About this movie
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Drama, Family
- Language:
- English
- Running time:
- 1:18:18
- Partner rating:
- Released:
- 1937
Cast & Crew
Cast
-
Sabu
Mowgli
- W.E. Holloway
- Walter Hudd
-
Raymond Massey
Prince Ghul
-
Roger Livesey
Tony Carruthers
-
Valerie Hobson
Mrs. Carruthers
-
David Tree
Lieutenent Escott
-
Joseph Calleia
Buldeo
-
John Qualen
The barber
-
Frank Puglia
The pundit
-
Rosemary de Camp
Messua
Directors
- Robert J. Flaherty
- Zoltan Korda
- Robert Flaherty
Producers
- Alexander Korda
Writers
- Rudyard Kipling
- John Collier
Elephant Boy
The unusual amalgam of documentary maven Robert Flaherty and pure-entertainment producer Zoltan Korda resulted in the 1937 money-spinner Elephant Boy. In his screen debut, eleven-year-old Indian-born Sabu plays the title character, a mahout named Toomai. When his father is killed by a tiger, Toomal is left alone and unprotected and not long afterward loses his beloved elephant to a sadistic "driver." Stealing back the pachyderm and heading into the wilderness, Toomal stumbles across a herd of wild elephants, which the British government has long been seeking. With visions of a huge reward in his head, Toomal offers to lead the authorities to the elusive herd -- whereupon the "dramatic" portion of the story gracefully gives way to the "documentary" portion. More intriguing than entertaining, Elephant Boy was nonetheless one of the most successful films of its kind.
Reviews by Rotten Tomatoes
100%
percent positive reviews
-
Frank S. Nugent, New York TimesThe film moves leisurely, but with rare charm and visual interest.
– Full review
-
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Fiction and documentary footage rub shoulders uneasily, but the latter (shot by Flaherty in India) is vividly watchable.
– Full review
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