This film is part of Free

Sports dans l'armée des Indes
A demonstration of sport and fitness by members of the Indian Army
Overview
This short film features exercise routines by the Indian Army. The film features a mixed menu of group parade ground drills and exercise. Impressive demonstrations of bayonet fencing, formation dumbbell and Indian club exercises are followed by gymnastics on pommel horse and parallel bars.
Though French-made, this Pathé Frères film travelled well, like countless others at a time when the film industry was increasingly international - hence the German intertitles on the BFI National Archive's copy, though it certainly would have once existed in an English-titled version too.
Related

4 and 20 Fit Girls 4 and 20 Fit Girls
1940 11 mins Silent
Flock to your local keep fit class - there's a war on and Britain needs its citizens in tip-top shape.

Long Distance Runner Long Distance Runner
News 1974 4 mins Location: Woodsetton
They breed them hard in Dudley - running non-stop for 24 hours is nothing to Ron Bentley: his next challenge is to race over 800 miles.

National and Country Dancing National and Country Dancing
School programme and Educational film 1952 14 mins Location: Leigh-on-Sea
Want to learn to dance the Swedish Masquerade, Dutch Hakke Toone, or maybe the Italian Tarantella? Essex schoolchildren show us how it’s done.

Haggis Hurling Haggis Hurling
News 1980 6 mins Location: Belfast
Meet the president leading the haggis hurling revival and learn how delivering lunch became a sport for kilted gentlemen.

Cycling the Channel Cycling the Channel
Non-Fiction 1929 1 mins Silent Location: Dover
A Fine Feat of Endurance. Why swim the Channel when you can go by hydrocycle?

Stoke Mandeville Sports Stadium for the Disabled Stoke Mandeville Sports Stadium for the Disabled
Amateur film 1967 19 mins Silent Location: Stoke Mandeville
Rare home movie capturing sporting action in 1967 at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, birthplace of the Paralympics.

New Perspectives: Tangerine New Perspectives: Tangerine
Short documentary 2025 3 mins
Harry Wallace, a student at Northumbria university, explains why Sean Baker's LA-set comedy-drama, about a transgender sex worker on the hunt for her cheating -ex, is worth your time.

Daniel Craig in Conversation with Mark Kermode Daniel Craig in Conversation with Mark Kermode
Inside Film 2025 44 mins
Daniel Craig talks to Mark Kermode about his acting career, from his early role in Love is the Devil through to the Luca Guadagnino directed Queer.

New Perspectives: Fish Tank New Perspectives: Fish Tank
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Adam Smith of Northumbria University explains why Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age story, about a girl who uses dance to escape, is his favourite film on BFI Player.

New Perspectives: Pusher New Perspectives: Pusher
Short documentary 2025 5 mins
Noah Ball of Northumbria University explains why you should seize the chance to watch Nicolas Winding Refn's debut.

Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A
Inside Film 2025 38 mins
Kyle MacLachlan talks to BFI CEO Ben Roberts about working with David Lynch on the legendary series Twin Peaks.

On Falling - Exclusive Q&A On Falling - Exclusive Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
Writer-director Laura Carreira talks to Nia Childs about her debut feature, On Falling.