Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!
BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment
StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Maddyclassicfilms 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.
ironhorse_iv Be born free to watch this movie, probably more well-known for its music than the movie itself. It Composer John Barry would win "Best Original Score" and "Title Song" in 1966 Oscar for this film. It was just that great of a song. The theme song has this epic western style to it to the point; it can be mistaken for a Western theme song, if the viewer heard the song first, than seeing the movie. At first glance, first time viewers might think of this as National Geo special documentary, but it's more than that. 'Born Free' is the true story based on the book 'Born Free', directed by James Hill, a Game Hunter George Adamson (Bill Travers) known to the natives as 'Baba ya Simba' which means 'Father of Lions" in Swahili and his wife (Virginia McKenna) living in Africa, was forced to kill a man-eating lion. It becomes clear that they would have to adopt his children for the young cubs to stay alive. Two of the cubs are sent to zoos around the world, and the other Elsa became their house pet. It wasn't until Elsa became a full –grown lioness, that the Adamson realize that they must do what is right for them, and set her free to learn to survive on its own by training her, but she might be too tame to live on her own. The movie has its charm, and was made with lot of love toward animals, to the point, you feel sad was animal characters like Pattie because they are brought up as family to the Adamson. Funny moments like the Adamson trying to get Elsa a date and a warthog beating up a lion was a laugh. The first part of the movie, the opening might be a little bit disturbing for younger viewers due to it dealing with deaths of both human and animal. The rest of the movie is a coming to age story for the lion Elsa and PG clearly is the right rated for the film. The movie tries to have a sum-plot focusing on George's illness with malaria, hunters/poachers, an elephant stampede and rogue lions. The animal trainers were very good, and the way the animal act in the film is clearly brilliant… both in a playfulness matter, and in scenes of great danger. Many hard hours of animal training went to creating this short beautiful film. The movie was follow up with 'Live Free', a sequel to the book and movie that reveals more about Elisa's life in the wild. The movie leaves its viewers of a happy ending, which sadly didn't pan out for both the Adamson and Elsa in real life, but it does make the film watchable… and lives the audience wanting to learn more about big cats and Africa itself.
treeline1 As this timeless classic opens, George Adamson (Bill Travers), a game warden in Kenya, brings three orphan lion cubs home to be cared for by his wife, Joy (Virginia McKenna). Raised as pets, two of them are eventually sent away to zoos, but the third, Elsa, was especially loved and they decided to keep her. Of course, that soon became impossible, so they set about rehabilitating her back into the wild knowing she might not survive, but feeling she must have the chance to live free.In the 1950s, no one had ever reintroduced an animal to the wild, and the Adamses were the first animal lovers to do so. Travers and McKenna are wonderful as the couple and went on to become animal activists after the filming of the movie. Geoffrey Keene (the 'Minister of Defence' in six James Bond movies) gives able as George's boss. The Kenyan landscape photography is simply breathtaking and the lions, at various stages of development, are adorable.John Barry won Academy Awards for both his score and song, which are truly iconic and guaranteed to have you reaching for the tissues. This beautiful, inspiring, and unforgettable movie is a must-see for animal lovers.
sol (Mild Spoilers) The true and unforgettable story of Elas the Lioness that the film "Born Free" is based on. After being rescued brought up and nurtured with the milk of human kindness in Kenya by British game warder George and his wife Joy Adamson, Bill Travers & Virgina McKenna, a grown up Elsa was later set free in the wild to live free and fend for herself. Having her parents shot and killed when they attacked game warder George Adamson Elsa together with her two orphan sister lion cubs were adopted by Adamson and his wife Joy as family pets. It's when Joy's beloved pet Rock Hyrax Pati ed away that she became very attached to the cute lovable as well as mischievous Elas. By then Elsa together with her sisters were starting to get a bit out of hand in tearing up the Adamson house and its surroundings. Slated to be sent to live out her life together with her two siblings at the Rotterdam Zoo in Holland George makes the fateful decision, with his wife's Joy urging, to keep Elas-the runt of the litter-and later train her to live on her own in the wild as nature intended her to. Something that up until that time has never be done with a domesticated lion and could very probably end up cosing Elsa-in being unable to either care hunt and fend for herself-her life!Touching and heart warming film with Joy and George Adamson trying to get Elsa back to nature and at one point almost killing her by doing it. Wanting Elsa to live free as God and natured intended her to was not as easy as at first thought by Joy who couldn't accept to idea of her living out the rest of her life as a caged animal in a zoo. Step by step Elas got the hang of it in being left out in the wild by the Adamsons sometimes for days at a time until she finally was able to care for herself and live free like she was meant to. In the end he final test for Elsa was her being sent out to be accepted by her fellow lions in the wild. It's there where she was challenged by a fierce alpha lioness who felt Elas was a threat to her standing in the pride. In what look like a fight to the death Elsa held her own with the lioness showing, both Joy & Bill, that she indeed can survive the brutal law of the jungle: Survival of the Fittest!***SPOILERS*** The very moving conclusion of the movie "Born Free' has both Joy and George returning to Kenya to see it their Elas is still there and, after not seeing her for days, get the biggest surprise of their lives! Not only has Elas survived she's now a proud mom with a litter of little Elsa's of her very own!
