Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book
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| Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book | |
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| Directed by | Stephen Sommers |
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| Produced by | Edward S. Feldman Raju Patel Rajendra Kumar (executive producer) Yash Johar (associate producer) |
| Written by | Stephen Sommers Ronald Yanover Mark Geldman (screenplay) Based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling |
| Starring | Jason Scott Lee Cary Elwes Lena Headey Sam Neill |
| Music by | Basil Poledouris |
| Cinematography | Juan Ruiz Anchia Peter Robertson |
| Editing by | Bob Ducsay |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 23, 1994 |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $27,000,000 (estimated) |
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book is a 1994 Disney film based on the Mowgli stories in The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, and is a live-action reimagining of the 1967 Disney animated film The Jungle Book. The film stars Jason Scott Lee as Mowgli and Cary Elwes as his main adversary. It was directed by Stephen Sommers. The original music score was composed by Basil Poledouris.
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Plot summary
In the Victorian period, Mowgli is the five-year-old son of a wilderness guide who accompanies his father on a hunting trip in the jungles of their native India and has Grey Brother as a pet wolf cub. Mowgli becomes close friends with a British girl named Katherine Anne "Kitty" Brydon, whose father, Colonel Geoffrey Brydon, commissioned the hunt. When Shere Khan attacks the camp and kills Mowgli's father, the boy and the wolf are lost in the confusion and are left to fend for themselves. Bagheera finds them and leads Mowgli to the wolf pack. Mowgli is befriended by the animals of the jungle including Baloo the bear cub, and they develop an unspoken bond as the growing boy learns to survive. While in the wild, the Bander-Log steal the bracelet Kitty gave him. He follows them to the ruins of an overgrown and lost city, deep in the jungle where, he meets King Louie the orangutan, who he follows in to a chamber full of vast treasure. Louie wants to add the bracelet to the treasure, but agrees to give it back if Mowgli fights his friend, Kaa the python and wins. Mowgli is pushed into the water by Kaa but Mowgli manages to defeat him with a jeweled dagger he found in the temple. Kaa flees, but is not killed. Louie returns him the bracelet.
Years later, after growing to adulthood, Mowgli once again encounters Kitty, who still lives in India with her father and her arrogant and deceitful suitor, Captain William Boone. Kitty and Mowgli recognize each other, and while his powers of speech are rusty, Kitty reintroduces Mowgli to civilization with the help of Dr. Julius Plumford and Mowgli introduces Kitty to his friends in the jungle. However, after spending most of his life in the jungle, Mowgli does not feel at home among the rude and snobbish aristocrats who are friends with Kitty's family. He falls in love with Kitty, but he concedes to his rival for her affections.
Meanwhile, Buldeo, one of Boone's men, finds the jewelled dagger Mowgli used against Kaa, and they hatch a plan to get Mowgli to lead them to the treasure in Monkey City. After Mowgli refuses they attempt to capture him but fail thanks to Baloo's intervention. Baloo is shot in the process and Mowgli rushes back to Kitty's home to find Dr. Plumford however the butler informs him that Kitty and Plumford are going back to England. Mowgli finds Kitty and the others just as Boone's men ambush and attack them. Geoffrey is shot and wounded, and abducted along with Kitty. Mowgli saves Plumford, and asks him to return the favour by helping Baloo. Mowgli catches up with Boone's men, and agrees to escort them to Monkey City in exchange for Kitty and Geoffrey's safety. However, as Boone's men are killed one by one, either by quicksand or by Shere Khan himself, Mowgli manages to get Geoffrey to safety with the elephants, who take him back to Plumford's care. Soon enough, only Mowgli, Kitty and Boone are left alive.
They finally reach the treasure. Boone, no longer needing Mowgli, attempts to kill him, but the two fight and Boone loses. Mowgli and Kitty flee the temple. When Boone sees the treasure, he starts to pocket all the gold he can find. Louie appears, and summons Kaa to guard the treasure. Kaa scares Boone into falling into the water below them. While Boone is drowning, he notices a few skeletons of people who had died down there before. Boone joins them when Kaa unexpectedly strikes and kills him.
Shere Khan confronts Mowgli and Kitty as they exit. Khan still does not trust Mowgli, and the two stare at each other a long time before Shere Khan is stared down and leaves in submission - the fulfillment of a dream Mowgli had in the beginning of the story. Mowgli and Kitty reunite with their friends and family, including Geoffrey and Baloo, both cured by Plumford. Kitty and Mowgli are now together. They share a passionate kiss by a waterfall.
Cast
Main cast
- Jason Scott Lee - Mowgli
- Cary Elwes - Captain William Boone
- Lena Headey - Katherine "Kitty" Brydon
- Sam Neill - Colonel Geoffrey Brydon
- John Cleese - Dr. Julius Plumford
- Jason Flemyng - Lt. John Wilkins
- Ron Donachie - Sgt. Harley
- Sean Naegeli - Mowgli, age 5
- Joanna Wolff - Kitty Brydon, age 5
- Stefan Kalipha - Buldeo
- Liza Walker - Alice
- Rachel Robertson - Rose
- Natalie Morse - Margaret
Trained animals
- Baloo - Casey
- Bagheera - Shadow
- Grey Brother - Shannon
- King Louie - Lowell
- Shere Khan - Bombay
Kaa is portrayed by both a computer-generated and a real anaconda. Other trained animals were monkeys, elephants, camel, horses, zebu, and wolves.
Filming locations
Filming took place in India (Bombay and Jodhpur) and parts of the southern United States (South Carolina and Tennessee).[1]
Critical reaction
The film received a 94% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 votes.
Critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times chided the film for not staying true to Kipling's work, although his name remains in the title. He said the film "has so little connection to Rudyard Kipling or his classic book that the title is beyond explanation."[2]
| “ | The sweet innocence of Kipling's fables about a boy who learns to live among the animals is replaced here by an "Indiana Jones" clone, an action thriller that Kipling would have viewed with astonishment.[2] | ” |
He goes on to say that it is a good film, but does not fit its target audience; some "scenes are unsuitable for small children, and the 'PG' rating is laughable."[2]
Rita Kempley from The Washington Post was more favorable with the film, stating that "the narrative shifts from romance to adventure the way Cheetah used to hop from foot to foot, but Sommers nevertheless delivers a bully family picture."[3]
Award nomination
Nominated for Excellence in Media's 1994 Golden Angel Award for best motion picture.[1]
Game
The movie was adaptated into a 1996 game, which includes clips from the film, while providing an original story and new characters.
The game follows the player in his/her quest to save the jungle. Soldiers have stolen King Louie's crown and the player must recover it to prevent the jungle from losing its magic. The player is aided by an Englishman named Ilgwom and his chimpanzee, Lahtee.
External links
- Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book at the Internet Movie Database
- Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book at Rotten Tomatoes
References
- ^ a b "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book". Variety. http://www.variety.com/profiles/Film/main/28057/Rudyard%20Kipling%27s%20The%20Jungle%20Book.html?dataSet=1.
- ^ a b c "The Jungle Book Review". Chicago Sun Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19941225/REVIEWS/412250303/1023.
- ^ "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book review". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/rudyardkiplingsthejunglebookpgkempley_a06bf3.htm.
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