Jungle Book

"A jewelled secret city...guarded by the jungle's fiercest denizens!"

1942 1h 46m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 116

AdventureFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mowgli, lost in the jungle when a toddler, raised by wolves, years later happens upon his human village and reconnects with its inhabitants, including his widowed mother. Continuing to maintain a relationship with the jungle, adventures follow.

“A jewelled secret city...guarded by the jungle's fiercest denizens!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Sabu
Mowgli
Joseph Calleia
Buldeo
John Qualen
The Barber
Frank Puglia
The Pundit
Rosemary DeCamp
Messua
Patricia O'Rourke
Mahala
Ralph Byrd
Durga
Faith Brook
English Woman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Zoltan Korda
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

84 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Zoltan Korda, shot by W. Howard Greene. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Sabu and Joseph Calleia and John Qualen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A jewelled secret city...guarded by the jungle's fiercest denizens!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0034928 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zoltan Korda directs. W. Howard Greene behind the camera. Miklós Rózsa scores. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Zoltan Korda, shot by W. Howard Greene. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Sabu and Joseph Calleia and John Qualen carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "A jewelled secret city...guarded by the jungle's fiercest denizens!".
6IMDB entry: tt0034928 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 15 themes, including "treasure", "tiger", "greed", "human animal relationship".

The technical file

Cinematography: W. Howard Greene
Original score: Miklós Rózsa
Production design: Vincent Korda
Makeup / hair: Gordon Bau
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Jungle Book (1942)

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Zoltan Korda

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2021-03-22
★ 5/10
I didn't find entertainment watching this <em>'Jungle Book'</em>. I will say, as many others have, colour-wise it looks real neat. I'm admittedly not a huge fan of any adaptation of this classic story yet, though do thoroughly enjoy the 1994 and 2016 versions; as well as liking the 1967 animated attempt, of course. This 1942 film is my least favourite so far. The way it is all told didn't interest me all that much. The stuff with the animals looks - welfare concerns aside - good, but what hampers it most in my opinion is that it puts heavy focus on the humans. I didn't feel satisfied watching any of the onscreen talent. The performances of Sabu (Mowgli), Joseph Calleia (Buldeo) & Co. didn't do anything for me. There's also, as you might expect, inappropriate casting/make-up. It's not a terrible film, just one of those that drags as it never excites or intrigues - for me, at least.
CinemaSerf2022-06-26
★ 7/10
A British lady is shopping in a marketplace when she happens upon a storyteller who is regaling his listeners with a tale of adventure: an infant "Mowgli" (Sabu) wanders off from his crib into the jungle; his parents seek him out but his father falls prey to the deadly tiger "Shere Khan" and in all the confusion the child is lost. He finds himself in a cave with wolves who treat him as one of their own and he is reared to young manhood as a child of the wilderness. His curiosity starts to get the better of him, however, and he is drawn to the village of people. When he dares to go in, he is captured and adopted by a lady who takes care of him much to the chagrin of local hunter "Buldeo" (Joseph Calleia) who bides his time until he can deal with this young man. "Mowgli" seeks to avenge himself on the tiger and so buys a "tooth" (knife) and sets off into the jungle for some hand-to-hand combat; he also discovers an huge treasure in an abandoned temple and the scene is set for his final battle with his greedy nemesis. This is the original live-action film: the use of real animals creates a wonderfully genuine effect; the colours are vivid and the story of compassion, love, avarice, treachery and recklessness is told in a wonderfully simple, yet engaging fashion. Sabu never was the best actor to grace our screens, but in this he is authentic and charming and the outdoor settings create the perfect backdrop for this super story.