Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (1975) - full transcript

( music playing )

( thunder crashes )

( squawks )

( chittering )

( thunder crashes )

Narrator:

This is the story

of the great war

that Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

fought single-handed

through the bathrooms

of the big bungalow

in Segowlee cantonment

in India.

Darzee the tailorbird

helped him.

And Chuchundra

the muskrat,

who never comes out

in the middle of the floor

but always creeps

around by the wall,

gave him advice.

But Rikki

did the real fighting.

Boy:

Here's a dead mongoose.

Let's have a funeral.

Father:

No, no, let's take him in

and dry him.

Perhaps he really

isn't dead.

I think--

I think he's breathing.

- Do you suppose he--

- I don't believe he's dead.

He's just half-choked

with water.

There, that should

warm him up.

Poor little chap.

( sneezes )

Father:

Now, don't frighten him

and we'll see

what he'll do.

( chittering )

( laughs )

( chittering )

Father:

Don't be frightened,

Teddy.

That's just his way

of making friends.

Ouch. He's tickling

under my chin.

( laughs )

- What's he doing?

-

( parents laugh )

I suppose he's so tame

because we've been

kind to him.

And this is a wild thing.

Father:

All mongooses

are like that.

If Teddy doesn't

pick him up by the tail

or try to put him

in a cage,

he'll run in and out

of the house all day.

Let's give him

something to eat

so he'll stay.

Rikki certainly seems

to agree with you.

Rikki-Tikki.

That's what we'll name him.

Narrator:

It was a temptation

to eat the whole banana,

but Rikki remembered what

his mother had taught him.

A full meal makes

a slow mongoose.

And if he wanted all his

strength and quickness ready,

he must keep himself thin.

Is he going to run away?

Father:

No, no, no.

He's just exploring

and getting acquainted.

Narrator:

It is the hardest

thing in the world

to frighten or surprise

a mongoose

because he is eaten up

from nose to tail

with curiosity.

The motto of

the mongoose family is

"run and find out,"

and Rikki

was a true mongoose.

Rikki:

There are more things

to find out

about this house

and yard...

Narrator:

He said to himself.

Rikki:

...than all my family

could find out

in all their lives.

( chittering )

Teddy:

♪ When I was a lad,

I served a term ♪

♪ As office boy

to an attorney's firm ♪

♪ I cleaned the windows

and I swept the floor ♪

♪ And I polished up the handle

of the big front door. ♪

Why, Rikki, do you

need a bath, too?

Watch out or you'll

get one whether you

need it or not.

Watch your step, Rikki.

Rikki, it's very slippery.

Whoops.

Oh, Rikki,

won't you ever learn?

Oh, Rikki.

You look like goose down,

not a mongoose.

( door opens )

Oh, I don't like that.

He may bite the child.

He'll do no such thing.

Teddy's safer with

that little beast

than if he had a bloodhound

to watch him.

If a snake came into

the nursery now--

Mother:

Oh, please, don't.

I don't want to think

of anything so awful.

( door closes )

Narrator:

Early next morning,

Rikki-Tikki came

to early breakfast

riding on

Teddy's shoulder.

And they gave him

a little more banana

and some boiled egg.

And Rikki sat on

all their shoulders

one after the other

because every

well-brought-up mongoose

hopes to be

a house mongoose someday.

Boo.

( laughs )

Narrator:

Rikki went out

into the garden

to see what was

to be seen.

It was a large garden

only half cultivated,

with bushes as big

as summerhouses

of Marshal Neil roses,

lime and orange trees,

clumps of bamboo,

and thickets of high grass.

Rikki:

This is splendid

hunting ground.

Narrator:

Rikki said to himself,

and his tail

grew bottle-brushy

at the thought of it.

( bird chirping )

Narrator:

It was Darzee

the tailorbird

and his wife on a beautiful

nest they had made

by stitching two big leaves

together with fibers

and filling the hollow with

cotton and downy fluff.

What's the matter?

We are very miserable.

One of our babies fell out

of the nest yesterday

and Nag ate him.

Hmm.

That is very sad.

But I'm a stranger here.

Who's Nag?

Who is Nag?

I am Nag.

( chirping )

Narrator:

It was a horrid,

cold sound.

Then inch by inch

out of the grass

rose the head

and spread hood

of Nag the big

black cobra.

Nag:

I am Nag.

The great god Brahm

put his mark

upon all our people

when the first cobra

spread his hood

to keep

the sun off Brahm.

Look and be afraid.

Narrator:

Rikki was afraid

for a minute.

But then he remembered

that all a mongoose's

business in life

was to fight

and kill snakes.

Nag knew that, too.

At the bottom

of his cold heart,

he was afraid.

( chittering )

Behind you!

Nag's wife!

Look behind you!

Wicked, wicked bird.

Narrator:

Hisses Nagaina,

for she knew that a live

mongoose in the garden

meant death sooner or later

for her family.

Rikki chattered with rage,

but Nag and Nagaina

had disappeared

and he realized

that he could not handle

two snakes at once,

particularly

in the tall grass.

Rikki took

a stroll to think.

It was a serious

matter to him

because there is no herb

that a mongoose can eat

that will protect him

from a cobra's bite.

Victory over the cobra

is only a matter

of quickness of eye

and quickness of foot--

snake's blow against

mongoose's jump.

And as no eye can follow

the motion

of a snake's head

when it strikes,

this makes things

more wonderful

than any magic herb.

Rikki had managed to escape

a blow from behind

and it gave him

confidence.

Rikki, where have you been?

I'll bet

you've been playing.

Here.

Be careful.

I am death.

Narrator:

It was Karait,

the dust-brown snakeling

whose bite is as dangerous

as a cobra's.

-

( chittering )

- ( hisses )

Narrator:

If Rikki-Tikki

had only known,

he was doing a much more

dangerous thing

than fighting Nag.

For Karait is so small

and can turn so quickly,

that unless Rikki

bit him close to the head,

he would get the return

stroke in his eye or his lip.

Father, look here!

Our mongoose

is killing a snake.

- ( chittering )

- ( hissing )

He saved your life, Teddy.

Narrator:

Teddy's mother said he was

a providence.

Oh, Rikki.

You're so handsome.

And so brave.

Narrator:

Rikki was rather amused

at all the fuss.

Teddy's mother might just

as well have petted Rikki

for playing in the dust.

Rikki was thoroughly

enjoying himself.

As soon as Teddy

was asleep,

Rikki went off

for his nightly walk

around the house.

In the dark

he discovered Chuchundra

the muskrat

creeping around

by the wall.

( chomps )

( crying )

Don't kill me,

great mongoose.

Don't kill me.

Do you think a snake killer

kills muskrats?

Those who kill snakes

get killed by snakes.

How am I to be sure

that Nag won't mistake me

for you some dark night?

There's not

the least danger.

Nag is out in the garden

and I know you

don't go there.

( whimpers )

Yes.

Yes, but my cousin

Chua the rat

told me--

Told you what,

Chuchundra?

( whimpering )

Nag is everywhere.

Oh, dear.

Oh, dear.

You should have

talked to Chua.

I didn't.

So you must

tell me quick.

Quick, Chuchundra,

or I shall bite you.

- ( chomps )

- ( whimpers )

I'm a very poor

and humble man.

I never have spirit

enough to run out in

the middle of a room.

I mustn't tell you

anything.

Can't you hear,

Rikki-Tikki?

Narrator:

The house was still

as still,

but he thought he could

just catch

the faintest scratch-scratch

in the world--

a noise as faint

as that of a wasp

walking on a windowpane.

Rikki:

That's Nag or Nagaina.

Narrator:

Rikki said to himself.

Rikki:

He's crawling into

the bathroom sluice.

You're right, Chuchundra.

I should have

talked to Chua.

Nag:

I will go

and I will kill

the big man and his wife

and the child if I can.

Then the bungalow

will be empty

and Rikki-Tikki

will go.

Nagaina:

When the house

is emptied of people,

the mongoose

will go away.

Nag:

So there is everything

to be gained

by killing the people.

When the bungalow

is empty,

we again will be king

and queen of the garden.

As soon as our eggs

in the melon bed hatch,

our children

will need room.

Nag:

This is good.

Narrator:

Nag said to himself.

Nag:

The big man

has a fire stick.

But when he comes in

to bathe in the morning,

he will not have

that stick.

I shall wait here

until he comes.

( clock chiming )

Rikki:

If I don't break his back

at the first jump...

Narrator:

Thought Rikki.

Rikki:

...he can still fight.

And if he fights...

oh, Rikki.

It must be the head.

The head above the hood.

And once I'm there,

I must never let go.

( chittering )

( thudding )

( Rikki chittering )

( gunshot )

( sneezes )

It's the mongoose

again, Alice.

The little chap has

saved our lives now.

What was all that noise

about downstairs?

Never mind.

I'll tell you in

the morning, dear.

Oh, Rikki.

You are brave

and beautiful.

Narrator:

In the morning,

Rikki was very stiff,

but very well pleased

with himself.

But he didn't wait

for breakfast

because he knew that now

he had Nagaina to settle with.

Rikki:

And she will be worse

than five Nags.

Narrator:

Said Rikki to himself.

Rikki:

And there's no knowing

when her eggs will hatch.

Narrator:

Darzee was singing

a song of triumph

at the top of his voice.

( vocalizing )

♪ Who has delivered us?

Who? ♪

♪ Tell me his nest

and his name ♪

♪ Rikki the valiant,

the true ♪

♪ Tikki with eyeballs

of flame ♪

♪ Rik-Tikki-Tikki...

Oh, you stupid tuft

of feathers.

Is this the time to sing?

Where's Nagaina?

♪ Sing to your

fledglings again ♪

♪ Mother, oh, lift up

your head ♪

♪ Evil that plagued us

is slain ♪

♪ Death in the garden

lies dead ♪

♪ The terror that hid

in the roses is gone ♪

♪ He lies on

the rubbish heap dead... ♪

Stop.

Stop it, Darzee.

Where's Nagaina?

For the great,

the beautiful Rikki's sake,

I will stop.

What is it, O killer

of the terrible Nag?

Where is Nagaina,

for the third time?

On the rubbish heap

by the stables

mourning for Nag.

Great is Rikki-Tikki

with the white teeth.

Bother my white teeth.

Where does she

keep her eggs?

♪ Give him the thanks

of the birds ♪

♪ Bowing with

tail feathers spread ♪

♪ Praise him with

nightingale words ♪

♪ Nay, I will praise

him instead ♪

♪ Here I will sing you

the praise ♪

♪ Of the bottle-tail

Rikki with eyeballs of red. ♪

Narrator:

Darzee's wife

was a sensible bird

and she knew that

cobra eggs in the garden

meant young cobras

later on.

In the melon bed

on the end nearest the wall.

Quickly, fly off and pretend

your wing is broken

and let Nagaina chase you

back here.

I must get

to the melon bed.

( whimpering )

Oh, my wing

is broken.

The boy in the house

threw a stone

and broke it.

You warned Rikki-Tikki

when I would

have killed him.

Indeed and truly,

you've chosen a bad place

to be lame in.

The boy broke it

with a stone.

Oh, dear, oh, dear.

What is the use

of running away?

I am sure to catch you.

Little fool,

look at me.

Narrator:

Darzee's wife knew better

than to do that.

For a bird who looks

in a snake's eyes,

they get so frightened

that she cannot move.

( hisses )

Rikki had found

the cobra's nest

and had crushed all but one

of the deadly eggs

when...

Rikki-Tikki, Nagaina has

gone to the house and--

oh, come quickly.

She means killing.

( hissing )

Sit still, Teddy.

You mustn't move, Teddy.

Keep very still.

Son of the man

that killed Nag,

if you move,

I strike.

And if you do not move,

I strike.

Oh, foolish people.

Turn around, Nagaina.

Turn and fight.

All in good time.

I will settle my account

with you presently.

If you come

a step nearer,

I will strike the boy.

What price

for a cobra's egg?

For a young cobra?

( hisses )

Give it to me,

Rikki-Tikki.

( shatters )

Tricked! Tricked!

Tricked!

( chitters ) Tricked!

Tricked! Tricked!

And Nag was dead

before the big man

blew him up.

I killed Nag.

Come and fight

with me, Nagaina.

( hisses )

( chitters )

Narrator:

Very few mongooses,

however old and wise

they may be,

care to follow a cobra

into its hole.

You never know when the hole

might open out

and give the cobra

room to strike.

It's all over

with Rikki-Tikki.

We must sing

his death song.

♪ Sing him a sad song

of birds ♪

♪ Bowing with

tail feathers spread ♪

♪ Sing to your

fledglings again ♪

♪ Mother, oh, bow down

your head ♪

♪ Nagaina will hunt

♪ In the garden once more

♪ For Rikki the valiant

is dead. ♪

( sneezes )

It's all over.

Nagaina will never

come out again.

♪ Who has delivered us?

Who? ♪

♪ Tell me his nest

and his name ♪

♪ Rikki the valiant,

the true ♪

♪ Tikki with eyeballs

of flame ♪

♪ Rik-Tikki-Tikki

♪ The ivory-fanged

♪ The hunter

-♪ With eyeballs...

- ( door opens )

♪ Of flame.

He saved our lives

and Teddy's life.

He saved all our lives.

Narrator:

Rikki had a right

to be proud of himself.

But he did not grow

too proud.

And he kept that garden

as a mongoose should keep it,

with tooth and jump

and spring and bite

till never a cobra

dared show its head

inside the walls.

( music playing )