The White Lions

My review was written in July 1983 after viewing on tv via HBO.

Lensed in the spring of 1979 and MPAA rated two years later, "The White Lions" is a mild family picture which failed to get domestic theatrical distribution and is currently providing pleasant tv diversion.

With educational value for the younger set, picture toplines Michael York as real-life naturalist Chris McBride, who with wife and daughter in tow returns to an African wildlife preserve where he was born, to study animal behavior. Easy-going narrative (with York voicing over lots of background material about lions and their habits) is short on conflict, the main issue being wife Jeanie (Glynnis O'Connor) wishing to go back to the U. S. and resume a normal, academic family life.

Ultimately she comes around and serves as still photographer, accepting McBride's dictum: "We gave up the creature comforts and gained the creatures". When they discover a cute pair of white-colored (but not albino) lion cubs, argument is between the femmes' desire to help them survive versus McBride's hard stance of non-interference. Da finally compromises (while maintaining a firm opposition to zoos) but the cubs' fate is hinted at by a heme song nicely sung by Maureen McGovern: "Enough to Let Me Go".

Lead thesps give earnest performances, with York balancing the preachy demands of his role adroitly and O'Connor a sympathetic helpmate/adversary. A corny subplot has Donald Moffat as a poacher aiming to exploit the cubs.

Wildlife photography is attractive but unexciting, with not enough integration of the actors and animal subjects (reflecting the dichotomy between second unit African lensing and principal filming at a Texas wildlife park).

Commercially, though wilderness adventure pictures have had a big family audience traditional British entries in the "Born Free" tradition such as "Living Free" and "The Belstone Fox" have not made a boxoffice dent Stateside, marking "White Lions as mainly of ancillary interest.

I saw this movie on HBO with my kids, we loved it. Wish they would put it out on DVD I have been looking everywhere for it even to download it. I would love to have it, if anyone knows where I can find it please let me know, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I have been searching for this movie for years!

I remember watching it over and over again when I was little. The storyline and scenery were both just fascinating to me. Michael York was perfect. His accent is hard not to love! This movie contained both comedy and drama. I liked watching the family get use to their new living arrangements. It also taught children how awful poaching is. It is perfect for all ages. The lion cubs were too cute.

I could still sit here and remember scenes from the movie, and I haven't seen it in over 15 years. I would buy it in a heartbeat if they ever put it out on DVD!!!!

I loved the movie White Lions. I remember seeing it as a little kid, I was 9 years old. This movie had given me such a good feeling that I wanted to look it up the first time I got a computer, to see if it was available on VHS. It helped me to learn more about Africa and how the world should protect our wild animals! I would rate this movie an 8 on scale of 1-10. I wish this would come back in print! This needs to be shown to everyone! I would recommend this movie to the old and young! I remember the beautiful music playing my favorite was the end theme song by Maureen McGovern. If you like movie's with animals this is better than Born Free.

I haven't seen this film in many years, but when it was released I recorded it off of HBO for my personal viewing. After my kids, then 2 and 4 watched it with me they were hooked. They loved the lions and asked me many questions about them. They watched the tape so many times, that I swear you could've seen through it.

As for me, I though Glynis OConnor was hot. She never looked more attractive than she did in this film. The story and the scenery were good too. I definitely recommend this film as a must see and if you can find it, and a video library addition. You never know when you'll have some kids over who have seen everything else worth watching.