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After the enormous success of Elephant Boy, producer Alexander Korda signed Sabu to an exclusive contract, smart move, and rushed this film into production, which was maybe a little too rushed. The Drum is the first film to give Sabu above the title billing, but he’s really more of a featured player in an awkward piece of British propaganda. It has its moments, but a nasty aftertaste of pro-colonialism ultimately sinks it.
The Drum, or Drums as it was released in the U.S., tells the story of a brewing uprising between two sides of an Indian family. On one side, Prince Azim (Sabu) who favors the British, and is a smiling, happy-go-lucky example of the colonized, while his uncle, Prince Ghul (Raymond Massey, in brownface), wants to kick the British out. Despite Sabu’s once-again winning presence and charming performance, my sympathies couldn’t help but lie with his uncle.
Despite being routinely asked to side with the pro-Empire side of the equation, I kept thinking about how the riotous fury of Pince Ghul and his followers was understandable, more empathetic and sympathetic than the questionable material you heard coming out of Sabu’s mouth. I don’t blame him, he was only a thirteen-year-old. Later films would drop this political baggage and go back to the fantastical, thankfully.
The Drum does have a few bright spots. Ignoring the ugly realities of white actors done up as people of color, Massey’s performance is another hissable and enjoyable turn from an actor who excelled at playing devious characters. Roger Livesey’s a smart, dashing hero in the central role, and Valerie Hobson is warm and nurturing as his wife. The action scenes are daring, and moments of suspense are well-made. The cinematography, once the crown jewel of the film, looks like it was once impressive, but the time and care has not gone into properly restoring it. What remains looks great, but I wonder how much better it could be if someone had taken the time to restore it to its proper magnificence.
In all, The Drum has individual parts that work exceptionally well, they’re just in service of a whole that is questionable. No, it’s not questionable. It’s just ugly, a bitter “Sun Never Sets” fantasy wrapped up in a pretty candy coating. Sabu deserved better treatment than this. It’s no surprise to me to learn that audiences in India reacted violently to this film’s politics. I don’t blame them.
