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Title: Born Free (1966)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Virginia McKenna | ... | Joy Adamson | |
| Bill Travers | ... | George Adamson | |
| Geoffrey Keen | ... | Kendall | |
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Peter Lukoye | ... | Nuru |
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Omar Chambati | ... | Makkede |
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Bill Godden | ... | Sam |
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Bryan Epsom | ... | Baker |
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Robert Cheetham | ... | Ken |
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Robert S. Young | ... | James (as Robert Young) |
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Geoffrey Best | ... | Watson |
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Surya Patel | ... | Doctor |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Married couple George Adamson and Joy Adamson have long lived in northern Kenya for George's work as the senior game warden of the region. One of George's primary responsibilities is to deal with dangerous animals that may be chronically threatening to humans, livestock and/or crops. It is in this vein that George and his staff end up killing a man eating lion and its lioness, resulting in their three young female cubs being orphaned. Although difficult to begin, George and Joy are able to wean and take care of the three cubs, who they adopt as pets. But soon, they know they have to provide a more suitable environment for the cubs, namely sending them to Rotterdam Zoo... that is except for the smallest, who they have named Elsa and to who Joy in particular has become attached as the emotional fighter among the three. As Elsa grows into lioness maturity, George and Joy provide her with greater freedom away from their property, which may get her into trouble as a largely tame animal. ... Written by Huggo
Taglines:
The book that enthralled 50 million readers...Now a Great Motion Picture! See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG for some wild animal action and brief language | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
22 June 1966 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Frei geboren - Königin der Wildnis See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
[Joy cries sitting out on the hood of the truck as they ride in search of the young lioness]
George Adamson: Let's try this.
[2 shots ring out from his gun. George sees Elsa stumbling through the grass, approaching their vehicle]
Joy Adamson: all my nightmares had come true.
[Now Elsa rests in their tent as they argue over her]
George Adamson: ...she can't make it. she can't think. she can't mix with her own kind... She can't do anything the wild animals do to survive. You've done too good a job on her. You've made her tame. It's ...
[...]
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by John Barry
Lyrics by Don Black
Sung by Matt Monro
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
After the filming of Born Free, George Adamson started a lion reserve, Kora Reserve, in Kenya. He founded it specifically to help rehabilitate the lions used in the film. A documentary, The Lions Are Free (1967), was made about him and the reserve, and tells what happened to the lions Boy, Girl, Ugas, Mara, Henrietta, and Little Elsa, and other lions that appeared in the first film. George Adamson rehabilitated many of these lions after Born Free was completed. See more »Goofs
When George and Joy Adamson go swimming with Elsa they do not have any sports equipment with them. However, George is seen wearing a diving mask and snorkel while swimming as well as George and Joy playing keep away with a ball while on the beach after swimming. See more »Quotes
Joy Adamson: Elsa, Elsa[Joy cries sitting out on the hood of the truck as they ride in search of the young lioness]
George Adamson: Let's try this.
[2 shots ring out from his gun. George sees Elsa stumbling through the grass, approaching their vehicle]
Joy Adamson: all my nightmares had come true.
[Now Elsa rests in their tent as they argue over her]
George Adamson: ...she can't make it. she can't think. she can't mix with her own kind... She can't do anything the wild animals do to survive. You've done too good a job on her. You've made her tame. It's ...
[...]
See more »
Soundtracks
Born Free(uncredited)
Music by John Barry
Lyrics by Don Black
Sung by Matt Monro
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
Joy Adamson and her husband, Kenya game warden George Adamson, bring up a lion cub Elsa, but later they have to teach her about the wild and free life she was born to.
Warm, good-looking but rather casually assembled screen version of a highly popular bestseller, with irresistible animal shots that made it enormously successful at the box-office - and over the years a family film "par excellence". It started a cycle then and was followed by the less successful "Living Free".