Great Britain

This touching story of a boy and an elephant is based on a tale written by Rudyard Kipling called "Toomai of the Elephants." The film has a dual appeal in the charm of its simple narrative, and outstanding Indian location scenes including natural elephant behaviour shot by American documentary director, Robert Flaherty. It also marked the debut of Sabu, who had just been "discovered" working as a stable boy and whose performance contributed much to the film's success and endeared him to audiences around the world. He stayed with Alexander Korda and subsequently became one of his star attractions in the late Thirties. Both Alexander Korda and Robert Flaherty were among the best-known and most respected men in their own relative fields and their collaboration together has resulted in the imaginative, evocative world of Kipling being superbly transferred onto the wide screen. Breathtaking shots of wild elephants in their natural surroundings as well as other scenes depicting India's rich and luxurious wildlife have been captured on film and incorporated into the story (all together 55 hours of footage were taken on location in India). "Elephant Boy" received the "Best Direction" award at the 1937 Venice Film Festival.