This marks the first film directed by Terence Fisher for Hammer that is without the customary gaudy colour and without writer Jimmy Sangster. It also holds the dubious distinction of being the first of the Hammer films to adopt the policy of 'sell it with sadism'.
Despite the eye-gougings and limb-loppings the film got away with an 'A' rating presumably because it was seen as an 'historical' adventure. Typically of course for the time it was the ostentatious bosom of Marie Deveraux, née Patricia Sutcliffe, together with her character's evident arousal at the suffering of others, of which the British censors took the dimmest view.
It has been adapted from the memoirs of Major General Sir Richard Sleeman who was directly involved in stamping out the notorious Thuggees. Providing the Asian villainy are George Pastell(undoubtedly his finest hour) Roger Delgado and the ubiquitous Marne Maitland while Allan Cuthbertson is ideally cast as the sort of character who gave colonialists a bad name. Charismatic Guy Rolfe does his best with some awful lines and Jan Holden's role as his wife is woefully underwritten. The ending, for this viewer at any rate, is both unsatisfactory and unconvincing.
It is I suppose a must for Hammer completists whilst its gruesome elements, not to mention Miss Deveraux' cleavage, are sure to guarantee its devotees.
Terence Fisher's own verdict? "It went wrong. It was too crude."
Despite the eye-gougings and limb-loppings the film got away with an 'A' rating presumably because it was seen as an 'historical' adventure. Typically of course for the time it was the ostentatious bosom of Marie Deveraux, née Patricia Sutcliffe, together with her character's evident arousal at the suffering of others, of which the British censors took the dimmest view.
It has been adapted from the memoirs of Major General Sir Richard Sleeman who was directly involved in stamping out the notorious Thuggees. Providing the Asian villainy are George Pastell(undoubtedly his finest hour) Roger Delgado and the ubiquitous Marne Maitland while Allan Cuthbertson is ideally cast as the sort of character who gave colonialists a bad name. Charismatic Guy Rolfe does his best with some awful lines and Jan Holden's role as his wife is woefully underwritten. The ending, for this viewer at any rate, is both unsatisfactory and unconvincing.
It is I suppose a must for Hammer completists whilst its gruesome elements, not to mention Miss Deveraux' cleavage, are sure to guarantee its devotees.
Terence Fisher's own verdict? "It went wrong. It was too crude."