The Jungle Book (1942)

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Movie
German title The jungle Book
Original title Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1942
length 108 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Zoltan Korda
script Laurence Stallings
production Alexander Korda
music Miklós Rózsa
camera Lee Garmes ,
W. Howard Greene
cut William Hornbeck
occupation
synchronization

The jungle book (original title: Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book ) is an American film adaptation of the literary original of the same name by Rudyard Kipling from 1942.

action

In an Indian village, an old man is supposed to tell the daughter of a British official stories from his youth. He tells her about the wild animals of the jungle and the eternal struggle between man and nature. He also remembers how a man was once killed by a tiger named Shir Khan and the man's young son fled into the jungle. The boy was then raised by wolves and given the name Mowgli.

Twelve years later, Mowgli, who understands the language of animals, is again on the run from Shir Khan, his only enemy. He comes across the village of the people and sneaks in curiously. When he burns his hand on an open fire, the people of the village notice him. His mother Messua, who has no idea that Mowgli is her son, takes him in and teaches him to speak. While Mowgli adapts more and more to the way of life of the people, he befriends the girl Mahala - to the displeasure of Mahala's father Buldeo, who suspiciously sees Mowgli as a danger for his daughter and the village.

One day Mahala accompanies Mowgli into the jungle, where they discover a secret treasury full of gold and jewels in an old, abandoned palace. An old cobra guards the treasure that, according to her warning, will bring death and destruction. Mowgli and Mahala return to the village shortly afterwards with a gold coin as a souvenir. When Buldeo sees the coin, he wants Mowgli to lead him to the treasury. Meanwhile, Mowgli learns that Shir Khan is roaming near the village and therefore returns to the jungle, determined to kill the tiger with his knife. With the help of the snake Kaa, he actually succeeds in defeating Shir Khan in a fight to the death.

Buldeo, who had followed Mowgli with a group of men, now threatens him with a weapon, but is immediately attacked by Mowgli's friend Baghira , a black panther. Convinced that Mowgli has transformed into the panther, Buldeo tells all the villagers that Mowgli has magical powers. When he reappears in the village, he is tied up and then burned. However, his mother Messua helps him escape. Buldeo and his people now pursue Mowgli, who finally leads them to the old palace. After finding the treasury, Buldeo's men fall victim to the dangers of the jungle or kill one another out of greed. Buldeo, the only one of them left, tries to kill Mowgli and starts a fire that threatens the village. Mowgli leads Mahala, Messua and the other villagers to a river where they are safe from the fire. Then he returns to the jungle to save the animals from the flames.

Back in the present, Buldeo ends his story. When his attentive listener asks him how he escaped the fire and what happened to Mowgli and Mahala, he replies that this is a different story.

background

This first film adaptation of the classic children's book of the same name by Rudyard Kipling was filmed under Zoltan Korda's direction in Hollywood and on Lake Sherwood not far from Los Angeles . Producer Alexander Korda , who had acquired the film rights and wanted to shoot the film as early as 1939, had lianas , bamboo , elephant grass and other South Asian jungle plants imported from India for the production design under the direction of Vincent Korda . The more than 300 animals used in the film, on the other hand, came from California zoos or nearby farms. The shooting dragged on for more than a year. Four animal trainers and an assistant director who was only supposed to look after the animals were used. However, only tame animals were selected for close-ups. Recordings of panthers were also limited to 30 seconds and tigers were only filmed from a distance behind an invisible fence in order to avoid dangerous situations. During production, Zoltan and Alexander Korda clashed repeatedly. The former had a realistic adventure film in the style of The Elephant Boy in mind , while his brother insisted on a fantasy spectacle like The Thief of Baghdad . After all, it was the last time the Korda brothers made a movie together.

The composer Miklós Rózsa studied Indian music especially for the film in order to provide each character with an appropriate musical theme. The Jungle Book was the first film in which the film music was published as an "original soundtrack". Its recordings were identical to the recordings of the film music heard in the film. Previously, the film music sold on records had always been re-recorded by record companies in a recording studio.

The Jungle Book premiered in the United States on April 3, 1942 . The film was released in Germany on August 12, 1949, in Austria on December 17, 1948. On April 11, 1966, it was shown for the first time on German television by ARD .

Reviews

For Bosley Crowther of the New York Times , the Kipling adaptation was "an opulent and extravagant adventure film" at the time, but it was too busy "showing violence". Director Zoltan Korda had "created some amazing effects with all the animals", but made "no solid film". It is primarily a "spectacle". Compared to the animals, the actors are "pretty bad". Sabu looks "extremely silly" and acts as if he feels "completely uncomfortable" when he has to speak. Despite "bright" Technicolor colors and "some enchanting scenes", the film is by and large too "pompous". Variety was of the opinion that Mowgli's communication with the animals had been implemented "very seriously" and could have been "more entertaining" with easier handling. However, some animal images shot in “brilliant colors” are “highly interesting” and “remarkable”. Sabu, on the other hand, moves through the jungle with "ease and grace".

The lexicon of international films describes The Jungle Book as a "[f] colorful youth adventure film based on Rudyard Kipling". Cinema simply drew the conclusion: “Imaginative and hearty - for young and old!” In retrospect, the film critic Leonard Maltin described the film as “exciting family entertainment” that could boast “beautiful film music by Miklós Rózsa”.

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1943 , The Jungle Book was nominated for the Oscar in the four categories of Best Camera , Best Film Music , Best Production Design and Best Special Effects , but could not prevail against the competition.

German version

A German dubbed version was created in 1966 on behalf of ARD.

role actor Voice actor
Mowgli Sabu Fritz Wepper
Buldeo Joseph Calleia Wolfgang Eichberger
barber John torments Harry Wüstenhagen
Scholar Frank Puglia Klaus W. Krause
Mahala Patricia O'Rourke Uschi Wolff
Durga Ralph Byrd Niels Clausnitzer
english girl Faith Brook Rosemarie Fendel
Sikh Noble Johnson Helmo Kindermann

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Notes on tcm.com
  2. ↑ a b cf. Rob Nixon on tcm.com
  3. ↑ “[A] lush and extravagant adventure film […]. Everything seems to be pointed to the exhibition of violence on the screen [...]. Mr. Korda has used a whole menagerie to get some remarkable effects [...]. But he hasn't put together a solid picture. It is mainly a spectacle. […] The human actors show up quite badly. Sabu [...] looks exceedingly silly and most uncomfortable when he has to talk. [...] The color is strikingly vivid and some of the individual scenes have natural charm. But the film, as a whole, is ostentatious. " Bosley Crowther : 'Jungle Book,' Animal Spectacle Film Based Loosely on Kipling Tales, With Sabu in Leading Role, Attraction at the Rivoli . In: The New York Times , April 6, 1942.
  4. ↑ “The saga of the boy who could converse with animals is related very seriously, whereas the theme might have been better entertainment if treated in a lighter vein. […] As directed by Zoltan Korda, the fiction takes secondary place to the highly interesting and sometimes amazing views of jungle animals in the brilliance of colored photography. […] Sabu […] swims and swings his way through the jungle with ease and grace. " See Jungle Book . In: Variety , 1942.
  5. ↑ The Jungle Book. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed October 27, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  6. ↑ cf. cinema.de
  7. ↑ "Exciting family fare, fine Miklos Rozsa score." Leonard Maltin : Leonard Maltin's 2005 Movie & Video Guide . Plume, 2004, p. 734.
  8. ↑ cf. synchrondatenbank.de
  9. ↑ The Jungle Book. In: synchronkartei.de. German dubbing index , accessed on October 27, 2019 .