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Ele, My Friend

Ele, My Friend
Poster
Directed byDharan Mandrayar
Written byDharan Mandrayar
Produced byDharan Mandrayar
StarringJacob Paul Guzman
Ganesh
CinematographyArnie Sirlin
Edited byB. Lenin
V. T. Vijayan
Music byBarry Phillips
Production
company
Dharlin Entertainment
Release date
  • 1992 (1992)
Running time
90 minutes
CountriesIndia
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Ele, My Friend is a 1992 English-language children's film directed by Dharan Mandrayar and produced by Linda Mandrayar. The film stars Jacob Paul Guzman and an elephant named Ganesh.[1] The film, an Indo-British co-production, revolves around a bond between a 10-year old named Charles and an elephant, which he names Ele.[2][3] The film is set in 1924.[4]

Cast

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  • Jacob Paul Guzman as Charles
  • Ganesh as Ele
  • Gazan Khan as Jaggu
  • R. S. Shivaji as Ahmed
  • Terry Nichelson as Charles Sr.
  • Queen as Ele's mother
  • Katherine Byers as Mary
  • Santhana Bharathi as Kallar Village Chief
  • Amjad Khan as Omar (special appearance)
  • Prabhu (special appearance)

Production

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Dharan Mandrayar, a nephew of actor Sivaji Ganesan, studied in India and later in the United States. He forayed into films after being encouraged by his wife, Linda.[5] The film was shot in South India and was produced by Dharan and Linda Mandrayar's Dharlin Entertainment.[6][7] Filming began on 3 February 1992,[7] and trained elephants had to be brought into the wildlife refuge in trailers.[4] Mandrayar had Ele hover his foot above him to convince the film crew that the elephant could be trusted.[4] While filming, a bull (male) elephant charged the sets and the crew and trained elephants ran to safety.[4] The scene where Ele falls into a pit was shot in one take.[4]

Release

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The film was released in Germany and Italy as Mein Freund, der kleine Elefant and Il Mio Amico Elé, respectively.[8] The film was made available on DVD in 2008.[4]

Reception

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A critic from Movie Guide opined that "Ele, My Friend is a rare, gentle movie that will satisfy the viewer".[9] Regarding the German version, a critic from Kinder Film Welt criticised several aspects of the film including the acting, music, and sound.[10][11]

Accolades

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The film won the Best Picture for Environment and Quality of Life Award in Bellinzona, Switzerland.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Free screening of "Ele My Friend"". Village News. 12 November 2008. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  2. ^ Visible Ink; Craddock (1996). Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever, 1997. Thomson Gale. p. 240. ISBN 9780787607807. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  3. ^ Epd film: Zeitschrift des Gemeinschaftswerk der Evangelischen Publizistik (in German). Vol. 10. Joint Work of Protestant Journalism. 1993. p. 9. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Sensitive and suspenseful 'Ele, My Friend' by Bonsall filmmakers now on DVD". Village News. 25 December 2008. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b Warrier, Shobha (2 August 2004). "'I could see anguish in their eyes'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  6. ^ Taylor, Nathalie (2021). "Dharlin Entertainment's The Journey of Thomas To Be Filmed in Sri Lanka". Sourcebook. Village News, Inc. pp. 46–48. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b The Hollywood Reporter. Wilkerson Daily Corporation. 1992. p. 6. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  8. ^ Cinema sign Issues 89-94. Cineforum of Vicenza. 1998. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Ele, My Friend". Movie Guide. 17 August 2012. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Mein Freund, der kleine Elefant". Kinderfilmwelt. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  11. ^ "Mein Freund, der kleine Elefant". Kinderfilmwelt. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
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