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Born Free / Living Free [1966] [DVD] [1996]
 
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Born Free / Living Free [1966] [DVD] [1996]

DVD ~ Nigel Davenport
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Born Free / Living Free [1966] [DVD] [1996] + Christian - The Lion At World's End [DVD] + A Lion Called Christian
Price For All Three: £22.15

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Born Free / Living Free [1966] [DVD] [1996]
77% buy the item featured on this page:
Born Free / Living Free [1966] [DVD] [1996] 4.2 out of 5 stars (8)
£6.18
Christian - The Lion At World's End [DVD]
8% buy
Christian - The Lion At World's End [DVD] 5.0 out of 5 stars (9)
£8.98
A Lion Called Christian
7% buy
A Lion Called Christian 4.4 out of 5 stars (15)
£6.99
A Lion Called Christian [DVD]
6% buy
A Lion Called Christian [DVD] 5.0 out of 5 stars (5)
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Product details

  • Actors: Nigel Davenport, Susan Hampshire, Geoffrey Keen, Peter Lukoye, Shane De Louvre
  • Directors: Jack Couffer
  • Writers: Joy Adamson, Millard Kaufman
  • Producers: Carl Foreman, Paul B. Radin
  • Format: PAL, Widescreen, Colour
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: U
  • Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 12 Jan 2004
  • Run Time: 204 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0000UM0E4
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,705 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Born Free is a bona fide family classic. The tale of how Kenya game warden George Adamson and his wife Joy (on whose book the film is based, with Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers in the principal roles) adopted and raised three orphaned lion cubs, taking a particular shine to the one they call Elsa before helping her return to the wild, is familiar by now; so is John Barry's Oscar-winning title song. And while the movie has its flaws (it contains references to "Bwana George" and such that would be considered frightfully un-PC nowadays), the animal footage, especially that of the lions in their various stages of development, is extraordinary and timelessly entertaining.

The 1972 sequel doesn't quite measure up to its predecessor but, in an era when most "family entertainment" tends toward the insipid at best, Living Free is still a worthwhile venture. Susan Hampshire and Nigel Davenport take over the roles of Joy and George Adamson, the British couple who, while stationed in Kenya, adopted three orphaned lion cubs. Living Free finds the dying Elsa, their favourite of the original three and now a mother herself, returning to the Adamsons, who must figure out what to do with Elsa's three cubs, who develop an unfortunate appetite for domestic livestock. The film is on the slow side, but once again it's the animals who steal the show; the footage of the young lions interacting with other beasts, from wild giraffes and rhinos to a pet dog, is remarkable. --Sam Graham

DVD Description
Born Free:
Born Free tells the story of Joy Adamson and her husband, Kenyan game warden George Adamson, who raise Elsa, a lion cub. When Elsa approaches maturity, Joy determines she must re-educate Elsa to living in the wild so that the lioness can return to a free life.

Living Free:
In the sequel Living Free, the heartwarming story of three lion cubs struggling to survive in one of nature's most treacherous settings is brought to life.

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (3)
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, 25 Mar 2007
By Akida93 (Earth) - See all my reviews
This film adaptation which was made in 1966 (not 1996!) stays mostly true to the original book. It tells the tale of three orphaned lion cubs, two of which are sent to zoos. The other, Elsa, develops a strong bond with her owners. But of course, she's a lioness, not a pussycat, and eventually she grows too big. Not wanting her to go to a zoo, her owner Joy Adamson tries to release her back into the wild.

Although not as good as th original, the sequel Living Free makes great eye-candy, showing some adorable scenes with the cubs, and some stunning footage of wildlife (they actually caught a cheetah catching its prey).

I saw these films when I was about ten, and I am 13 now. They stay very loyal to the books, and well, if you haven't read, I suggest read them then watch the films. Highly recommended.

(How could you say these films are 'gruesome.' It's quite tame compared to what I've seen on so-called 'children's TV.' And besides, you can't sugarcoat everything for children. Next time, try explaining to your kids that this is a film about wild animals, not cute little fairies.)
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars One of the all-time great animal films plus one of the all-time worst sequels, 24 Nov 2007
By Trevor Willsmer (London, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)      
Along with Lassie Come Home, Born Free is probably the gold standard of animal movies in terms, and there's a lotto like in this story of Joy Adamson and her gamekeeper husband trying to return the domesticated lioness Elsa to the wild: the lion cubs are cute, the Scope wildlife photography still impressive and John Barry's score especially beautiful (the famous Matt Munro song was added to the end titles after the film was already on release. Where it shows its age is when the humans take centre-stage. At times Virginia McKenna can be a bit too head girl of the hockey school as Joy Adamson for a modern audience - while the Adamsons' real-life relationship was so tempestuous they spent much of their lives apart (Travers recalled that during filming whenever George was in the doghouse, Joy would treat him with equal condescension), their movie incarnations are so determinedly nice they make characters from Disney films of the 60s look like axe murderers. That said, McKenna and Travers are one of the few real-life married couples who make a convincing couple onscreen, bringing a comfortable familiarity to their scenes that smoothes over some of the more twee dialogue.

Its surprise success after a slow start led to director James Hill reluctantly being typecast on many of the slew of similar animal films that followed in its wake while his two stars started the Born Free foundation to release zoo animals into the wild. It also led to a very unfortunate sequel, though none of the key players apart from Carl Foreman would return.

Living Free is one of those obscure sequels to huge hits that most people don't even know exist. In this case it's not hard to see why: it's pretty awful. Susan Hampshire and Nigel Davenport make poor replacements for Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna. While you wouldn't expect them to match the original couple's easy familiarity, these two don't look like they've even been introduced yet. Worse, the film is a clumsy mess, the first quarter a clumsy rehash of the first film mixing stock footage with awkward reshot word-for-word versions of scenes restaged by the new stars with all the confidence of a blindfolded kid with both legs tied together trying to hit a piñata (although you do get to see Geoffrey Keen play a scene identically to his performance with the more experienced stars). When the plot does get going in the last half hour there are some genuinely tense scenes as they attempt to cage Elsa the Lioness's cubs to take them to a new reserve before they are destroyed as a menace to local farms, but you'll probably have given up by then. It doesn't even have the benefit of Scope photography or a John Barry score to sugar the pill, often looking more like a poor TV pilot than a real film (and indeed a TV series did briefly follow, albeit with a new cast). Not good.

The only extras are the original theatrical trailers.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Born Free, 20 Mar 2007
By J. Barker-mccardle (Kent, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I have only seen Born Free, however at such a low price I would recommend buying this 2 film set. Born Free is a classic film that will have you crying and smiling, I watched this film as a child and it became a firm favourite of mine. The music for this film is excellent and really sets the tone of the film, I can find no fault with this film and I will always have fond memories of it. It may look dated now as it was produced in 1996 but the essence of the film makes up for this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Born Free
I remember going to the cinema with my parents more than 25 years back to see Born Free, it was one of these films that you always remember as a child. Read more
Published 2 months ago by FBoyd

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless
As suggested, this is a classic. Although the more PC may be offended by the obvious colonialism you must look beyond that and you will find a truly moving story... Read more
Published 4 months ago by T. A. Doyle

5.0 out of 5 stars A timeless classic
When I ask my friends nowadays if they have ever heard of Born Free, the answer is almost always "no". And that's a real shame. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Chantal Lyons

2.0 out of 5 stars gruesome scenes
Although rated 'U' this film really shocked my children (aged 5 and 8). it shows graphic scenes of a human being killed by a lion, a lion being shot, etc. Read more
Published on 15 Sep 2006 by Kate

4.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
This is a great story of a orphan female lion named Elsa... Created by humans Elsa enjoys life like a big domestic cat... but it will be a time to became a real lion...
Published on 15 Feb 2004

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