The Lives of a Bengal Lancer is a 1930 book, a memoir by Francis Yeats-Brown (1886-1944), and a 1935 movie loosely adapted from the book. Yeats-Brown served in India 1905-1914 (the focus of his book) and briefly after the Great War. He was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for the book which has chapters entitled "Polo" and "Pig-Sticking" and emphasizes cantonment life at and around Bareilly in present-day Uttar Pradesh. The movie plot concerns the story of British soldiers defending the borders of India from nomadic raiders. It stars Gary Cooper, Franchot Tone, Richard Cromwell, Monte Blue, Akim Tamiroff, Sir Guy Standing, C. Aubrey Smith, Kathleen Burke, Douglass Dumbrille, and J. Carrol Naish. The film was written by Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt, Waldemar Young, John L. Balderston and Achmed Abdullah. The plot of the movie bears little resemblance to the book. It was directed by Henry Hathaway. Cromwell was mentioned in Gore Vidal's satirical novel Myra Breckinridge (1968) as "the late Richard Cromwell, so satisfyingly tortured in Lives of a Bengal Lancer."

Yeats-Brown was openminded towards other cultures and reported sensitively on Indian culture, becoming a student of Yoga himself. In later life, he was active in right wing politics in England, and firmly endorsed Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, asserting that Hitler had solved Germany's unemployment.

According to a BBC Documentary this was Adolf Hitler's favourite film . Other sources suggest that he preferred King Kong.

The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture.

The 41st Bengal Lancers are stationed on the Northwest Frontier of British India, guarding against Afridi invaders led by wily Mohammed Khan. Experienced (though insubordinate) Lieut. McGregor is joined by two new arrivals, haughty Forsythe and callow Donald Stone...son of the commanding colonel. We follow the three through varied adventures and hardships. Will they uphold the honor of the regiment? Will Stone and the Colonel come to terms with their difficult relationship? Written by Rod Crawford