Thunder in the East

Thunder in the East is a 1952 American war film released by Paramount Pictures, and directed by Charles Vidor. It was based on the 1948 novel The Rage of the Vulture by Alan Moorehead; the book title was the working title of the film. Plot The film is set in 1947 after India had gained its independence from Britain. Steve Gibbs (Alan Ladd), a former Flying Tiger is an American gunrunner who flies into the hill station capital of a small (fictitious) Northern Indian state called Gandahar. He intends to sell weapons to the local Maharajah whose capital is facing an attack from an opposing army. He is opposed by the Maharajah's prime minister Singh (Charles Boyer), who is a proponent of Mohandas Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence. Steve is initially forbidden by Prime Minister Singh from seeing the Maharajah, but Steve bides his time in the capital. During his stay at a local hotel Steve is courted by a French adventuress (Corinne Calvet) who attempts to seduce Steve in return for flying her to Bombay. Steve falls in love with Joan Willoughby (Deborah Kerr), a blind woman who is one of the community of Anglo-Indians who have remained after Independence and the daughter of the local Vicar (Cecil Kellaway). In return for Steve taking her on a picnic, she provides Steve with an interview to the thus far unapproachable Maharajah, who is convinced by the pacifist Prime Minister not to buy the weapons. Stuck with his cargo of 20 Thompson submachineguns, 200 rifles and 100,000 rounds of ammunition, Steve considers selling his wares to the opposing army led by General Newah Khan (Philip Bourneuf) who has an undercover representative at the Hotel Gandahar, however Prime Minister Singh impounds the weapons. Tension builds when a bus load of fleeing Anglo-Indian women and children have been ambushed and murdered. Irritated by the smugness of the Anglo-Indians, Steve charges an exorbitant rate to fly them to safety, leading Joan to despise Steve for his mercenary principles. Newah Khan's army lays siege to the capital with the Maharaja and all of the local populace escaping leaving the Prime Minister who refuses to use Steve's weapons, Steve and the Anglo-Indians to their fate in the deserted palace.