Elephant Boy

1937 1h 22m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 21🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes★6.4IMDB · 856

AdventureDramaFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In India, Toomai, a young mahout, helps lead the British on a large expedition to round up wild elephants.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Sabu
Toomai
W.E. Holloway
Toomai's Father
Walter Hudd
Petersen
Allan Jeayes
Machua Appa
Bruce Gordon
Rham Lahl
D.J. Williams
Hunter
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Commissioner
Iravatha
Kala Nag (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Zoltan Korda
Writers: John Collier, Rudyard Kipling
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

82 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

89 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Charles Crichton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sabu and W.E. Holloway and Walter Hudd carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0028827 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zoltan Korda directs. Osmond Borradaile behind the camera. John Greenwood scores. Charles Crichton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

182 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
289 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Zoltan Korda, shot by Osmond Borradaile. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Greenwood. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Charles Crichton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Sabu and W.E. Holloway and Walter Hudd carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0028827 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "elephant", "expedition", "human animal relationship", "jungle".
10Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Osmond Borradaile
Original score: John Greenwood
Editing: Charles Crichton
Runtime: 82 min · 1h 22m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Elephant Boy (1937)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 856 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

2 wins & 1 nomination

Also by

Zoltan Korda

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-20
★ 6/10
This has something of a documentary about it as Sabu portrays the young "Toomai" - the "Elephant Boy" based on the Rudyard Kipling story published in 1893. When an elephant goes on the rampage, only the young boy - the son and grandson of a mahout - can calm it down and in so doing attracts the attention of the leader of a hunting party "Petersen" (Walter Hudd) who agrees to take him on a hunt. What now ensues is a series of adventures that cause the boy to grow up quickly - and sometimes quite harshly. It's one of those films that rather glorifies the Raj and objectifies the local population, but having been filmed on the private reserve of the Maharajah of Mysore, the photography and authenticity of the story helps give it extra credence that, perhaps, the rather banal dialogue compromises. Sabu used to be the Maharajah's stable boy, so if nothing else the film serves as an excellent springboard for this charming and engaging young actor to get to Hollywood. Interestingly ironic that is was nominated for the "Mussolini Cup" in 1937.... I would not call this an exciting film to watch but it is - of it's time - an interesting one.

Production companies