Jungle Book (2016)

• May 15, 2016

Jungle Book 2016 | PG |106 min | Adventure, Drama, Family |IMDb

• Contents

  • Jungle Book, the 2016 Disney hit
  • We’re going to discuss the law of the jungle, egalitarianism vs innovation, and problems with describing capitalism as survival of the fittest.
  • We’re also going to talk about learning to be a man in a world full of animals.

• Themes

  • The Law of the Jungle
    • Appeal to Nature
    • Does not actually have a good reputation
    • Is used as a description of capitalism
  • Survival of the fittest
    • Dog-eat-dog
    • Every man for himself
    • The goal of which is hedonism
    • Not a code for a rational animal
    • Not a philosophy for living on Earth
    • A nature-driven description of an archetype selfishness
    • But this view does not tell you what actually constitutes your self-interest.
    • The film recognizes the difference of man from the animal, but does not recognize that man needs an additional philosophy to determine man’s rational values.
  • Man as rational animal
    • Man survives by rational thought.
    • He is not guided by instinct.
    • The wolves teach the man-cub how to live as wolves live, and they recognize this in the movie. They cannot teach the man-cub to live as a man. The wolves recognize this, but modern intellectuals do not recognize this.
  • Terra forming
  • Man operates between and among collectives.

• Synopsis

  • After a threat from the tiger, Sher Khan, forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named, Mowgli, embarks on a journey of self discovery with the aid of the panther, Bagheera, and the free spirited bear, Baloo.

• Characters

  • Mowgly, Neel Sethi
  • Bahgeera, Ben Kingsley
  • Shere Khan, Idris Elba
  • Baloo, Bill Murry
  • Kaa, Scarlett Johansson
  • King Louie, Christopher Walken
  • Akela, Giancarlo Esposito

Notes:

Social laws derived from “natural” laws: Social Darwinism (Wikipedia)

Mogly has I gourd on a chord, but he is not allowed to use this innovative technology at the water hole. The law of the jungle forbids innovation. The gourd is called one of his human “tricks”.

SHER-KAN How many lives is a man-cub worth?

SHER-KAN You did not respond to reason, so now you will know fear

KAA I know what you are. I know how you got here.

Mogly makes ropes and stuff to get Baloo some honey.

BALOO Kid, that’s not a song. That’s propaganda. (About the law of the jungle)

BALOO The things I saw you do today. I’ve never seen that before. MOWGLI That was me using my tricks. It’s not the wolf way. BALOO Who cares about the elf way? That’s the Mogly way. The Baloo way.

Mogly helps the bear and the elephants with his tricks.

Mogly takes s torch of the “red flower” after hearing that Shere Kahn killed Akela

Mogly accidentally sets the jungle on fire. Shere Khan tells them that this is why he wanted to kill Mogly. Sher-kan knew what Mogly was going to become.

He is saying that man is the destroyer. Mogly uses an elaborate plan to trap Sher-kan and lead him to his death.

MOGLY I’m not afraid of you. I’m done running from you.

Mogly is speaking for the human race that has virtually eliminated predation from its list of mortal threats.

He then directs the elephants to Tera form the river to put out the fire.

Scarlet Jansen sings a closing number, “truss in me"