LITTLE JUNGLE BOY

Australia, 1969, 78 minutes, Colour.
Lesley Berryman, Willy Fennel, Mike Dorsey, Noel Ferrier, Michael Pate.
Directed by Mende Brown.

Little Jungle Boy is a short, rarely seen children's feature. It was made in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia by American director Mende Brown. The film appears sometimes on television screenings. The film has echoes of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. The main character, the little boy from the jungle, is made to look and do things like Kipling's Mowgli. He appears from the bush, has to adapt to civilisation in many ways, has a relationship with a tame elephant. There is background about the way of life in Malaysia and Singapore, there are villains and discussions about animals and the jungle. There are quite a number of adults - and critics have said the film is too preoccupied with the adults' dialogue and interests. Some of these character sketches are contributed by the. Australian cast, especially Noel Ferrier as a pompous sounding and unlikely missionary. There is also a courting couple and a doctor. The film is colourful in its way, incorporates a lot of material familiar for children's films, especially audience identification with the little boy and his adventures. However, it is not particularly well done and is a curio interest for the development of the Australian film industry, especially in its relationship with American production. Mende Brown also made a children's film called Strange Holiday about children lost in the bush.