Le Lion

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 !!!

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) .

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 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!

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.