Elephant Boy (1937)

How sad is this?

Excellent, smart action film.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Zoltan Korda was the middle of the three great Korda brothers of the cinema, (Alexander the eldest and Vincent the youngest) specializing in outdoor films, like this one (on Kipling's "Toomai of the Elephants") and ten years later the still best film adaptation of "The Jungle Book", both with Sabu as the main character. Robert Flaherty (1884-1951) was an important film documentary pioneer with many classics to his credit, like "Nanook of the North", the first commercially successful film documentary (1922) which he directed and produced. With Zoltan Kodaly, he was co-director of this film, probably the best elephant film ever made, which still impresses by its unequaled elephant scenes, including a great score by John Greenwood.

Long before Elizabeth Taylor took an unwanted stroll with these gentle giants in "Elephant Walk", there was Sabu as the "Elephant Boy". This adorable adolescent who went on to play many delightfully mischievous free spirits obviously had that rare ability to cavort with nature unlike any other human. In this British made adventure drama from the Korda brothers, Sabu is an Indian boy who comes from a long line of ancestors who have emotional ties with these pachyderms. Yes, even as a beast of burden, the elephant can sense that their master has passed on to that great elephant graveyard in the sky, and they cry out in grief before going crazy. Only Sabu can stop the elephant (who was mourning his father, the leader of a hunt for wild elephants to be used as beasts of burden) and now he must find a way to prove his worth to take his father's place. The kindly British commander of this expedition (Walter Hudd) takes a shine to little Sabu who has become the target of jealous hatred by others in the quest. This will lead to the test that Sabu must pass in order to continue his family's legacy.A magnificently filmed adventure drama with dollops of humor and a memorable debut by a young boy who hadn't set out to become a child star makes this a must. Other films with certain animals show their love for humans (in spite of what some humans do to the animal kingdom) and these elephants are no exception. The scene of Sabu being picked up by his beloved elephant is warmhearted, as if the elephant considered him one of her own. Of course, the shots of the baby elephants are just adorable, and like the humorous scene in "Hatari" (1962) with a baby elephant falling for the pretty Elsa Martinelli, you can't help but go, "Ah.....". But like in all elephant movies (even "Dumbo"), you know that elephants deep down are wild creatures, and once man does their worst to them, it will not be a quiet payback. Scenes of a few other jungle animals (Bengal tigers, some cute little spider monkeys) add to the nature of the film. The movie also speaks to the innocence of children when it comes to their love for the animal kingdom and the world they are learning about, as well as the cynicism of the adults and how sometimes it is the child (or child-like quality in grownups) which brings peace to the world.

In his first film, young Sabu introduces himself as "Toomai of the Elephants" before leading an expedition to find a herd of elephants in the jungles of India. Though this is based on an adventure story by Rudyard Kipling, it runs more like a documentary. There is much time spent on filming Sabu cavorting with his elephant "Kala Nag" and others. Sabu relies on acting natural and hasn't perfected his English; people found him highly appealing, but he's sometimes more of a liability, herein. Sabu and the Korda productions got better. "Elephant Boy" is for viewers who really, really like Sabu and/or a lot of elephants on screen.**** Elephant Boy (4/5/37) Robert Flaherty ~ Sabu, Walter Hudd, Allan Jeayes, W.E. Holloway

1937. Technicolor still waiting (and expensive and technically demanding), it's no surprise this is in black and white. And, sorry to say, much more black than white. Many scenes look light night, even if from context they should be in daytime. I had to squint my eyes sometimes to see what goes on. (This may also be due to the fact that it's in public domain, and not much was invested into digital remastering. Hey.. they sold it for €1 at Woolworth..) I also had to squint my ears - sound quality is not crystal-clear, and Indian English takes some more getting used to. But...Atcha! Against those odds, I enjoyed Elephant Boy tremendously. A simple but strong story, great shots of elephants.. (who needs monster movies when you have these creatures?) I can now better understand Sabu's short success story in the movies. He's ... well, more authentic than say, Douglas Fairbanks as the Thief of Bagdad (which I loved too). Between Prapancha Pash (1929 silent made on location in India), and Sabu's later highlights in Jungle Book (1942) and Black Narcissus, Elephant Boy fits very well in my collection, and I'll keep it in fond memory and re-watch it. Relatively short and quite mono-thematic (it's all about elephant & boy), for me it was a great and memorable experience.