by Jon Partridge
Born Free is one of those films that everyone seems to know about but many have not seen, its presence largely manifested by its now iconic theme song. After I proclaimed mad love for fellow big cat adventure Roar last year, the Cinapse crew felt it appropriate I visit this classic for the first time, newly sourced and released by the wonderful folk at Twilight Time. One thing’s for certain, Born Free is a very different beast to Roar.
Based on a true story, Born Free follows a British couple George (Bill Travers) and Joy (Virginia McKenna), who work as game wardens in Kenya. Fate gifts them several orphaned lion cubs to raise who are later gifted to a local zoo save one, Elsa, with whom Joy has forged a particularly strong bond. They form a strong family unit, but as Elsa becomes fully grown her more wild tendencies put the safety of the area at risk and alarm the local peoples. Finding the idea of sending her into captivity abhorrent, George and Joy begin trying to train Elsa to try and make her less domesticated and reintegrate her back into the wild.
George and Joy taking it upon themselves to act as foster parents makes for a rather endearing core to the film, a maternal bond between Joy and Elsa driving the plot and much of the emotional resonance of the film. The first act of Born Free is akin to a family friendly drama, focusing largely on George and Joy and their life with Elsa, from amusing sequences with the lively cubs scampering around their compound causing mischief to eventually weaving in the mounting concerns of her presence in their lives as she grows. After this, the pair set out with Elsa on a mission to reintroduce her to the Kenyan plains, with the film blending in largely authentic footage of lions interacting to showcase her return to her own kind.
Similarly to Roar, the film touches on themes of respecting these animals as well as their habitat. Joy’s connection to Elsa and love for her makes her reel at the prospect of seeing her go into captivity, even it it would ensure her safety. A domesticated animal being reintroduced to the wild is unlikely to survive. Their process of retraining/undomesticating her pulls at the heartstrings and also shows the rawness of the Kenyan landscape. It lacks the batshit entertainment quality of Roar, but its message is heartfelt and far more subtle.
THE PACKAGEDirector James Hill turned in a film that makes use of much of the Kenyan landscape but showcases little of the grandeur of the land. It’s more perfunctory than polished. Still, the picture quality here is very well done; it’s a new restoration that shows good detail, color, and contrast.
Special features include an isolated score which is a highlight; wonderfully composed by John Barry, it is one of the most impressive features of the film. A teaser and full trailer are also present but the most significant addition is a audio commentary with Jon Burlingame, who authored John Barry’s biography, together with Twilight Time film buffs Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman.
THE BOTTOM LINEAnchored by a natural performance between real-life husband and wife McKenna and Travers, Born Free is a family friendly drama that deftly builds an emotional punch. Thrown in some well integrated big cat footage and the rousing score of John Barry and it’s evident why it’s regarded as a classic. Twilight Time’s release provides the perfect way to revisit it.
Born Free is available from Twilight Time now in a Limited Edition release of 3,000 units.