Saturday, June 4, 2011

Orson Welles in Rikki Tikki Tavi (1975)

Obscurity factor: 4

In this Rudyard Kipling story from The Jungle Books we meet Rikki, a mongoose displaced by a flood. He is delivered by the flood waters to the garden of an English family who take him in, dry him off and feed him. Rikki decides to stay with the family and while exploring the grounds learns that the garden is inhabited by cobras. He knows that a battle for ascendancy is inevitable. Will he be able to protect the family and himself from the deadly snakes bite?

This short film was adapted and produced by the legendary Chuck Jones and is a favorite of many who saw it as children and generally considered a good adaptation of the Kipling story. It's narrated by Orson Welles, who also plays several parts. It's available on DVD and can be seen in full on YouTube - part one is above, uploaded by cb82fan.

Obscurity factor: 4 (known to Jones fans, available on DVD, remembered fondly by those who have seen it)

4 comments:

  1. I hadn't thought about this in YEARS. It was popular in the 70s, for sure.

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  2. I use this film every year when I teach the story. Excellent adaption!

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