Eclipse Series 30: Sabu! (Elephant Boy, The Drum, Jungle Book) (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

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 the pretense and the artificiality, as long as it succeeds in creating an illusion and an atmosphere. (I especially enjoy the wrinkled backdrops of angry sky in FRANKENSTEIN, reminding us that it is all make believe.) The sets in JUNGLE BOOK are just amazing. I would love to see a breakdown of how they accomplished what they did. They do not create a real jungle but a fantasy jungle; a jungle of a child's imagining. More beautiful than any merely actual jungle could ever be, I will be freeze-framing this film for the rest of my life, just to look at that amazing scenery and try to figure out what is real tree and what is not, what is physical set and what is backdrop or painting on glass, or matte process. But for all the artificiality, they succeed in creating a jungle that you can almost smell. I really hope that Criterion's print is good enough to justify a blu-ray release sometime in the future. That would be somethin'. I haven't watched the other two films yet, but even if they are duds, I got my money's worth in JUNGLE BOOK.

I have been a Kipling fan since I learned to read, and a Sabu fan from childhood. I adore "The Jungle Book" and "Black Narcissus". But now, I have acquired Sabu's first two films, and watched them from the perspective of an old and perhaps over-educated retired professor, I have a very different take. "The Elephant Boy", which is an ideal boy's story, can offend some with the not quite well disguised homoeroticism of certain scenes, but worse,a basic plot--the capturing of wild elephants for perpetual servitude which, quite frankly, turned me off. "The Drum" made me sit up and stare at the screen. Here, in glorious technicolor and Raymond Massey playing an evil Arab, I found none other than the urground for the current political situation in Irak, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan. And even the beginnings of ISIL. "The Jungle Book" keeps its everlasting spell on my affections. The restoration is just what one wishes for, the set is impeccable, and I will treasure it.

The first time I saw sabu was in "The Thief of Baghdad" and I directly became curious to watch other movies starring this little actor. Later I purchased "The Jungle Book" and I was impressed by the story, by the effects and by sabu's acting, but the problem was in the DVD transfer which was extremely poor. Now having criterion releasing "Jungle Book" I guarantee that it will be highly restored just like other criterion DVDs. The coolest thing about this collection "SABU COLLECTION" is that it contain other two rare-movies starring sabu that are "Elephant Boy" and "The Drum".Waiting on pins and needles for the release of this collection!

At last! A copy of 'The Jungle Book' which goes a very long way towards preserving the brilliant three strip Technicolor of an excellent film version of the Kipling story. 'The Drum' and 'Elephant Boy' are also included in the set, which is a fine tribute to a once very popular young actor who was lost to film making when he joined the army during the Second World War.

The three films contained in this set of Sabu are all fascinating with the Technicolor transfer of JUNGLE BOOK being by far the best one available for this title. ELEPHANT BOY comes from worn material with the sound tending to be a bit distorted in loud parts. The film itself is Sabu's first and is a cross between being documentary of the elephant world and a dramatic film of a very young Sabu's interaction with the elephants. THE DRUM (DRUMS) is a Technicolor adventure film is likely the worst transfer ever put out on the Criterion label. I don't regret by purchase as I found a used set and I really wanter a decent copy of the 1942 JUNGLE BOOK but I would have been displeased at paying full price for the set.

I bought this for "Elephant Boy", which is an excellent interpretation of Kipling's "Toomai of the Elephants". I hadn't seen it in sixty years, but was very impressed, especially by Sabu and his mastery of the elephant. The sequences of Sabu and Kala Nag working are the most impressive photography of elephants I've ever seen. The story was very well-adapted, and lovingly photographed.

I just wanted to add that if you are an "old" movie fan, the print of "The Drum" isn't half as bad as several reviewers make it sound. It is part of the Eclipse series, not a Criterion. Plus Roger Livesy's performance should make up for any shortcomings of the print quality.

These three movies are the best copies that I have come across so far. As for the movie "The Drum" I have had FAR WORSE COPIESTHAN THIS ONE IN THIS SET.

This three DVD set features three out of four of Sabu's first films,his debut piece Elephant Boy(released April/37),The Drum(released April/38)and The Jungle Book(released April/42).The fourth film was done between The Drum and The Jungle Book,and that was his classic Thief of Bagdad,which is available on Criterion separately.Sabu's natural charm shines through each and every frame of these films.A poor orphan boy in real life,an elephant drivers son in fact,plucked from obscurity and made a star by director Korda.Amazing.The Elephant Boy,starring,among others, Sabu,W.E. Holloway and Walter Hudd, has Sabu opening the picture giving a monologue and setting up the story for us.It concerns Sabu's rise from a wanna be hunter,mocked by fellow elephant drivers,to a full fledged leader in his own right.His father's elephant is picked to join a hunt for wild elephants.During that time his father is killed by a tiger.Another driver takes over the charge of Sabu's elephant but treats it cruelly and is injured by it when it goes on a rampage.Fearing that they will kill the elephant Sabu flees with it.The two inadvertently find a huge wandering herd of elephants and when the rest catch up in short course, they have what they came after and Sabu is celebrated as a master elephant driver.The film is shot in black and white and is clear and crisp.The film isn't perfect,as it does show its age,but it is a decent print,provided by the BFI.The shooting in India is impeccable and gives the film,along with it's new little star,an air of authenticity.4 stars.The Drum,which stars,among others,Sabu ,Raymond Massey,Roger Livesey and Valerie Hobson, finds Sabu as the son of a local maharajah in the northwestern part of India.His bad uncle(Massey)is power hungry and wants the British gone so he can rule.He kills his brother,which leaves Sabu an orphan.However just before his death Sabu's father had signed a treaty with the British which involved mutual cooperation and protection.Sabu becomes quick friends with the local British colonel and his wife.When he gets word of an upcoming plot to massacre the British during a visit to see his uncle,Sabu tips them off.A total massacre is averted.His uncle is killed and Sabu is instilled as the rightful heir to the throne.Sabu's charm once more carries the film through.In fact if it had been done by some one else the impact would have not been nearly as powerful.This film is in colour, but does need a remastering/new print struck,as it shows its age.However despite that it is generally clear.4 stars.Finally we have The Jungle Book,which stars,among others,Sabu,Joseph Calleia,John Qualen and Frank Puglia.This film finds Sabu raised as a young child by wolves.One day he happens upon the same village from where he came from.While snooping around he is surrounded by the people there and his real mother,takes him in.Over time he becomes reacquainted with civilization but never really feels totally comfortable there.His heart always belongs to the jungle and its creatures.One day Sabu stumbles upon old ruins with the daughter of one of the villagers, and finds a treasure there.One piece of gold taken by the girl and discovered by the girl's father,sets off a greedy treasure hunt by three men.They find the gold but only the girl's father returns alive,with no treasure to show for his travail.Blaming Sabu he sets the forest on fire and Sabu rescues as many of the animals he can find,while saving the villagers also.In the end he decides to return to the jungle and resume his life there.An utterly charming tale told very well,this film is as good as The Thief of Bagdad.It was filmed in colour and is a print from the BFI also.It is clear and crisp,and while showing its age,it is the best looking of the three.5 stars.What can be said of this collection,is that it is a FAMILY oriented collection.That is it is as well suited for the older crowd as much as it is for the younger.The location shooting will amaze the adults,while all the wild animals and their antics will stir the small fry`s imaginations.The plots will please everyone.Unavailable for years,and in terrible prints,while they are not perfection the films are generally in decent condition and should please most viewers.There are no extras but informative liners notes with each disc,which is in its own slim case.It is great to see Sabu back in action once more and I hope his ineffable charm will captivate a newer generation as it did me so many,many years ago.

Sabu times three! Three great films, one great package, how could you go wrong.

Upon reading many of the reviews on Amazon.com of the DVDs in this set -- Elephant Boy (1937), The Drum (1938), and Jungle Book (1942), you would think that, except for Jungle Book, these were weak or even poor prints of the films. Indeed, so negative were some reviewers about the condition of the first two films, especially The Drum, I considered not buying the set. However, I'm happy to report that the prints in this set are not nearly as bad as some have stated.Just to be clear where I am coming from, I indicate that I watched these films on a traditional square picture-tube TV. The screen on my TV is very large and the TV picture and sound are good, making most DVD-watching experiences very enjoyable. My experience with these DVDs was no exception.The picture on Elephant Boy, in black and white, is quite good. No special restoration was done, but I noticed no obvious skips, jumps, tears, blotches, etc. There might be a few sparkles here and there, but whatever was there, I hardly noticed. The sound was also good, for the most part. Occasionally the voices of characters drop off, or Sabu's accent obscures a word, but normally you can hear everything, or tell what is being said from context. Sure, I would have liked a beautifully restored version of the film, but this one was perfectly adequate to enjoy the film without distraction.The print of The Drum seems to offend a number of reviewers. They say it has all kinds of flaws and that the colour is washed-out. I did not notice the other alleged flaws, but it is true that the colour is not nearly as vivid as the colour in Jungle Book. No doubt this has to do with fading of the original elements. Without expensive restoration efforts, such as were done for the film My Fair Lady, it is impossible to get the colour back to its original vividness, and presumably Criterion/Eclipse thought the market for this film was too small to invest such money in restoration. Still, the colour in The Drum was adequate for me, and it could be argued that the subject-matter of the film, plus the geographical settings (mountains and fortresses and marching armies and so on) makes the less loud and bright shades appropriate. The sound was mostly very good as well.Jungle Book was beautiful in both picture and sound. The colours were lush, by which I mean *Adventures of Robin Hood* lush. This film was shot in California and therefore the Technicolor has that California brightness that one doesn't always see in British Technicolor films of the period (Britain getting less sunlight than California, the hues are less dazzling). The film is a feast for the eyes.I had never watched any of these films before buying this DVD set. There were thus a revelation to me. All three films have delightful stories. You feel better, more human, more kind, more sympathetic with other living beings (including animals), after watching them. Elephant Boy, on paper, sounds like dull semi-documentary about an elephant round-up in India, but it's a warm and human story of a young boy and his dreams. The Drum, featuring one of my favourite British actors, Roger Livesey (a recent discovery for me, through his marvellous Powell and Pressburger films), is a good story of political intrigue in India in the days of British rule. The cross-racial, cross-national friendship between Sabu's prince and his British allies is nicely expressed. Jungle Book explores the theme of the violence of man versus the violence of the beasts, and teaches us that often enough the violence of man, compared with the violence of the beasts, is unnecessary and cruel. It also has an interesting plot, where Sabu plays a sort of Indian version of Tarzan (raised by wolves rather than apes) who finds he eventually has to choose between the two worlds, the world of his birth (the world of man) and the world of his upbringing (the world of the jungle). A lost civilization, with its treasure-trove of fabulous wealth, figures into the story, and we get to see some good character actors (Joseph Calleia, in one of his best roles, plus Frank Puglia -- seemingly rehearsing for his brilliant turn as a villain in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves -- and B.C.-born John Qualen). A charming young actress, Patricia O'Rourke, appears as a sort of adolescent (and innocent) love-interest for Sabu; she has great naturalness and screen presence, but for some reason never appeared in another film.I got this collection, brand new and sealed, for just a bit over $40 plus tax from an Amazon.ca affiliate, and I don't regret the expenditure one bit. Sure, it would have been good to have some special audio/video features in the collection, but it was designed to be a low-budget item. It does have English subtitles available on at least 2 of the 3 films (I didn't stumble on them until after I had finished Elephant Boy, but I'm guessing that film has available subtitles as well), but no other language options are available. However, the inside of the DVD case for each film has a mini-essay on each film with information about the production and about the career of Sabu, the star of the three films.This is definitely a 4-star product. I would give it 5 if there had been commentaries or other special features. If you like jungle films, if you like 30s/40s adventure films, if you like Korda films, if you liked Sabu in Thief of Bagdad or Arabian Nights -- treat yourself to this collection.

Great addition to collections of this genre and a definite must have for avid Sabu fans.