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Elephant Boy

Play trailer Poster for Elephant Boy 1937 1h 20m Adventure Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 42% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Young animal-lover Toomai (Sabu) faces a life of impoverished orphanhood after a vicious tiger mauls his father (W.E. Holloway). Toomai finds comfort and friendship in the family's prized elephant, the gentle Kala Nag. But when Kala Nag attacks an abusive trainer in self-defense, the village decides the elephant must die. Toomai plots a daring rescue and sets off on thrilling adventure through the jungles of India, in the hope of finding a mysterious and elusive herd of elephants.

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Elephant Boy

Critics Reviews

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Frank S. Nugent New York Times 03/25/2006
3.5/5
The film moves leisurely, but with rare charm and visual interest. Go to Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out 01/26/2006
Fiction and documentary footage rub shoulders uneasily, but the latter (shot by Flaherty in India) is vividly watchable. Go to Full Review Meyer Levin (Patterson Murphy) Esquire Magazine 05/05/2020
...as in all Flaherty films, the camera becomes so intimate as to reveal the very soul of the subject. If elephants have souls, they're in that film. Go to Full Review Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine 10/03/2019
Oone of those rare pictures that are made to please everybody, and actually succeed in doing it. Go to Full Review MFB Critics Monthly Film Bulletin 02/22/2017
Those who know Flaherty's previous work will not be disappointed in his work in this film and the film must be seen for it in spite of the additions and contortions. Go to Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com 06/21/2008
4/5
Robert Flaherty's craftsmanship shows in one of his best Hollywood features. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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10/22/2014 A highly entertaining if somewhat dated film from the late 30's, it marks the film debut of Sabu who would later go on to play in some fantastic films like The Thief of Bagdad. The film is pretty straight forward, but it's a heartwarming story with solid acting and beautiful cinematography. See more 09/02/2013 PG film which teaches lesson of humility. See more 08/04/2012 I think this is Sabu's first movie. A pretty good tale about a boy and his elephant. The wildlife footage is amazing and the inserted storyline isn't terribly hokey. Based on a Kipling story unread by me. See more 01/14/2012 Korda production with Zoltan handling the studio/location work with jungle imagery by Robert Flaherty interspersed. It's an interesting mix, especially the hordes of elephants Flaherty photographs, and 11-year-old Sabu, in his first movie, is charming and effective as the mascot of the colonialist hunting story. See more 11/18/2011 sabu shines in this adaption of kipling's tale. See more 11/04/2011 Very dated, but kind of charming in its own way. See more Read all reviews
Elephant Boy

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Cast & Crew

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Robert Flaherty

Director

Zoltan Korda

Director

Sabu

Toomai

Walter Hudd

Petersen

Allan Jeayes

Machua Appa

W.E. Holloway

Father

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Elephant Boy

Elephant Boy (1937) Elephant Boy (1937) Elephant Boy (1937) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Young animal-lover Toomai (Sabu) faces a life of impoverished orphanhood after a vicious tiger mauls his father (W.E. Holloway). Toomai finds comfort and friendship in the family's prized elephant, the gentle Kala Nag. But when Kala Nag attacks an abusive trainer in self-defense, the village decides the elephant must die. Toomai plots a daring rescue and sets off on thrilling adventure through the jungles of India, in the hope of finding a mysterious and elusive herd of elephants.
Director
Robert Flaherty, Zoltan Korda
Production Co
London Film Productions
Genre
Adventure, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 5, 1937, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 15, 2016
Runtime
1h 20m
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