Born Free

Real-life husband and wife Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers play real-life husband and wife Joy and George Adamson. Strangely, the chemistry between them is really not played up here. Everything is focused on the cubs, perhaps as it should be. This film takes what could've just been another National Geographic episode and turns it into a "triumph of the spirit" story. When you watch this film, you understand the true meaning of freedom. And you can't help but look at that lion and want the best for her. The title song is a perfect ending to the film. It is too bad the Adamsons' lives did not have a happy ending like this story. The film keeps it simple, but there are still some emotional moments. It delivers what it promises.

1st watched 9/4/2007 - 7 out of 10(Dir-James Hill): Fascinating study of lioness born free, but domesticated; then being trained to survive again in the wild. This is a unique film in that it deals with some real issues about making a wild animal a pet and the effect on it because of that. The movie begins with an African game warden, played by Bill Travers, killing an adult lion that is attacking humans but leaves behind three pups. The game warden and his wife, played by Virginia McKenna, decide to take in the pups since they lost their parents and would eventually starve to death in the wild. They are finally able to get them to feed off of their homemade formula and grow, but when it comes time to release them back to the wild the wife's attachment to the smallest that she named Elsa, has grown and they decide to keep her. Elsa quickly becomes their pet and attaches herself to them, but they know eventually she'll have to leave. They avoid the issue of sending her to a zoo because they want Elsa to be free, but then they must take on the challenge of re-training her for the wild. This turns out to be harder than they expected and their trials with this becomes the subject of the rest of the movie. This is all very well done and helps us realize the difference between pets and animals living in the wild and shows us the respect we should have of the differences. There is a good balance of sentimentality with reality as this couple thinks hard about every decision it makes thinking not just for themselves but for Elsa. This a unique movie that can be enjoyed by persons of all ages and also teaches us some things that we rarely see on film.

Innocence, the magnetism of the east African plains, and lions to boot! A great movie for a steamy summer night (atmosphere is important too). The score by John Barry is very good, and I imagine there are few 'boomers who would not recognize the strains of Matt Monro (not Perry Como) singing the title song. I always liked Bill Travers as an actor in all the roles I've seen him in, Born Free is no exception. Virginia McKenna's lovely soft soothing Scots brogue is honey to the ears, and she does a great job as Joy Adamson. How accurate their portrayals of the Adamson's are... well, it doesn't really matter. Elsa is the star, and that's how it should be. In short, great family fair for a movie at home.

"Born Free" (1965) is a great film for animal lovers, especially cat lovers. It tells the story of a couple living in Africa who come across three orphan lion cubs and keep one female, whom they name Elsa. Later they are pressured to give Elsa up to a zoo, but the woman can't because, as she argues, Elsa was born free and should therefore live free. She'd never be happy in a zoo.

Unfortunately, Elsa has become too tame as a result of living with the couple. Can Elsa ever adapt to the wild or will she be condemned to a cage in a zoo?

The footage of Elsa with the couple is amazing. She's like their pet cat! I'd love to have a lioness pet to hug and pat and walk around the yard with!

Shot in beautiful Kenya, the film runs 95 minutes.

GRADE: B+

This really is a wonderful movie - a true story; funny, dramatic, bittersweet, and with a title song that will never be forgotten by anyone who hears it.

Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers star as Joy and George Adamson. He is the game warden in a game reserve in northern Kenya; she is his wife, and together they adopt three orphaned lion cubs. Sending two of them to zoos, the third (Elsa, who was the darling of the bunch) stays behind and becomes something of a household pet, until the inevitable day comes when she has to be either taught to live in the wild on her own, or sent to a zoo.

You find yourself rooting for Elsa, shedding a few tears with Joy and in the end feeling quite uplifted by how the whole thing turns out. It's a fast movie (about an hour and a half in length) which is good, the editing I thought was a bit rough (although there are some great shots of Africa and its wild life) and in the end it's a great feel-good movie for the whole family.

8/10