Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book
Jungle Book | |
---|---|
![]() Film poster | |
Directed by | Zoltan Korda |
Screenplay by | Laurence Stallings |
Based on | The Jungle Book byRudyard Kipling |
Produced by | Alexander Korda |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Lee Garmes W. Howard Greene |
Edited by | William Hornbeck |
Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
Production companies | Alexander Korda Films, Inc. |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
Countries | United Kingdom United States |
Language | English |
Budget | £250,000 ($1 million)[1] |
Box office | $11 million (est.) |
Jungle Bookis a 1942independentTechnicoloraction-adventure filmby the Korda brothers, loosely adapted fromRudyard Kipling'sThe Jungle Book(1894). The story centers onMowgli,a feral young man who is kidnapped by villagers who are cruel to the jungle animals as they attempt to steal a dead king's cursed treasure. The film was directed byZoltán Kordaand produced by his brotherAlexander,with theart directionby their younger brotherVincent.The screenplay was written byLaurence Stallings.The film stars Indian-born actorSabuas Mowgli. Although the film is in the public domain, the master 35mm elements are withITV Studios Global Entertainment.An official video release is currently available viaThe Criterion Collection.
The cinematography was byLee GarmesandW. Howard Greeneand the music was byMiklós Rózsa.Because ofWorld War II,the Korda brothers moved their filmmaking to Hollywood in 1940, andJungle Bookis one of the films they produced during that Hollywood period.[2]The film was a commercial success at the box office.[3]
Plot
[edit]In anIndianvillage,Buldeo,an elderly storyteller, is paid by a visiting Britishmemsahibto tell a story of his youth.
As a younger man, he recalls his village being attacked byShere Khantherogue tiger.The attack leads to the death of a man and the loss of the man's child. The child is adopted bygrey wolvesin the jungle and grows to be the wild youthMowgli.Twelve years after, Mowgli is captured by the villagers and taken in by his motherMessua,despite Buldeo's prejudice towards him for being from the jungle. He learns to speak and tries to imitate the ways of humans, and becomes friendly with Buldeo's daughter, Mahala.
When Mowgli and Mahala explore the jungle, they discover a hidden chamber in a ruined palace, containing fabulous wealth. Warned by an agedcobrathat the wealth brings death, they leave, but Mahala takes one coin as a memento. When Buldeo sees the coin, he resolves to follow Mowgli to the site of the treasure.
Mowgli fights and uses ajambiya knifeto kill Shere Khan, with some last minute help fromKaa,theIndian python.As he is skinning the body, Buldeo arrives. He threatens Mowgli with hishunting rifleto take him to the treasure, but is attacked by Mowgli's friendBagheera,theblack panther.Buldeo becomes convinced that Bagheera is Mowgli himself, shape-shifted into panther form. He tells the villagers that Mowgli is a witch, as is his mother. Mowgli is chained up and threatened with death, but escapes with his mother's help. However, she and another villager who tries to defend her are tied up and threatened to be burned for witchcraft.
Mowgli is followed by the greedy Buldeo and two friends, apanditand abarber,to the lost city. They find the treasure and leave for the village with as much as they can carry. When they stop for the night, the priest tries to steal the treasure and murders the barber when the barber wakes up. The priest tells Buldeo that the barber had attacked him and that he had killed in self-defense, but Buldeo knows better. The next day, the priest attacks Buldeo while his back is turned, but Buldeo knocks him into the swamp where he is killed by amugger crocodile.Mowgli tells Bagheera to chase Buldeo from the jungle, and Buldeo flees for his life, jettisoning the treasure.
His pride wounded, a half-crazed Buldeo tries to murder Mowgli and destroy the jungle by starting a forest fire. The wind turns and the fire threatens the village. The villagers flee, but Mowgli's mother and her defender are trapped. Mowgli brings the localelephantsincluding their leaderHathiwho help free the captives and rescue the jungle animals from the fire. He is invited to follow them to a new life downriver, but chooses to stay and protect the jungle.
The scene returns to the present day, with the elderly Buldeo admitting that the jungle defeated his youthful dreams and destroyed his reputation. When asked how he escaped from the fire and what became of Mowgli and his daughter, Buldeo says that is another story.
Cast
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/The_Jungle_Book_1942.jpg/220px-The_Jungle_Book_1942.jpg)
- SabuasMowgli
- Daniel and David Valdez as Baby Mowgli
- Joseph Calleiaas Buldeo
- John Qualenas The barber
- Frank Pugliaas The pundit
- Rosemary DeCampas Messua
- Patricia O'Rourke as Mahala
- Ralph Byrdas Durga
- Jack Mather as Rao
- Faith Brookas Daughter of the British magistrate
- Noble Johnsonas Sikh
- Mel Blancas Kaa, Gray Brother[4]
- Martha Wentworthas White Hood[4]
Production
[edit]In 1940, the three Korda brothers left London for Hollywood, where two of their films that had begun production in the UK were completed:The Thief of BagdadandThat Hamilton Woman.
United Artists lent Alexander Korda $300,000 to finance the production ofJungle Book,[2]which was produced by the American company he set up for his Hollywood productions: Alexander Korda Films, Inc.
Laurence Stalling's adaptation was criticised for straying too far from the original, and the frequent disagreements between brothers Alexander and Zoltán did not help matters. Zoltán wanted an underplayed realistic story, while Alex favoured an exuberant fantasist epic. Alex, as always, got his way in the end.[2]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]The film was a notable success at the box office.[5]In the United States and Canada, the film earned$1.3 millionin box office rentals.[6]In total, the film grossed$3.3 millionfrom approximately 12.2 million ticket sales in the United States, equivalent to$115 millionadjusted for inflation in 2021.[7]In the United Kingdom, its 1948 re-release earned £86,089[8]($346,940).[9]
In France, it was one of the top ten highest-grossing films of 1946, drawing over 5 million admissions at the box office.[10]At an average late-1940s admission price of 50francs,[11]this was equivalent to an estimated 254,248,100francs ($727,088).[12]The film also sold 18.9 million box office ticketsin the Soviet Unionwhen it released there in 1944.[13]At an average 1950 admission price of1.75Rbls[14]($0.33), this was equivalent to an estimated33 millionRbls ($6.2 million).
Critical response
[edit]Bosley CrowtherofThe New York Timesnoted the filmmakers have "used a whole menagerie to get some remarkable effects, and a finer lot of sleek and lithe wild creatures has never been shown on a screen. But he hasn't put together a solid picture. It is mainly a spectacle. Against the animal competition, the human actors show up quite badly." In summary, Crowther felt the "color is strikingly vivid and some of the individual scenes have natural charm. But the film, as a whole, is ostentatious."[15]Varietysimilarly wrote: "Depending almost entirely on the pictorial grandeur and the production novelty, Korda has neglected any but a slight development of the human equation. Players therefore have unimportant assignments, with the exception of Sabu, who swims and swings his way through the jungle with ease and grace."[16]
Harrison's Reportswrote: "This is a jungle fantasy, in which animals play an important part. It has been produced in gorgeous technicolor. The surroundings in which Sabu is cast are familiar...But by being a fantasy, its appeal is not universal."[17]A review inTimemagazine felt the Korda brothers have produced "a laborious, sometimes silly tale, saved from disgrace only by some of the best Techni-colored animal photography extant."[18]Edwin Schallert of theLos Angeles Timespraised the visuals and the animals, but cautioned: "To say thatJungle Bookis as good in its narrative asThe Thiefis not easy. Many will feel that it is, and certainly it rates right alongside its predecessor. "[19]OnRotten Tomatoes,54% from 13 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[20]
Awards
[edit]The film was nominated for fourAcademy Awards.[21][22]
- Nominated
- Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color(Vincent Korda,Julia Heron)
- Best Visual Effects(Lawrence W. Butler,William H. Wilmarth)
- Best Original Score
- Best Cinematography
Music
[edit]The extensive musical score byMiklós Rózsacaught the attention of RCA Victor, which proposed to make a recording of a suite with narration, comparable toProkofiev's popularPeter and the Wolf.The 78-RPM album with narration by Sabu, became the first substantial recording of a Hollywood dramatic film score. Rózsa was especially pleased to record the music with members ofToscanini'sNBC Symphonyin New York. The album became very popular, and the suite has been recorded several times.[23]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Kulik 1975,p.268.
- ^abcMorrison, David."Jungle Book (1942)".Screenonline.Retrieved2013-01-05.
- ^Kulik 1975,p.270.
- ^ab"A MEL BLANC DISCOVERY".Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy.2021-02-18.Retrieved2021-02-20.
- ^Balio, Tino (2009).United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars.University of Wisconsin Press.p. 172.ISBN978-0-299-23004-3.
- ^"101 Pix Gross in Millions".Variety.January 6, 1943. p. 58 – viaInternet Archive.
- ^"The Jungle Book (1942) – Etats-Unis"[The Jungle Book (1942) – United States].JP's Box-Office(in French).Retrieved7 April2022.
- ^Porter, Vincent (2000). "The Robert Clark Account: Films released in Britain by Associated British Pictures, British Lion, MGM, and Warner Bros., 1946–1957".Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television.20(4): 469–511.doi:10.1080/713669742.S2CID161670089.
- ^Todd, Mike."Graph of £/$ exchange rate (1940 - today)".An American Encyclopedia.RetrievedJune 22,2018.
- ^"French box office of 1946".Box Office Story.
- ^Sadoul, Georges (1953).French Film.Falcon Press. p. 111.
In 1949 the average price of admission was 50 francs (Is.).
- ^"Pacific Exchange Rate Service"(PDF).UBC Sauder School of Business.University of British Columbia.Retrieved21 November2017.
- ^"Jungle Book (1942)".Kinopoisk(in Russian).Retrieved7 April2022.
- ^"Political Affairs".Political Affairs.29.New Century Publishers: 80. 1950.
In moving picture theaters the price of tickets ranges from 2-6 roubles at first-run houses, and from 50 kopecks to 1 Rbl. 50 kop. in neighborhood houses and clubs.
- ^Crowther, Bosley (April 6, 1942)."The Screen in Review".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 22,2022.
- ^Flynn Sr., John C. (March 25, 1942)."Film Reviews: Jungle Book".Variety.p. 8.RetrievedJune 22,2022– via Internet Archive.
- ^"'Jungle Book' with Sabu ".Harrison's Reports.April 4, 1942. p. 54.RetrievedJune 22,2022– via Internet Archive.
- ^"Cinema: The New Pictures".Time.April 13, 1942.RetrievedFebruary 21,2024.
- ^Schallert, Edwin (March 25, 1942)."'Jungle Book' Legendary Revel, Radiant in Color ".Los Angeles Times.Part II, p. 10.RetrievedJune 22,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Jungle Book (1942)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedFebruary 21,2024.
- ^"The 15th Academy Awards (1943) Nominees and Winners".oscars.org.Retrieved2013-06-22.
- ^"NY Times: Jungle Book".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.2009. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-11-28.Retrieved2008-12-15.
- ^Rozsa, Miklos (1984) [1982].Double Life.Tunbridge Wells, Kent: The Baton Press. pp. 111–112.ISBN0-85936-141-1.
Bibliography
[edit]- Kulik, Karol (1975).Alexander Korda: The Man Who Could Work Miracles.Arlington House.ISBN978-0-870-00335-6.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Jungle BookatIMDb
- Rudyard Kipling's Jungle BookatAllMovie
- Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Bookat theTCM Movie Database
- Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Bookat theAFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Bookat theBFI'sScreenonline
- Jungle Bookis available for free viewing and download at theInternet Archive
- Criterion Collection Essay
- 1942 films
- 1940s fantasy adventure films
- American fantasy adventure films
- British fantasy adventure films
- The Jungle Book films
- Films about animals
- Films about apes
- Jungle adventure films
- Films set in India
- Films set in the 1890s
- London Films films
- United Artists films
- Films directed by Zoltán Korda
- Films produced by Alexander Korda
- Films scored by Miklós Rózsa
- 1940s English-language films
- 1940s American films
- 1940s British films