Colonel Geoffrey Brydon

Colonel Geoffrey Brydon is Kitty's father and the deuteragonist in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. He was portrayed by Sam Neill.

Role in the film
Colonel Geoffrey Brydon is first seen traveling with his 5-year-old daughter Katherine "Kitty" Brydon, their friend Dr. Julius Plumford, some British soldiers, and Hindi people led by a guide Nathoo and his 5-year-old son Mowgli with their pet wolf Grey Brother through the jungles of India.

When gunshots and roars of a tiger are heard, Colonel Brydon's elephant gpes out of control until Mowgli is able to calm him down with a simple "Tut, tut, tut, tut." The Colonel thanks Mowgli and out of the woods comes an Indian named Buldeo and two British soldiers who tried hunting a few animals, but Shere Khan the mighty tiger, whose roar everyone heard, is nearby and is infuriated at the senseless killing. Nathoo reprimands Buldeo for being so foolish and going against the Jungle Law. Buldeo, however, brushes off Nathoo's accusations and insists it was merely "a few animals here or there."Nevertheless, Nathoo isn't happy and replies: "Would you allow someone to break into your house and steal your food?" and warns the Colonel that "these three broke the jungle law. Shere Khan knows it. We'd best beware."

Later, as the tour sets up camp, Shere Khan retaliates for the earlier hunting by attacking the camp - killing a sentry and Sergeant Claibourne, one of the soldiers who had been hunting before, thus, alerting everyone. The tiger then finds Buldeo and briefly chases the hunter. When he finally corners Buldeo, Nathoo jumps in and distracts Shere Khan, saving Buldeo's life. Nathoo orders Buldeo to shoot Shere Khan at this opportunity, but the cowardly hunter ungratefully flees, therefore, leaving Nathoo to die; despite Colonel Brydon and every other soldiers' effort to shoot the tiger which fails. After Mowgli and Grey Brother are separated from everyone due to riding on a burning runaway horse carriage transporting Kerosene which explodes later on, Colonel Brydon fears that the boy and his wolf did not survive as his father didn't as well due to the tiger attack and Dr. Plumford informing him that Nathoo is sadly and unfortunately gone after checking on him. When Kitty asks her father where is Mowgli and her father replies that "he's gone" when in fact, Mowgli and Grey Brother survived by escaping the explosion.

Years later, Colonel Brydon is seen inspecting the troops but when some of the elephants go out of control due to Mowgli's (now a full-grown man raised by wolves) elephant communication so as to sneak in and see his now full-grown daughter whom he met earlier in the jungle, the Colonel replies with "Bloody elephants"; stating that he hates elephants briefly.

After Mowgli is captured by Captain Boone and Lt.Wilkins (with Buldeo's help) for "attempting to kill the Colonel's daughter and stealing a dagger from a maharajah", brought into the dungeon, and somewhat tortured by the jailer Sergeant Harley for kicking him in the groin (or "his sweets" as he keeps referring to them as), Colonel Brydon comes in and scolds Harley: "Sergeant Harley! Come to order, if you please!" Colonel Brydon asks Boone what is going on here and Boone replies that Mowgli is the "intruder" they caught. Colonel Brydon is aware of that but he asks Harley if detaining a prisoner means having to beat him half to death, to which Harley replies: "He kicked me in the sweets, sir." When Colonel Brydon asks Mowgli for his name in both English and Hindi, the jungle boy doesn't reply. Lt. Wilkins congratulates the Colonel on his "perfect Hindi" only for the Colonel to reply: "Shut up, Wilkins." Boone says that Mowgli has never said a word since he was here, but intends to deal with this situation so Brydon; thinking Boone is a "good man", leaves his captive in Boone's charge who allows Harley to torture him again as a means of "charity".

Meanwhile, in the Colonel's office, Kitty and Dr. Plumford try to convince Colonel Brydon that the jungle boy is actually Mowgli since he was seen with the bracelet (which they show to him as proof) that once belonged to Kitty as a child and her mother before Kitty gave it to Mowgli and to arrange a certain education to Mowgli about the ways of men again.

A few days later, after educating Mowgli and spending more time with him even in the jungle, Kitty returns to the fort while trying to avoid being found by her father. Unfortunately, her father catches her sneaking in. To facilitate the situation, Kitty replies: "Hello, father." but the Colonel replies back: "Don't you "Hello, father" me! I've had men combing the whole bloody district looking for you! Where were you?! You were with that jungle boy, weren't you?" As Kitty calls him by his name, the Colonel continues: "He's savage. He's bred in the jungle, raised by animals. It's not right for a girl of your standing, of your background. It's... It's not done. Do you hear? It's just not done." Colonel Brydon states he just wants what's best for her but Kitty rejects when she says that he just wants best for him. The Colonel thinks it's best his daughter returns to England and find some handsome suitor to settle down with but Kitty loves India and the Colonel agrees if there is any other offer.

At night, Colonel Brydon announces Kitty and Boone's engagement (since Boone proposed to Kitty and she accepted earlier) to everyone; much to Dr. Plumford and mostly Mowgli's dismay. However, Kitty later breaks off her engagement after Boone and his men continue mistreating Mowgli and decides to return to England.

The next morning, Kitty goes with her father and Dr. Plumford to bring her to the ship to England. Yet, on the road to Jaipur, they are ambushed by Indian bandits (who along with Boone, Wilkins, and Sergeant Harley tried to capture Mowgli at first to lead them to the treasure they're after which failed due to Mowgli winning and Baloo the bear intervening) led by Buldeo and his friend Tabaqui. Colonel Brydon is the only one able to fight back and kill a few bandits with his gun only to get himself shot on the leg by another bandit. When Buldeo is about to kill Dr. Plumford with a dagger, Mowgli stops him by pushing him out of the way. Then, Mowgli's wolf friends including Grey Brother and Bagheera the black panther join the attack and kill the rest of the bandits while Buldeo and Tabaqui flee with Kitty and her father taken as hostages.

Boone is waiting with Wilkins and Harley near another area of the jungle and is annoyed that they have captured the Colonel as well. Kitty and her father are mad and shocked for the soldiers' betrayal. As Brydon berates them, Buldeo knocks him out to silence him. Mowgli comes to rescue them and Boone tells him that unless he takes them to the treasure, Kitty and her father will be killed. Mowgli agrees to take them, but promises that they will not survive.

After Mowgli is captured by the evil British soldiers and the remaining Indian bandits, the Colonel and everyone else are being watched by Bagheera and the wolf pack as they begin their treasure quest while Bagheera stares at Boone and Wilkins mostly. When Wilkins asks himself why Bagheera is staring at them, Mowgli replies, "Because to him, you are food." A reply is hinted afterwards when Bagheera sticks out his tongue to show his hunger for them.

That night, Kitty tells Boone that unless her injured father is taken to a doctor, he will die but Boone mocks her fact: "He's a British officer. He can make do." Boone asks Mowgli for directions to the city, ignoring Kitty and that Shere Khan the tiger is on the loose. Mowgli tells Boone to follow the mountains and if he is still alive, he will tell him more.

Next morning, Mowgli escapes with the aid of Bagheera, Harley is the first to wake up and chase after him, but ends up drowning in quicksand. Boone shows no remorse and he and his men continue, ignoring Kitty's pleas not to leave her father. Colonel Brydon is to weak to walk so he tries to crawl his way back until Mowgli comes and helps him. Mowgli has one of his elephant friends take the Colonel back to the village; much to the Colonel's reluctance and somewhat hatred of such pachyderms. The Colonel kindly asks Mowgli to bring Kitty back for him and "thinks a man lucky who can count him as a friend." With a simple "Tut, tut, tut, tut" as demonstrated by Mowgli with another elephant, the Colonel reluctantly rides on his elephant but peacefully back to the village while stating that "India would be a damn fine country if it wasn't for all the bloody elephants!" As Boone and his men go through the jungle, they see a sign on the ground left by Mowgli that the Colonel is safe; much to Kitty's joy and relief.

At last, Colonel Brydon is seen alive and fully cured from his injuries; thanks to Dr. Plumford (who also managed to cure Baloo who was shot badly by Boone and his men when trying to protect Mowgli from being captured by them earlier), while searching along with some real loyal British soldiers for Kitty and Mowgli in the jungle. When Colonel Brydon sees Kitty, Mowgli, and Bagheera crossing a bridge, he proudly salutes them.