El león

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.

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!

Although Jack Cardiff was a better cinematographer than a he was a director, he wasn't a bad director, and I believe "The Lion," along with "Dark of the Sun" are his best films. In "The Lion" Christine (Capucine) lives in Kenya with her second husband, big game hunter John Bullit (Trevor Howard), and her daughter Tina (Pamela Franklin) from a previous marriage. Tina has so taken to the African wild that Christine fears her daughter will one day just become an unreachable savage, so she contacts her first husband, Robert Hayward (William Holden), to come to Africa and help civilize Tina so she can return to the U.S. and live a normal, less dangerous, life. This idea is acerbated because Tina's best friend is a full grown lion she calls King. They grew up together and she spends most of her time in the jungle with King. She also believes King will do whatever she says, including attack and kill someone.

Of course Bullit resents the arrival of Robert, particularly since it becomes clear Robert continues to have feelings for Christine. The performances of the entire cast are quite good, if very much of their time. Franklin is especially good. She really does wrestle and play with the full grown lion on screen. It's actually quite remarkable to watch and apparently Franklin actually did bond with the animal. On the other hand, the love relationship that grows between Christine and Robert is less impressive, but Holden and Capucine have some effective moments, and the rebirth of their feeling for each other feels natural. So does the gradual changes that happen with hunter Bullit. Trevor Howard plays him in a strong performance that makes you dislike him but also understand his situation. He loves his step daughter and he does what he can to keep her in Kenya. One sequence where Bullit takes his wife, daughter and Robert on a wild drive through the African plain exposes his character. He purposely tries to upset big game like rhino, hippo and elephants in order to scare Robert by driving through the herds, taunting them. Of course this is exciting but annoying to watch because he's showing no respect for the animals. It almost makes you hate him, but there are more sides to him, and as the story plays out, we can't help but feel for him.

Woven through this story are two native tribemen, a chief and his arrogant son who will become chief when his father dies. This is actually well integrated into the plot. The stories of Tina and her lion King, Christine, Robert, Bullit and the two tribesmen all come together in an inevitable climax. Some viewers might see it coming, but I think they might be surprised by how it happens.

The score by Malcolm Arnold is one of his finest, full of thunderous drums and a beautiful main theme. It has a jazzy Gershwin-esque quality to it, which makes sense, since jazz is America's connection to Africa, an art form created by African Americans, and the story is about Americans' connection to Africa. The film is beautiful to watch, but be sure to see it in widescreen. The African landscapes and skies are stunning, and the scenes in camp during the character drama maintain a constant sense of place. You can be carried away by the atmosphere. The cinematographer was Edward Scaife, but the look of the film has Cardiff all over it. Try to find a widescreen version of this film, I think you'll find it a pleasant surprise.

There are two reasons for seeing The Lion. The first is for Pamela Franklin's performance as the twelve year old girl who has gone native as the British colonists used to say in every sense of the word. The second is because this gives today's audience an opportunity to view Africa as William Holden saw it and tried to preserve it.

The film may have been made so Holden had the excuse to stay at his famous Safari club which was a deluxe resort built in Kenya, partly financed by Holden. It was also a very large animal preserve and Bill Holden loved the place and took every opportunity to spend time there. Jack Cardiff who is the United Kingdom's most celebrated color cinematographer did some of his best work on The Lion as its director.

Oddly enough Holden casts himself as the outsider in the film. Years ago while he was making big money as a corporation attorney in the USA, his bored wife Capucine went on safari and fell in love with Africa and the safari guide Trevor Howard. She left Holden and married Howard taking her baby girl with her. Howard's raised her as his own and young Pamela Franklin is worrying Capucine now and she sends for Holden because of Franklin's behavior.

Pamela's companion is this full grown lion which she has raised since a cub and treats like a house pet. This isn't Clarence the Cross Eyed lion either, the male lion is fully functional in the wild. When Holden meets up with King as the lion is called, he gets a few anxious moments and appreciates Capucine's concern.

It's also possible Capucine is getting a little bored with life on a Kenyan game preserve as well, a fact Howard is becoming aware of. He does what he can to rattle Holden like playing tag at different times with an elephant and rhinoceros while the four cast members are in a jeep. The work is remarkably similar to the John Wayne/Howard Hawks classic Hatari which came out soon after.

The superb color cinematography of Africa plus Pamela Franklin's performance as a most disturbed child are the main reasons to see The Lion. It's not your usual kid's animal film, the child relates in an unhealthy way to The Lion and the adults have some very adult issues as well.

The Lion is your only real chance to see and appreciate the Africa that William Holden loved and tried to preserve, don't pass up an opportunity.

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 !!!