WOW - What a treat for adventure fans!
I simply cannot say enough good things about these three Sabu films and I expect Criterion's prints will be top-notch.
"The Elephant Boy" is his black and white debut, and while it involves heavy use of stock wild-life footage the frames themselves are rare indeed as they feature dramatic shots of elephants in their natural setting - very unusual for an early 1930s film. Sabu's accent is a little difficult to understand at times, but his winning smile and personality shine through. And wait til you witness the stampede of the films finale!
"The Drum" is a full color epic Indian frontier action/drama that has been sorely overlooked and not in commercial print since the 1990s. A young Sabu is the child prince of a remote area not under British rule whose father's kingship is coveted by his chief advisor. When Sabu meets a British army drummer-boy he makes a friend who will aid him in his time of greatest need as he struggles for his kingdom and life. An absolutley...
Great films, but only two out of three look terrific
Alexander Korda has produced numerous quality films under his London Films umbrella, the highlights being "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933), his first international success, "The Four Feathers" (1939), probably his greatest film and one of the all-time greats, and "Thief of Baghdad" (1940), arguably the best fantasy film ever made.
In this Criterion Collection Eclipse Series #30 are three films starring Sabu (who was also featured in "Thief of Baghdad"): "Elephant Boy" (1936), "The Drum" (1938), and "The Jungle Book" (1942).
"Elephant Boy" is a black-and-white semi-documentary, co-directed by Zoltan Korda and Robert ("Nanook of the North") Flaherty, and this crisp print handsomely preserves the introduction of Sabu, the first Indian film actor to gain international fame, here but a child of twelve, and filmed in his native land (albeit in English).
"The Drum" is the disappointment of this collection. As a film, it is the best of the three,...
WOW
I recieved my Sabu dvds today and have just finished watching JUNGLE BOOK. I've gotta say, WOW! I hadn't seen the film in 35 years. I remembered it being a good film, But obviously I saw only a muddy, dull print of it, like we all have, because that is all that was available until now. Gods bless Criterion for bringing us a clear, brilliant print because it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The colors are a revelation. The sets are just plain beautiful. And Sabu gives a stunning performance; far better than his more famous role in THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD.
I wasn't going to go into detail here because it is late as I write, but I have to say a word about the sets. Sets and backlots and soundstages are part of what I love about classic films. I don't need the sets to be realistic and fool me into thinking that the actors are in a real place. All I need from sets is that they be well made and beautiful. In fact I like sets that are obviously sets. I enjoy...
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