Racial attitudes in 1956 when filming 'Bhowani Junction'.

I think 'Bhowani Junction' must have been the first feature film concerning India I ever saw on a cinema screen. Just re-seen it on video, having only recently read the John Masters novel on which the film was based, the latter starring Ava Gardner, (beautiful actress though she was - reprising her 'non-white' role in 'Showboat' of 5 years earlier, I suppose) and Francis Matthews 'browned-up' for his part rather in the formerly regular manner of white actors playing Othello. I reckon the film encapsulates prevalant attitudes towards race of the time of shooting of the film itself more than in the subject matter depicted. I doubt if the novel is worthy of a re-make even using actors of appropriate 'genuine' racial origin. Both book and film are quite period pieces really, though the latter is, I think, not entirely devoid of some merit - at least that's what I'd like to think.