"ELEPHANT BOY"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23299, 17 September 1937, Page 7

"ELEPHANT BOY"

ROBERT FLAHERTY PRODUCTION When Robert Flaherty, 60-year-old world traveller and motion picture director, set' out for India to make "Elephant Boy," from Kipling's "Toomai of the Elephants,", it was expected that he would be gone for a considerably long time. When he had been there 15 months his cables indicated that he was getting warmed to his task. "Elephant Boy" will be shown at the Regent Theatre to-day. In the making of "Nanook of the North," Flaherty spent two years with the Eskimos, within the Arctic Circle. He was two years among the Polynesians—in idyllic surrpundings that gave more justification for his stay—to make "Moana of the South Seas." He took two years to make his picture of the Aran Islanders. From this it is evident that Flaherty is the sort of traveller who likes tp linger at a place that captures his fancy, who wants to wander about and get acquainted. And India, as producer Alexander Korda knew in advance, captivated him completely. In addition to the finding of Kala Nag. " biggest elephant in the world," Flaherty cabled gleefully'that the boy who plays Toomai was absolutely perfect, "with a smile like a sunrise.*' He is Sabu, 13-year-old Indian lad, descended from a long line of maharajah's mahouts. He has apparently inherited all the family genius with elephants, handling them like an oldexperienced mahout. The highlight of the picture may prove to be the discovery by Flaherty of one of the largest herds of wild elephants ever seen in the jungles around Mysore. To herd these great beasts into the stockade it was necessary to spread a circle of seven miles and a-half, and to employ a thousand beaters. The stockade itselfutilising 10,000 pieces of timber and nine tons of rope, was built strong enough to withstand the shock of a charging locomotive. " Elephant Boy " will be released through United Artists.