Patricia und der Löwe

I have looked and looked for this movie everywhere. I remember seeing it as a 9 year old and falling in love with King myself. I would love to see it again. I remember how beautiful the scenery was and how free Tina seemed to be as she ran through the jungle. As a nine year old I really related to Tina . She was by far the best actress in the whole movie. It has taken me years to find this movie by it's actual name and now I would love to be able to have a copy of my own. It is a shame that this movie is not available to purchase. It should be available on DVD so we can all share it with our children and grandchildren. It is a memory I will never forget.

I was fortunate enough to watch this film in its original CinemaScope format (THANK YOU, Fox Movie Channel!), and I'm glad I did. Jack Cardiff directed a TERRIFIC cast (Holden, Howard, Capucine, and Franklin) in this story about a mother who sends for her daughter's biological father when she fears that the daughter may be turning savage, the concern being reinforced by the fact that the girl's best friend is a full-grown lion with whom she has an EXTREMELY close friendship. The cast is terrific, especially Franklin, who is both irresistibly charming yet downright scary when she really taps into the African way of life. The direction, performances, Edward Scaife's beautiful widescreen cinematography of the African landscape and Malcolm Arnold's wonderful score make this film great.

In this film, William Holden and Capucine play ex-spouses. Christine has invited her ex-, Robert, to stay with them in Kenya...and much of it is that she's worried about the sort of person their daughter, Tina (Pamela Franklin), is growing into being. It seems that Tina has 'gone native'...and spends most of her time with the wild animals near their home. The problem with this is her favorite is a wild male lion...a VERY dangerous creature who Tina has managed to tame! But there is a concern that sooner or later, Tina will be hurt or killed. But Christine isn't sure what to do and wants her ex-husband's advice. However, to complicate things, Christine has remarried and it sure seems like her new husband, John (Trevor Howard), is NOT pleased to see Robert! What's next?

Much of this film seems like a travelogue...showing the glories of African wildlife. I am not surprised, as Holden devoted much of his life to preserving African wildlife and he owned a huge piece of land in Kenya that was made into an animal reserve. I assume Holden wouldn't have made the film if it was about big game hunters or didn't respect the local people.

So is it any good? Well, I think it's worth seeing just to see the footage of the creatures. You'll see lots of lions, elephants, hippos, rhinos and more. As for the story, I just appreciate how different it is from other films...though the soap opera elements later in the film were just okay. Overall, I'd give this one an 8. Nice escapism in Africa and a most unusual movie...with a rather strange ending that will make you take notice!

I was amazed by this movie I just discovered today, a movie I just heard about without never seeing it. It was never released in France since the sixties I guess. At least, never in DVD nor VHS. Anyway, I am always fond of those movies made in natural settings and telling beautiful animal tales. I am surprised that no comment has pointed out the similar feature called BORN FREE, directed by James Hill a couple of years later. Not exactly the same story, OK, but if you see the both in the same week, a while later you can confound.

I love both, with a maybe better score for BORN FREE. John Barry score. And through this movie, I saw a hippopotamus running in the savanna !!!

I remember seeing this film in 1962, as a child. I would love to see it again as an adult and show it to my grandchild. I felt it was captivating. The characters may not be totally believable, but performances are good, especially from "King" the lion.