Born Free (1966)

Load of rubbish!!

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Born Free was directed by James Hill, has a screenplay by Lester Cole and is based on the book by Joy Adamson. The film stars Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Geoffrey Keen and many lions.Born Free tells the true story of the playful and curious lioness called Elsa. Elsa and her two siblings were orphaned cubs who were rescued in Kenya by Joy (Virginia McKenna)and George Adamson(Bill Travers).The cubs formed a strong bond with the couple, Elsa was closest to Joy and the Adamson's photos show their special bond, Elsa was more like a pet cat than a lion. George and Joy taught her how to survive in the wild and released her, she still came to visit them from time to time and despite having become a wild creature never forgot her bond with them. Elsa's siblings were sent to a zoo. Elsa died in 1961.This is such a beautiful film and is a must see for animal lovers. The lions used to portray Elsa and the cubs were looked after by George Adamson following filming and he taught them to survive in the wild. There's a beautiful video of George sleeping under a tree, one of his lions is sleeping next to him with his paw resting on George's chest. I so envy the Adamson's for their special bond with these creatures.Tragically both George and Joy were murdered in Kenya. Joy was murdered in 1980 and George was killed in 1989 as he rescued his assistant and a tourist from armed poachers at his reserve. McKenna and Travers(who were married)became friends with George and got involved in animal conservation themselves. They made several films and documentaries about animals and they founded the Born Free Foundation in the 90's. Travers died in 1994 but Virginia and the couples son are still involved with the foundation today.McKenna and Travers are both very good in the film, they portray the great love the Adamson's had for one another and their shared love for the lions they have rescued and raised. The real stars of the film though are the lions themselves and they move and amuse in equal measure.Matt Monro's theme song is unforgettable and adds to the film.

My parents obviously saw the need to teach my siblings I that lesson because when this film was in its post release and had a drive-in showing, we all got to go, and that was one of my earliest film-going experiences which remains with me almost 50 years later. It isn't only the sprawling beauty of Kenya or the joyous title song which to this day instills tears, but the love and kindness of the heroine Joy Adamson (the beautiful Virginia McKenna) who raises a lioness cub to adulthood with the help of her loving but concerned explorer husband (Bill Travers). George Adamson was forced to shoot the cub's parents when they charged at him and his party, but was caring enough to bring the three cubs back. The story starts with Joy finger-feeding the stubborn cubs milk and shows how the two stronger cubs followed Joy's favorite cub Elsa's lead and began drinking as well. This establishes Elsa as a true heroine among cats because her accepting milk from a human saved her sibling's lives.When the curious cubs begin to get too big, Joy agrees that they must be taken to a zoo, but her love for Elsa forces George to keep this one behind. Elsa begins to think of the Adamsons as her parents, showering them with love and following them around more like a big dog than a big cat. But Elsa's natural instincts begin to take over and when finding herself in a herd of elephants, Elsa creates a stampede which infuriates the locales who demand that the Adamsons due something about the now too large adult lioness. Elsa though isn't trained to kill to eat, so in order to prepare her to be set free (Joy wouldn't hear about the zoo!), they take her to the wilds to find a mate and let her go. A truly funny scene has a very lazy male lion pretty much ignoring the affectionate Elsa as George and Joy watch (what, no privacy?) and later, Elsa gets literally into a cat-fight with another lioness over the king of beasts holding court on top of the African plane rocks.This is a movie of triumphing over the impossible which shows how human love for God's other creatures can cause them to sometimes think more with their hearts then with their brains, and how they try to amend the situation. In many cases, it reminded me of "The Miracle Worker" with Joy replacing Annie Sullivan and Elsa replacing Helen Keller. Both Joy and Annie had truly difficult obstacles to overcome and Helen and Elsa had to learn in their own way and time what their teachers were trying to get through to them. You won't be able to hold your tears in for the final scene where you feel you literally can here the beloved Elsa saying "Thank You" to Joy as nature and the good side of humanity come together for one last visit.

There was no doubt about it, in "Born Free" it was Elsa, the lioness, who repeatedly stole the show with her wonderful performance playing herself, a spoiled, pampered, and truly adorable feline of the big-cat family. At times the always-gentle Elsa and her playful antics were so irresistible that you just couldn't help but fall in love with her.Based on a true-life story, "Born Free" is an exceptional adventure that was beautifully photographed on the vast, golden savannas of Central Africa."Born Free" is a tale of courage and love, nature and human nature, and a relationship unlike any other that you've ever seen.This film, from 1966, which won Oscars for "Best Original Score" and "Title Song", is a real treat that can be equally enjoyed by all ages.

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.