Tuesday, April 12, 2016

The Jungle Book

Batemans 002.jpg  Bateman's (image from Wikipedia)

"The Jungle Book" movie will be released this Friday, April 15th.   So, Rudyard Kipling, born in India to British parents wrote these stories based in India...but he wrote them in America!  Say what?  Yes, it's true.  Rudyard Kipling married an American, you see, and he was living in Vermont at the time.  Sad to say, he had a falling out with his brother-in-law so the Kiplings returned to England.   He lived in Sussex along the coast but this proved to be difficult for him as his popularity increased so did the crowds who clamored to meet him.  Happily, he found a house further inland, in the Sussex countryside- Bateman's in Burwash and lived there for the rest of his life.

Bateman's is well worth a visit, as is the village of Burwash.  The views of the Downs are lovely and the food at The Bear Inn is very good also!



(Not suggesting that they eat cats in Burwash...this cat plopped himself in front of us as Richard was taking this photo!)




I hope that the new film will be good, the trailer looks very promising.  I can't help but think of the Disney version though, I always did like that song...you know the one..."I wanna be like you-who...I wanna walk like you, talk like you..."  you know, the one!
Hey, in case you don't know it,  I have it here for you!
Songwriters! You know how much I admire them! This song was written by the Sherman brothers, Robert and Richard.  I was pleased to see Richard Sherman in the audience this week on the TV show, "Dancing With The Stars".   (They were dancing to his song from Mary Poppins, "Just A Spoon Full of Sugar".) Hats off to all the songwriters who have brought such joy to my life! 

42 comments:

  1. I'm looking forward to the new CGI "Jungle Book" too!

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    1. Did you click on the song? You will be singing it all day! LOL.

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  2. I am going to see it when it comes. I am expecting to be disappointed by Christopher Walken singing I Wannna Be Like You. Even if he was known for his singing I cannot imagine anyone but Louis Prima doing it.

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    1. I know, so after you see the movie, come back here and listen to the clip!

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  3. Not sure I am going to watch the new Jungle Book movie. I did love the Disney one, and I must say the songs were adapted very, very well for the German audience - great singers and writers! The one sung by Balu the bear is my favourite.
    Lovely company you had at the pub :-)

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    1. Yes, that cat was begging for attention!
      And I do hope to see the movie, I always have such high hopes for films!

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  4. The movie does sound and look quite exciting. I shall be looking forward to seeing it too.

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    1. Aloha, Kay! I want to be like you who!!! HA, I have the same name already! :-)

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  5. Isn't Dancing with the Stars lovely? Monday is just never a good day except for that. :) Love that video!

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    1. i LOVED that Richard Sherman was in the audience! And I really liked that episode, the young man at the beginning dancing like a prince, magical!

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  6. I am actually very excited to see it...I hope it lives up to my childhood memories :) Greetings from Germany

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    1. Oh, lovely to see your comment here! It will be shown in German, right? You must be speaking great German by now!

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  7. I bought the Disney version of this movie when my grandchildren were young and my hubby loves it too!

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    1. The BEST children's movies are good for adults too! Like TOY STORY, one of my faves!

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  8. The Jungle Book has a lot of meaning in Scouting and I learned more about the story when my boys were in Cub Scouts. It's a wonderful story in itself let alone the movie. Hope the new one is a good one.

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    1. Yes! Let me know if you see it and what you think!

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  9. Mostly new information about Kipling to me. I'm also hoping the new film will be as good as the old one but re-makes have a habit of being good to look yet too often lacking the warmth and magic of the original. Fingers crossed it's a winner.
    There is a difficult rock climb in the Lake District called Kipling Groove. So named because it's "Ruddy 'ard."

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    1. "Ruddy 'ard"...that's funny and I bet it is accurate!
      Maybe this will also make people look more at the earlier version and appreciate it more. It is a sad fact that people have to be jolted into paying attention!

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  10. The Jungle Book was the best Disney film.

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    1. OH, but there are so many! Snow White is one my favorites and Lion King and Beauty and The Beast...you get the idea.

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  11. When Walt Disney pitched doing The Jungle Book to his animators, they were a bit taken aback, as the original stories tend to be very somber and dark. He told them they were going to have fun with the stories and lighten up the whole thing. He never lived to see it completed, his years of smoking had caught up with him, so they dedicated the movie to his memory.

    Kipling was a magician with words, i've enjoyed everything i've read of his, and i've wondered what he would have thought of Disney's adaptation.

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    1. I love Walt Disney. I need to do a post about him!
      I also love Rudyard Kipling, I didn't mention how much I liked his writing. I need to do a proper post on him too!

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  12. I've seen the previews and the movie does look promising!

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    1. Let me know if you see it and what you think!

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  13. Had no idea he had been married to an American or that he lived here. The trailer for the movie does look good.

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    1. Well, honey, keep reading my blog...if there is a link from America to England, I will find it! :-)

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  14. My sister in Australia has already seen the movie, Kay...(with her two boys, 12 & 8) and pronounced it absolutely magical and just as good...if not better...than the Disney version! Incidentally, you can actually STAY in Rudyard & Carrie Kipling's Vermont home...it can be rented through www.landmarktrustusa.org ...and even if you can't stretch to the rental, you can find out lots more about it there and see photos!

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    1. Oh Rachel, thank you very much for telling me this! Absolutely magical, I love that description!!
      I would dearly love to see Vermont, I have never been there but I do hope to see it one day!

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  15. I have never been to Batemans but it is on my list of things to do. Kipling had in some ways a sad life, but seems to have been a strong man. I love the music from the DIsney Jungle Book. I'm not sure I will see the new one. It sounds a bit super realistic for me - after all, it IS completely made up and couldn't be true! :)

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    1. Oh, you must go! We have been when the daffodils were blooming and it was gorgeous! (I think I love the land around it more than the house itself.)
      I will like to see the new one, not forgetting my love of the older version, of course!

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  16. Always good to see another Burwash travelogue from you Kay. Hope to show you around again sometime soon.

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    1. Hello Dave!
      Hoping you would see this post! THANK YOU for taking us around Burwash when we have been there. Have a drink and a meal at The Bear Inn for me, will you? Say hey to Theo, Meghan and Nick...you know, the one who corrected me saying "DAWG"!! :-)

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  17. What's my cat doing in Burwash? She sure gets around. I didn't realise the movie was coming out this Friday. I heard they were making a new Jungle Book. I hope it's a good one or, at least, can stand on the same level as the Disney one which is still a classic.

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    1. Hey Mark, Maybe your cat is so smart and knows how to catch a train? Cats are like that, you never know what they will do!
      Jungle Book comes out in the USA on April 15th, not sure the dates for the rest of the world, but look out for it!

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  18. Lovely photos of the English countryside. I think we might go to see the new Jungle Book, if only because HB was a cub-scout leader when our boys were small, and known as Baloo. I think he'd enjoy hearing Bill Murray voice the part :)

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    1. Love that English countryside!
      Bill Murray was good in this part, surprisingly so!

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  19. Oh Kay, Sophie and I saw the movie yesterday. While it was beautiful and wonderful and well made, I missed the music. That was always my favorite part of the movie. Still, I enjoyed it immensely, especially on the big screen. We'll probably see it again before it leaves the theater!

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    1. I also enjoyed the movie (I saw it on my birthday!) but felt it was a bit dark, it is not a film for very young children, in my opinion. I missed the music! I knew that I would, that is why I have this clip on my post! I loved the ending, where it showed the Jungle Book as a book and the characters coming out of the book, it was my favorite part! (I am such a film critic!) I did like it but it was not as enjoyable to me as say "Toy Story" or "Paddington Bear".
      Did you see it in 3D? We didn't, that hurts my eyes!

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  20. I didn't know about the film and, wait for it, I've never seen The Jungle Book.

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    1. I hope you watched this clip of "I Wanna Be Like You"! I think it is a masterpiece! I have a great fondness for well made films and this is one of them.
      Hope you are doing well, Graham! Take care of yourself.

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