Review of Maya

Maya (1966)
7/10
Clint WALKER and the Indian Elephants
26 November 2023
Adventures in India with Clint Walker

One day little Terry (Jay North) arrives at a busy train station somewhere in India. After his mother's untimely death, he is on the way to his father (Clint Walker), who lives in India and is a famous big game hunter. But no one is at the train station to pick Terry up. Alone, the boy is forced to trudge several kilometers through the jungle to his father's farm. The reception there is also cool; Terry's father has changed a lot. After an argument between father and son, Terry runs away and goes alone into the dangerous jungle. There he meets Raji (Sajid Khan), who is the same age and who is on a special mission with the elephant Maya and her white offspring Primo...

In 1966, Hollywood major MGM released a remarkable adventure film for children. Grief, being left alone and arguments between father and son are the central themes, which are told vividly and credibly from the perspective of a child. And all of this against the beautiful backdrop of India with its bright colors and exotic animals.

The German cameraman Günther Senftleben (1925-1982) achieved amazing things here with his beautiful landscapes and astonishing animal photos. Previously, cameraman Senftleben was responsible for such masterpieces as the West German musical "The Dream of Lieschen Müller" (1961) and the Cinecitta adventure film "Captain Sindbad" (1962) with the unforgettable EUROVISION star Heidi Brühl (1942-1991).

"Maya", as the film is called in the American original, was directed by John Berry and the music was by the Italian film composer Riz Ortolani (Mondo Cane (1962) / La piovra (1984)).

The Indian actor and director I. S. Bohar (1920-1984), who can also be seen from "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962), the "Kali Yug" (1963) films and "Death on the Nil" (1978).

Casting the lead role with Western star Clint Walker (1927-2018) was very successful. Seeing that even a guy like a closet can suffer from anxiety disorder and exhaustion depression is very impressive. This film impressively explores unusually deep emotional worlds. And there are also great photos of elephants and tigers.

The rediscovery of this somewhat forgotten animal and adventure film classic is definitely recommended!
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