O Leão

I fell in love with this movie when I first saw it as a kid. I had the opportunity to watch it again recently and found that it was as captivating as I remembered it to be. However, what impressed me the most this time was not the story or the magnificent African scenery & animal footage, but this young girl's ability to play such a difficult role to perfection. Pamela Franklin (only 12 years old at the time I believe) stole every single scene out from under the film's big-name adult stars: Holden, Capucine and Howard. Her performance alone is enough reason to see this great drama if ever given the opportunity!

The real star of THE LION is all of the footage devoted to wild life animals, especially the scene where game warden TREVOR HOWARD takes WILLIAM HOLDEN, CAPUCINE and PAMELA FRANKLIN on a wild ride through African landscapes filled with wild animals in their natural environment and makes a game of tag look like a dangerous stunt. Unfortunately, that fifteen minute segment is the highlight of an otherwise "girl loves wild animal but has to grow up" kind of story.

PAMELA FRANKLIN is charming and natural as the girl with her clipped British accent and clipped head of hair giving her a tomboyish appearance throughout. She carries most of the film with a convincing portrait of a girl who has to grow up and find relationships with people just as stimulating as her love for an overgrown pet lion.

WILLIAM HOLDEN was still attractive at this time, maturity sitting well on his features and quietly effective as the girl's biological father who has been summoned by his ex-wife (CAPUCINE) to see what he can do about their daughter and her excessive interest in all things wild.

The color cinematography is a visual delight with stunning vistas of the African plains (filmed in Kenya) and gorgeous sunsets, but the story is on less solid ground than the photography and is pretty predictable once Holden's presence kindles Capucine's interest in a romantic way. Still, there's enough material within the slight story to hold the viewer's interest and a nice background score by Malcolm Arnold helps things along.

Anyone who grew up during the MY FRIEND FLICKA and LASSIE COME HOME days will be reminded that this is simply transference of a typical household pet to an untamed lion, but with basically the same story and before long, lots of deja vu settles in.

In Kenya, a little girl (Pamela Franklin) lives really the African nature by befriending a fully grown lion and following native rites , as her mother (Capucine) , worried that her daughter may be turning into a savage , summons Tina's American father (William Holden) to help to return her to domesticity and the States (Conneticut) and as attempt to civilise this wild chid . Meanwhile, her veteran hunter stepfather (Trevor Howard) believes this is a marvellous environment for her to grow up in and her mom becomes increasingly concerned by her behaviour . Two Men Obsessed By a Woman Who Desired Them Both..."He'd tear you to pieces if I gave the word."

A cross-eyed savannah drama with a lot of wildlife , in which a little girl allegedly turns a Wild Child and adding a triangular romance among Holden-Capucine-Howard . The plot is light and simple , as a free small girl named Tina lives with her mother and stepfather on a wildlife reserve in Kenya but things go wrong when comes her biological father along with his fostered one . Quartet starring are frankly fabulous . Capucine is very good as the mummy who attempts to bring Tina back to civilization and give her a civilized upbringing . William Holden is fine as Tina's biological father , who is called and invited by his ex-spouse to come over from America in the hope that he can take her back to civilization to civilise this wild child ; ironically , in real life Holden liked Kenya so much that he decided to live there . Trevor Howard as the game warden stepfather who has to swallow his pride is pretty good . But is Pamela Franklin who steals the show as the little girl Tina whose best friend results to be a lion and along the way she embraces local customs . Special mention for colorful and brilliant cinematography by Ted Scaife . Shot on location in Kenya , being sumptuously photographed in exotic locations in the best travelogue style . As well as rousing , impressive mussical score by Malcolm Arnold , incuding an attractive and enjoyable leitmotif .

The motion picture was competently directed by Jack Cardiff . This cameraman/fillmaker made a few films as Dark of the sun, The girl on the motorcycle, Sons and Lovers ,My Geisha, Intent to Kill, The long ships , The liquidator , The Mutations , but his biggest successes were as a great cinematographer . As Cardiff become impressed with the use of light and color in paintings by the age of seven or eight, and described how he watched art directors in theaters painting backdrops setting lights. His friendship with Edward Scaife who photographed splendidly this The Lion and Ted Moore led them to work as camera assistants in this period when both worked in a camera department run by Freddie Young , who would also become a legendary cinematographer . Jack worked for Alfred Hitchcock during the filming of The skin game (1931). This led to his operating camera for the first Technicolor film shot in Britain , Wings of the Morning (1937). He finally was offered the full position of director of photography by Michael Powell for A matter of life and death (1946), ironically working in B&W for the first time in some sequences. His next assignment was on Black Narcissus (1947), where he acknowledged the influence of painters Vermeer and Caravaggio and their use of shadow. He won the Academy Award for best color cinematography for this film . Jack certainly got to travel when it was decided to shoot African Queen (1951) on location in the Congo and in Africa also filmed this The Lion (1962) .

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.