Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book

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Disney scrapped the songs and talking animals for its second version of Rudyard Kipling's classic novel, an old-fashioned boy's adventure that more resembles the classic Korda brothers' lush original than Disney's own animated musical. In this live-action version, Jason Scott Lee (the hunky star of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) is the grown Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves and taught the ways of the jungle by Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther. Fascinated by Englishwoman Lena Heady, whom he spots marching through the jungle on a safari, he follows her to the city. She teaches him the ways of polite society while a greedy British soldier (a sneering Cary Elwes) plots to discover the fabled lost city, where a fabulous fortune awaits. At this point the film becomes more Tarzan than Kipling. Lee's rippling form, back in the freedom of a loin cloth, is on display running through the jungle, swinging on vines, and going mano a mano with snooty Englisher Elwes. His charm and sex appeal has made this film a favorite of many adult women, but it is a family adventure, after all, with colorful locations, grand sets, and plenty of fun-loving animal moments. Sam Neill is his usual figure of moral strength as Heady's explorer father, and John Cleese imparts a little deadpan humor as the safari's absent-minded professor. Director Stephen Sommers went on to direct the 1999 action fantasy hit The Mummy. Ages 6 and up. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Please Re release on DVD!!!.......2007-08-05

Please re release this version of the Jungle Book on DVD!!! It is one of my favorite films of all time and I can't purchase it anywhere!!! I checked on Amazon and it is only available from sellers!!!

A terrific version.......2007-08-03

This is perhaps the best version of Jungle Book ever made. The cast is extremely charismatic (especially Jason Scott Lee who is not only an excellent action star but is so damn gorgeous that gay men will catch vapors just watching him run around most of the movie shirtless). There is excitement and danger and romance. What is not to love?

Love is what we need, even in the jungle.......2006-07-19

A super production of 1994 that tried to recapture the magic of Kipling's novel. The emphasis is on the love Mowgli feels for Kitty, though we could not understand Kitty if she did not love Mowgli's beautiful body that he lets everyone contemplate and admire and his deep consciousness of the relationship between nature and man, between human fate and the law of nature the way it exists in the deep jungle of India. In other words she can only love this man who can speak to all animals and order them to speak or keep silent, especially when she looks at the officers of Her Majesty's army around her, human animals who only like killing, dominating, stealing and robbing. Vain, criminal and greedy as opposed to free, strong and generous. But by concentrating the film on this only love affair, the director and producers miss so many aspects of the book that are just as fascinating, like the detailed observation of human nature, of Indian society, of wild animals, of English men when their masculinity is at stake, and in those days their masculinity was always at stake which made them cruel in order to prove they were strong and human. It was a time when cruelty was part of a gentleman's education. This is mostly pushed aside in the film. And I must admit the elephants seem to be quite small in a way and the tiger should have been a lot more ferocious. But you can't really shoot a film like that with wild animals. Too bad. And quite many small animals of the jungle are just absent, like snakes, bees, flies and all the other flying, crawling or jumping insects. The film is then only entertaining, but after all it is intended for kids, and even if we are grown-up kids, we are no longer wearing short pants in the office and going to kindergarten.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Paris Dauphine & University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne

Good Adventure For The Family.......2004-12-22

Although "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book" reminded me more of Tarzan than Mowgli, it is still a good film to watch with the family. Jason Scott Lee does a good job as Mowgli all grown up. Cary Elwes is the perfect British jerk and Sam Neill has a decent supporting role. Lena Heady and John Cleese have the most interaction with Mowgli, and they give the best performances out of the bunch.

The animal cast does a pretty good job as well. Some of the human/animal interaction can be written off as fake-looking, but the majority of the scenes using animatronic creatures look reasonably good.

Young children may be turned off by the deaths in this film, and of Kaa the python, who makes a couple of brief, but scary to a five year-old, appearances. Language, as well as dialogue as a whole, is kept relatively tame. Neill and Elwes let off a few slurs, but nothing worse than the "D" word.

Overall, a decent adventure flick for kids too young for Indiana Jones movies, but who love adventure tales. Another decent suggestion is "The Phantom," starring Billy Zane.

Good old-fashioned Saturday matinee adventure film.......2003-12-01

Oh, this film could have been made for those Saturdays at the movies (25 cents to get in, popcorn with real butter, etc.) Jason Scott Lee is Tarzanly-gorgeous as the grown-up Mowgli, complete with animal sidekicks. The scene where he finds the monkey-king's treasure city is just wonderful.

This is not exactly kiddy-fare (little kiddy) for the opening scene where the tiger trashes the shikari camp are pretty scary--a flaming wagon-ride, and the tiger is pretty nasty. No gore, but still a bit much in my opinion for the early grade-schooler. Older kids and adults, however, will enjoy this worthy adventure film, with not only Jason Scott Lee, but Cary Elwes. Dramatic scenery, humor, adventure, what's not to like here?

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Jungle Book (Digitally Remastered)

Manufacturer: Digiview Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006JKBG8

Product Description

Digitally Remastered - Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book is given the full treatment in this lavish retelling filled with huge sets, exotic animals, a large cast and the incomparable Sabu, starring as Mowgli, the young orphan boy raised by wolves. This version was (and still is) considered by most film historians to be the most faithful and definitive interpretation of this classic story.

Average customer rating:

Sabu is great as Mowgli

Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book
Starring: Sabu , Joseph Calleia , John Qualen , Frank Puglia , and Rosemary DeCamp
Director: Zoltan Korda
Manufacturer: Passport
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000ACOYE
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Customer Reviews:

Sabu is great as Mowgli.......2005-08-27

I have no idea how many jungle book movies hollywood has put out in the last hundred years, but in my opinion their are only two worth having in my DVD collection. The first and my favorite is the animated Disney version, but a close second is this one.

What I truly enjoy about this version is the sheer adventure of the story. You also get a more accurate telling of the book, as well as the scenery which animation until recently could do no justice to.

In my opinion what makes this movie so good is SABU, the actor who plays mowgli. He does so well with the part you begin to think they wrote the part for mowgli just for him.

From the moment I watched this movie for the first time and from that day forward when I think of The Jungle Book, any Jungle Book, I think of Sabu.

Great movie, and should be considered a classic worth having in anyone's DVD library

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The Jungle Book
Starring: Sabu; Joesph Calleia; John Qualen; Frank Puglia; Rosemary Decamp
Director: Zoltan Korda
Manufacturer: Passion Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Rudyard Kipling's classic story of Mowgli, the baby boy abandoned in the jungle, and found by a panther who takes the child to a family of wolves, who will keep him safe, well-cared for and loved. But when a vicious tiger comes around threatening the boy, it becomes clear that the child must leave the animal kingdom and find his place among a species he has never known: human beings.

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Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book

Manufacturer: Global
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

The 1942 theatrical release of Jungle Book starring Sabu as Mowgli. One of the first color movies made, it was the favorite of a generation... Factory sealed in colorboard sleeve.

Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling's) 1942 Original

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Jungle Book 1942, the classic

Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling's) 1942 Original
Director: Zoltan Korda
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Features:

Original Film 1942
Color (Technicolor)
Language: English
Stereo Sound
Certification: UK:U / Australia:G / Canada:F (Ontario) / Finland:S / Sweden:15 / USA:Approved (certificate #7519)

ASIN: B000IZ8EFK

Product Description

Directed by Zoltan Korda, this version was (and still is) considered by most film historians to be the most faithful and definitive interpretation of this classic story. Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book is given the full treatment in this lavish retelling filled with huge sets, exotic animals, a large cast and the incomparable Sabu, starring as mowgli, the young orphan boy raised by wolves. Curious to reconnect with his human village, Mowgli returns only to find disappointment in the greed and treachery of man. over time, Mowgli and the village members do grow trust one another, but not before the village finds itself under siege. It's up to Mowgli and his jungle friends to save the day.

Customer Reviews:

Jungle Book 1942, the classic.......2007-06-27

This adaptation of Kipling's classic was created to exploit the commercial popularity of the indian star Sabu, that had been discovered by Zoltan Korda in the Elephant Boy (1937). It was the last time the three Korda brothers worked together and the last time Sabu appeared in a Korda production.
Kipling's Jungle Book stories are transformed and new characters are introduced, however much of the spirit is there.
An old Indian man tells a British woman the story of the Mowgli, the jungle boy. In an Indian village, a child called Natu wanders away form his parents and is believed to be killed by the tiger Shere-Khan. But a tribe of wolves adopts him and calls him Mowlgli (little frog). The child grows up and one day comes back to the village. His ability to talk to animals makes him an object of fascination by the villagers. He is attracted to a young girl named Mahala, the daughter of the hunter Buldao. Mowgli takes Mahala into the jungle and shows her the ruins of a lost city that contains many treasures. Here she picks up a coin that brought back to the village determines the villagers avidity. This causes the village to take fire and determines the disaffection and renouncal of civilization on Mowgli's behalf.
Sabu plays Mowgli, a childlike innocent with no concept of the value of money, reared by wolves according to the laws of the jungle. Mowgli is the most moral character, incapable of greed and imbued with deep respect for the natural world. He is the hero that leaves a confusing world of adults to live in a world with simpler rules.
Laurence Stalling's adaptation was criticized for straying to far form the original and Zoltan and Alexander Korda disagreed, the first wanting a more realistic and true to the story telling, while the second favouring an exuberant fantastic epic. As can be seen Alexander won all the way and Technicolor did the rest.
The strong points of the movie, filmed entirely in Hollywood during World War II are the Technicolor and the first time use of true wild beasts and of life like rubber animals (pyton). The fire scene is still impressive today while many of the animal scenes appear as artificially constructed.
Women characters are introduced in the story, while Kipling's books only tell of Mowgli's hypothetical mother.The accent of the movie is on natural morality and corruption inherent to civilization. These themes are present in the Jungle Books but their rendering in the movie is far from satisfactory.

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Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book

Manufacturer: Global Multimedia Corperation
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

"Based on the famous novel by Rudyard Kipling, this classic family film follows the adventures of Mowgli (Sabu), a young boy, who was lost in the jungle as a baby and found and raised by wolves...)

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Rudyard Kipling's THE JUNGLE BOOK

Manufacturer: VINA
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

SABU STARS AS "MOWGLI", IN RUDYYARD KIPLING'S CLASSIC STORY OF A BOY RAISED FROM INFANCY BY WOLVES, IN THE JUNGLES OF INDIA!

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