) as a murderous royal usurper intent on fomenting rebellion, The Drum is featured here in a brand-new transfer from original film elements, in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
