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Jungle Book

Play trailer Poster for Jungle Book Released Apr 3, 1942 1h 49m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
54% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
The father of young Mowgli (Sabu) is killed by a jungle tiger during the child's early years. Having no family, the boy lives with wolves and befriends a variety of animals. After several years, Mowgli is discovered and returned to his mother, and must grow accustomed to human practices. When Mowgli and new love interest Mahala (Patricia O'Rourke) trek into the jungle together, they discover treasure that causes Mahala's father, Buldeo (Joseph Calleia), to get greedy, with tragic consequences.
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Jungle Book

Critics Reviews

View All (13) Critics Reviews
Bosley Crowther New York Times The color is strikingly vivid and some of the individual scenes have natural charm. But the film, as a whole, is ostentatious. Apr 15, 2016 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader It's a formless, often dull time, but the verdant Technicolor (shot by Lee Garmes) gives it a nice gloss. Apr 15, 2016 Full Review Variety Staff Variety 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. Apr 15, 2016 Full Review Elena de la Torre Cine-Mundial A wonderful spectacle for all children. [Full Review in Spanish] Sep 16, 2019 Full Review Sergio Benítez Espinof The light and casual tone of the movie, the humor of some moments and the very varied score of Miklós Rozsa makes 'Jungle book' a film that is good to remember. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 27, 2019 Full Review MFB Critics Monthly Film Bulletin The spirit of the original is missing and the whole film despite the lavish nature of its production is unsatisfying. Jan 23, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (50) audience reviews
Teddy B Conceptually interesting but unfortunately forgettable and an eyesore from time to time. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/13/24 Full Review Audience Member This was one of my Mom's favorite movies when she was a kid. I found it incredibly boring as a kid... And really preferred the Disney Jungle Book from the 90s,bc Mowgli was so damn hot! As a teen, my mom and I bonded by reading the same books together and at some point we read a "complete works of Kipling." Rewatching this movie in my 20s made me realize this version of Jungle Book does the best job translating the true story/msg of the book to film. Unfortunately, the special effects are a victim of the era. In 1942, there are some really impressive efforts... 80 years later, we view them as unforgivably bad. Sabu gives a genuine and convincing performance and I would love to see this lost classic remastered and used as a foundation for a new live action Jungle Book film. Repaced and with modern effects, I think a lower budget modern film that hit the philosophical beats of this film instead of dumping millions of dollars into flashy computer animation could be a sleeper hit. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review r 9 I didn't find entertainment watching this 'Jungle Book'. 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. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I truly enjoyed this movie 🍿 and highly recommend watching watching on your own or with your family. Although the story, itself, is over 125 years old it the lessons are still relevant in today's world. In my opinion the lessons are: not to kill, either people or animals for pleasure or gain. Respect of both people and nature. And the most prevalent lesson of how greed will ultimately be your downfall. These are displayed in a very enjoyable and entertaining manner. The actual movie is 80 years old do some allowances do need to be made and not to compare it to the graphics of today. This being said, considering the time I was very impressed with the overall effects of working with the animals, the huge fire etc. So grab some popcorn 🍿, turn down the lights and enjoy. 👍😉 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Not quite the charmer that you get with the Disney versions, but I really liked the cinematography. It's a beautiful film visually. (First and only viewing - 11/24/2019) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member underrated, technically advanced for its time. Perhaps making Sabu act in a role meant for a Mowgli under 10 robbed this movie of the fun factor (aplenty in his Elephant Boy 5 years earlier when he was 13) everyone is craving for after the 2 Disney movies, which Disney in 1967 consciously decided to depart from the original Jungle Books, which were more serious ... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Jungle Book

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Movie Info

Synopsis The father of young Mowgli (Sabu) is killed by a jungle tiger during the child's early years. Having no family, the boy lives with wolves and befriends a variety of animals. After several years, Mowgli is discovered and returned to his mother, and must grow accustomed to human practices. When Mowgli and new love interest Mahala (Patricia O'Rourke) trek into the jungle together, they discover treasure that causes Mahala's father, Buldeo (Joseph Calleia), to get greedy, with tragic consequences.
Director
Zoltan Korda
Producer
Alexander Korda
Screenwriter
Laurence Stallings
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Alexander Korda Films
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 3, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 19, 2014
Runtime
1h 49m
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