The Stranglers of Bombay (1959)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1959
Running Times: 76 mins 25 sec (UK - video)     76 mins 32 sec (uncut PAL transfer)     80 mins 41 sec (UK - theatrical)
Format: black and white     35mm     MegaScope
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Hammer Films in association with Kenneth Hyman
Executive Producer: Michael Carreras
Producers: Anthony Hinds, Kenneth Hyman
Associate Producer: Anthony Nelson-Keys
Production Manager: Don Weeks

SCRIPT
Script: David Z. Goodman

DIRECTION
Director: Terence Fisher
Assistant Director: John Peverall

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Arthur Grant
Camera Operator: Len Harris

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Supervising Editor: James Needs
Editor: Alfred Cox

MUSIC
Musical Supervisor: John Hollingsworth
Music: James Bernard

SOUND
Sound Recording: Jock May
Sound Editor: Arthur Cox
Sound System: RCA Sound Recording

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Roy Ashton
Hair: Henry Montsash
Wardrobe Mistress: Molly Arbuthnot

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Bernard Robinson

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Tilly Day
Historical Adviser: Michael Edwards

LOCATIONS
Locations: Bray Studios, Berkshire, England, UK

CAST
Guy Rolfe (Captain Harry Lewis)
Allan Cuthbertson (Captain Christopher Connaught-Smith)
Andrew Cruickshank (Colonel Henderson)
Marne Maitland (Patel Shari)
George Pastell (High Priest of Kali)
Jan Holden (Mary Lewis)
Paul Stassino (Lieutenant Silva)
Tutte Lemkow (Ram Das)
John Harvey (Burns)
Roger Delgado (Bundar)
Marie Devereux (girl thug)
Warren Mitchell (street seller)
Michael Nightingale (Sidney Flood)
David Spenser (Gopali Das)
Margaret Gordon (Mrs Dorothy Flood)
Jack McNaughton (Corporal Roberts)
Steven Scott (Walters)
Ewen Solon (camel vendor)

PLOT SUMMARY

The British East India Company is disturbed by a number of unexplained disappearances of travelers in India and sends military officer Connaught-Smith to investigate. Captain Lewis is dismayed that the relatively inexperienced Connaught-Smith has been assigned to the case and when his servant goes missing, Lewis carries out his own investigation and discovers a cult of murderous Thuggees.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Video Distributor: Encore Entertainment (EE32)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Finland
Rating: banned

UK
Rating: A (1959 - with unspecified cuts); 15 (1996 - with 7 seconds of cuts)

1959
July
6: UK - proncipal photography begins

August
27: UK principal photography ends

October
12: UK - rated A by the BBFC (for theatrical release)

December
4: UK - theatrical release

1960
May
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

1996
October
28: UK - video release (Encore Entertainment (EE32))

November
1: UK - rated 15 by the BBFC (for video release)

1997
October
15: France - shown at the Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish and British Film

In Strangloscope!

Gli strangolatori di Bombay - Italian title

MAGAZINES

Daily Cinema no.8236 (27 November 1959) p.5 (UK)
review

The House That Hammer Built no.2 (April 1997) pp.110-112 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review

The House That Hammer Built no.10 (October 1998) pp.91-106 (UK)
illustrated article

Kine Weekly 3 December 1959 p.17 (UK)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.27 no.312 (January 1960) p.10 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Variety 23 December 1959 (USA)
credits, review

cults, religion, india, thugs