An Elephant Called Slowly
Encyclopedia
An Elephant Called Slowly (1969
) is a Morning Star Productions Ltd. feature film
starring Bill Travers
and Virginia McKenna
as themselves in a story about the couple's real-life adventures with three young African elephant
s while house-sitting in Kenya
. George Adamson
(of Born Free
), makes an appearance as himself. The soundtrack features several well-known musical numbers by Bert Kaempfert
. The film was written by Travers and director James Hill
, and has been released to VHS and DVD.
, they are met by Mr. Mophagee (Vinay Inambar) who has arranged transport for the couple - a rusty wreck of a jeep which becomes something of a character in the film. After buying food supplies in a local market, the couple traverse a wilderness populated by a variety of wildlife—wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, ostrich, and crocodile—to their friend's house 150 miles distant from Nairobi. There, they cope with the house's primitive amenities including a kitchen in a truck.
One morning, the couple rise to find three young elephants lumbering about the grounds and wreaking havoc "like juvenile delinquents". The couple name the two largest elephants Kadengi and Eleanor, and the smallest one pole pole (Swahili
for "Slowly Slowly"). The couple visit Game Wardens George Adamson
and Charles Mutiso (Ali Twaha) who suggest the couple have been "adopted" by the three elephants and recommend they make friends. At home, pole pole has moved in and made herself comfortable; the couple create a wallow on the grounds for her, travel to the river for a swim, and take evening walks with her. When their house-sitting duty comes to a close, Travers and McKenna are confident the three elephants will join a herd in the vicinity. Cast includes Joab Collins as Henry, and Raffles Harman.
:
Additional music was composed and conducted by Howard Blake
.
. Frail and even rambling in structure, the picture edges purposefully into the wilds for some magnificently authentic animal footage...The only jolt, handled discreetly, is the sight of some jungle wild dogs finishing off a gazelle."
1969 in film
The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
) is a Morning Star Productions Ltd. feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
starring Bill Travers
Bill Travers
William Lindon-Travers was an English actor, screenwriter, director and an animal rights activist, known professionally as Bill Travers.-Life and career:...
and Virginia McKenna
Virginia McKenna
Virginia A. McKenna OBE is a British stage and screen actress, author and wildlife campaigner.-Early career:McKenna trained as an actress at the Central School of Speech and Drama then worked on stage in London's West End theatres before making her motion picture debut in 1952...
as themselves in a story about the couple's real-life adventures with three young African elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s while house-sitting in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. George Adamson
George Adamson
George Adamson , also known as the "Baba ya Simba" , was a British wildlife conservationist and author...
(of Born Free
Born Free
Born Free is a 1966 British drama film starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, a real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her into the wilds of Kenya. The movie was produced by Open Road Films Ltd. and Columbia...
), makes an appearance as himself. The soundtrack features several well-known musical numbers by Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" and "Spanish Eyes".-Biography:He was born in Hamburg, Germany - where he received his lifelong...
. The film was written by Travers and director James Hill
James Hill (British director)
James Hill was a British film and television director, screenwriter and producer whose career spanned 52 years between 1937–1989, best remembered for his documentaries and short subjects such as Giuseppina and The Home Made Car, and as director of the internationally acclaimed Born Free.Hill...
, and has been released to VHS and DVD.
Plot and cast
The film begins with Travers and McKenna leaving their home in England to caretake a house in Africa belonging to a friend scheduled for lengthy medical treatments in Switzerland. Arriving in NairobiNairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, they are met by Mr. Mophagee (Vinay Inambar) who has arranged transport for the couple - a rusty wreck of a jeep which becomes something of a character in the film. After buying food supplies in a local market, the couple traverse a wilderness populated by a variety of wildlife—wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, ostrich, and crocodile—to their friend's house 150 miles distant from Nairobi. There, they cope with the house's primitive amenities including a kitchen in a truck.
One morning, the couple rise to find three young elephants lumbering about the grounds and wreaking havoc "like juvenile delinquents". The couple name the two largest elephants Kadengi and Eleanor, and the smallest one pole pole (Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
for "Slowly Slowly"). The couple visit Game Wardens George Adamson
George Adamson
George Adamson , also known as the "Baba ya Simba" , was a British wildlife conservationist and author...
and Charles Mutiso (Ali Twaha) who suggest the couple have been "adopted" by the three elephants and recommend they make friends. At home, pole pole has moved in and made herself comfortable; the couple create a wallow on the grounds for her, travel to the river for a swim, and take evening walks with her. When their house-sitting duty comes to a close, Travers and McKenna are confident the three elephants will join a herd in the vicinity. Cast includes Joab Collins as Henry, and Raffles Harman.
Soundtrack
The film contains several instrumental numbers by Bert KaempfertBert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" and "Spanish Eyes".-Biography:He was born in Hamburg, Germany - where he received his lifelong...
:
- "A Swingin' SafariA Swingin' SafariA Swingin' Safari is an instrumental composed by Bert Kaempfert in 1962. It was recorded by Kaempfert on Polydor Records and released in the United States on Decca Records. It was also recorded by Billy Vaughn whose version became a bigger hit in the U.S. where it reached #13 on the Billboard...
" - "Market Day"
- "Afrikaan Beat"
- "Happy Trumpeter"
- "Tootie Flutie"
Additional music was composed and conducted by Howard Blake
Howard Blake
Howard Blake, OBE is an English composer , particularly noted for his film scores, although he is prolific in several fields of classical and light music...
.
Reception
Although Howard Thompson of the New York Times found the first half hour slow, he thought Travers and McKenna "personable", and approved the film for children writing, "It's ideal for the 4- to 11-year age bracket." The critic also noted, "the picture is a tame, dramatically uneventful affair, nowhere near as finished or forceful as Born FreeBorn Free
Born Free is a 1966 British drama film starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, a real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her into the wilds of Kenya. The movie was produced by Open Road Films Ltd. and Columbia...
. Frail and even rambling in structure, the picture edges purposefully into the wilds for some magnificently authentic animal footage...The only jolt, handled discreetly, is the sight of some jungle wild dogs finishing off a gazelle."