Maya

Set in the Indian Land........ the story is about the relationship of a father and his son. Jay North (dennis the Mennace fame) arrives in India on a mission. The mission is to meet his father , a retired hunter(played by Clint walker). After an argument the 14 year old son runs away from home. A teenager full of the spirit of adventure, wants to explore the land . He then meets an Indian Hindu bay, about his age. The Hindu boy is the son of a dying saddu(Indian priest). The Saddhu tells his boy to take MAYA ( Mother elephant) and Her sacred white , baby elephant to the scared temple in a far away valley. In India the white elephants are considered Holy and hence , Invaluable. The story weaves a plot where a friendship develops between two young boys.... a friendship that transcends race, religion and all cultural differences. On the other hand the Hunter father sets off to find his son. The saga takes us through an array of human emotions..... love, hate , greed , honesty and loyalty. Since the movie was shot in 1965, it used real animals and no camera effects. In a scene, the elephant picks up the bus and throws it at the villains to save its baby.The shot is remarkable. The tiger fight of Clint walker , at the end of the movie is breath taking considering there were no camera tricks nor animation. The music of the film is amazing. Maya also won the southern Californian family film award in 1966. This is a complete family movie. The values which we still hold true in todays world. A must see!!!

A 14 year old boy traveling from the US to India to meet his dad for the very first time. The story of MAYA deals with the adventure, family drama and animal love. All in one. Cinematography, story, music and direction contribute to this saga of a Christian boy befriending a Hindu boy. Their friendship and companionship make them able to deliver their promise which they had made to a dying Hindu priest.The promise was about taking MAYA- the mother elephant and her white baby elephant to a far way temple. In the face of utmost greed and hardships, the journey of these two adolescents unravels. India looks beautiful.Following the release of the film ,in 1966-67 NBC made a 26 episode serial of MAYA which ran on prime time. There were comic book series of MAYA printed as well.

I remember the charm of this movie as a boy and it hasn't lost it (at least for me). Very nice elephant scenes. Very predictable coming-of-age type plot, but that's not bad! Although this was a more serious role for North as opposed to the "Dennis the Menace" TV programme & "Zebra in the Kitchen", etc., he performed it very well. If you like this movie, you'll also like "A Boy Ten Feet Tall."

One of the timeless stories about working through difficult relationships with parents and importance of friend ship. Hugh was a remarkable hunter who had moved to India because of his passion for hunting and the enormous jungles of India and wild life. Then some thing happens and Hugh loses his spark and also his will to hunt. He had been separated from his wife who was living in America with her parents. And movie starts with Hugh's son Terry coming to India and Hugh meeting his son for the very first time . The mother has passed away and the boy arrives in India completely unaware that his dad was no longer the star of hunting . India - a new land and culture. As the movie progresses we see how hard it is for the father and son to bond and eventually the love for his son compels Hugh to pick up hunting again. The boy who has lived a very protected life so far, experiences the adventures of the jungle while befriending a native boy and accompanying him in his mission to take the sacred elephant to a save haven- the temple. Together they fight greed and danger and come out victorious. I liked the story then - when I first saw it and I like it now too. Though I think at times with all the advances technology has made , a remake of Maya would be a wonderful idea.

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!