Product: Born Free [VHS] (1966)
Rating: 4.0
Call of the Wild
I was trying to remember just why I never saw this film when it first came out--or subsequently when it might have been shown on TV--when it occurred to me that it was released in 1966 when I was 13, just at the age when I was suddenly less interested in "kids' stuff" like BORN FREE and increasingly interested in HELP or A HARD DAY'S NIGHT. But deep down, I had always liked animal flicks, and maybe even then--at least in the back of my mind--figured I'd catch up with this tale of a tame lionness, whose "human companions" attempt to re-train in the ways of the wild.Viewing the film as an adult, I can see that I probably would have liked it well enough as a youngster, and can agree with the majority of reviewers below, that it is a solid, engaging "family film," and a pleasant alternative to much of the brash, jaded and bankrupt fare offered to kids nowadays. It seems pretty wholesome by comparison.Like many family films of the era, however, it was also relatively low budget and not all that "well made" a product. The story is a bit on the sketchy side, and you can see the filmmakers making a very deliberate effort to compress the contents of Joy Adamson's book into a 90 minute film. One example that comes to mind are the references to Joy's husband's near-fatal battle with malaria. His initial bout is never shown, only referred to in a voice over by actress Virginia McKenna, who plays Joy. Well, fair enough, I figured, it's not that essential to the story of Elsa, the lionness, and it might be disturbing to younger viewers, so leave it out. But then, a later relapse is portrayed in pretty graphic detail. It seems to come almost out of the blue, and will likely confuse younger viewers who may not have seen it coming from the brief mention in the voiceover narration.Films aimed at children, and their families, often seem to cut corners this way. In the case of a film based on real life, as this one is, there is also the question of just how much dramatic license to take. I never read Adamson's book on which the film is based, but it seems like the movie version must have hewed fairly closely to the text. There are scenes such as the "roving lion in the night" sequence that promise some drama--and some danger--only to pretty much peter out in the end.If that's the case, the filmmakers are actually to be commended for not taking too many liberties with the text. But better direction, overall pacing and editing can help spice up scenes like these, ones where the action is muted, because in real life, the danger really did pass, or was not as great as it seemed to begin with.None of this is meant to suggest that the film is not worth seeing. They really DON'T make 'em like this any more. Nowadays, Elsa would have had to engage in a battle royal with the roving lion that prowls around the camp at night, and the computer graphics would be dazzling but ultimately misleading. Parents and children alike will appreciate this film's slower pace, its implicit message on the reverence and preservation of the natural world (an even more vital question today than it was then). In an era when the need to protect and preserve wildlife and its habitat is even clearer than it was 40 years ago, BORN FREE serves as a reminder that there is much work to be done--but that it's well worth the effort.