Kipling classic loses jungle touch in remake<\/p>\n
By Dini S. Djalal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In Disney's 1995 reworking of Rudyard Kipling's
\nThe Jungle Book, the film's childlike hero Mowgli puts forward
\nthe question: \"What is hate?\" To which followed much \"deep\"
\nphilosophizing amongst the audience about the so-called civilized
\nworld's wicked ways.<\/p>\n
All I could think of was: where's all the song and dance gone?
\nWhat happened to those great tunes Baloo and Mowgli crooned
\ntogether in the cartoon version? And why is Mowgli no longer a
\nskinny little runt but, instead, has grown into a contender for
\nthe Mr. Universe title?<\/p>\n
Wild Kingdom<\/p>\n
Unlike of most of its fans, who grew up singing Just the Bare
\nNecessities, I discovered The Jungle Book in college, and only in
\nits 1967 animated movie version. But the wide-eyed innocence of
\nMowgli, the huggable bulk of Baloo the bear, even the slithery
\ncharm of Kaa the snake, immediately became like old friends. As
\nin most Disney films, the animals spoke like humans, and behaved
\nmore humanly than many of us.<\/p>\n
During the planning of the new version, the film's producers
\ndecided that the animals speaking like humans would be too easy.<\/p>\n
\"It was an enormous challenge to write animal scenes without
\nthe simplicity with which all the animals in the Jungle Book
\nstories talk to one another,\" said screenwriter Ronald Yanover.
\nInstead the film crew hired more than 50 trained animals to roll
\naround and act cute in front of the camera. It is as amusing as
\nwatching the circus or Wild Kingdom -- if you go for that sort of
\nthing.<\/p>\n
Perhaps this is merely the voice of a Kipling-illiterate, with
\nno pets. Producer Raju Patel hopes the film will further the
\ncause of environmentalists, but a Hollywood-trained domesticated
\nbear, able to do the waltz, seems an inappropriate mascot for the
\nGreen movement.<\/p>\n
Director Stephen Sommers further contends that \"We stayed as
\nclose to the book as we possibly could.\" Yet Kipling's
\ncolonialist mentality never appealed to me, so I am neither
\nfamiliar with his jingoistic novel Kim or the collection of short
\nstories which came to be known as The Jungle Book. The many new
\nversions of The Jungle Book, available in dozens of languages,
\nnow spotlight the animal characters and sidesteps Kipling's heavy
\nmoral preaching.<\/p>\n
The film does not. Here the animals are little more than
\nscenery -- the shaggy mutts in formula Hollywood films get more
\nscreen time. Instead the film centers upon the bland human
\ncharacters -- Mowgli, his object of affection Kitty, and her evil
\nsuitor Captain Boone -- and the parallels between the savagery of
\nthe jungle and civilization.<\/p>\n
The story is similar to Tarzan or The Blue Lagoon, except
\nwithout a half-naked Jane or Brooke Shields. Mowgli, a young
\nIndian boy, and Kitty, the daughter of British military man Major
\nBrydon (stern Sam Neill of Jurassic Park), become friends in
\ncolonial India. Their playful childhood is interrupted when,
\nduring a riot, Mowgli is carried off into the jungle by a wayward
\ncarriage. Hence Mowgli grows up in the jungle, living amongst the
\nanimals and behaving as they do. When he and Kitty accidentally
\nmeet again, they are both young adults. The difference is that
\nMowgli can no longer speak her language.<\/p>\n
So Kitty, with the help of Dr. Plumford (played with typical
\nwit by John Cleese), re-introduces Mowgli to civilization, and
\nMowgli relearns the English language quicker than a circus tiger
\nlearning to jump through fire hoops. Along the way, the seeds of
\nlove between the hunky Mowgli (Jason Scott-Lee from Dragon: the
\nBruce Lee Story) and the vivacious Kitty (Lena Headley from
\nRemains of the Day) are sown all over the alphabet table, causing
\ngreat distress to Kitty's father and the persistent Captain Boone
\n(Cary Elwes of The Princess Bride).<\/p>\n
Isn't it just like Hollywood to turn a perfectly innocent tale
\nof bear & boy camaraderie into a sizzling menage a trois?<\/p>\n
But a love story alone cannot carry a multi-million dollar
\nepic. Suspense! Action! Adventure! That's what brings in big
\nbucks. In Indiana-Jones style, The Jungle Book cast embarks on a
\ntreasure hunt involving all sorts of mayhem -- falling down
\nwaterfalls, crawling through rat-infested dungeons, wrestling
\nwith pythons.<\/p>\n
But whereas Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones faced grave danger,
\nwith a twitch-in-the-eye trepidation and unfailing humor, Mowgli
\njust flexes his rippling muscles and treads on fearlessly. Jason
\nScott-Lee is an excellent actor in a hopeless role. We feel
\nsympathy for Mowgli, but not because his big brown eyes grow
\nmisty at the thought of a married Kitty. Rather because he has to
\nutter inane dialogue, engage in gratuitous slapstick, and prance
\nhalf-naked in a loin-cloth throughout the film.<\/p>\n
Director Sommers said that he, \"took all the animals in the
\nbook and gave them human counterparts\" in the film. So, Cleese's
\nbumbling Dr. Plumford is Baloo, Neill's Brydon is the pompous
\nelephant, and Elwes' sinister Captain Boone is Kaa the snake.
\nPerhaps this explains why the characters seem like one-
\ndimensional caricatures. As the adventuress Kitty, Headley stands
\nout as a breathless English rose, breaking out of convention.
\nUltimately she plays a damsel in distress, but she breathes vigor
\nand individuality into her performance.<\/p>\n
If one is not familiar with previous versions of The Jungle
\nBook, the film offers great family entertainment. It's got
\naction-adventure, great-looking actors, some funny lines, and
\nlots of cute animals -- like an Indiana Jones film produced by
\nthe National Geographic Society. And lest we forget, it's got
\ngreat moral messages. A) Greed kills, and b) animals are our
\nfriends! Sunday Matinees are a great way to indoctrinate
\npreteens into campaigning for the World Wildlife Fund. If the
\nannoyingly loud and sweeping music (written by the same composer
\nof other over-the-top soundtracks, Robocop and Conan the
\nDestroyer) can be muted out, I may even rent The Jungle Book one
\nday on laser disc. Only if the 1967 cartoon version is not
\navailable.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kipling-classic-loses-jungle-touch-in-remake-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}