THE LION

US, 1962, 96 minutes, Colour.
William Holden, Trevor Howard, Capucine, Pamela Franklin.
Directed by Jack Cardiff.

The Lion was intended to be family entertainment and blends marital melodrama with African-type travelogue. The film is directed by former photographer Jack Cardiff who had mixed success with the choice of his projects for direction e.g. The Long Ships, Girl On A Motor Cycle. William Holden and Trevor Howard are able to handle the melodramatics and Capucine is a rather stolid heroine. Pamela Franklin was a vigorous child actress (e.g. The Innocents, The Third Secret) and the film focuses well on her and the relationship with her pet lion. Younger audiences might get fidgety with the adult story but will probably enjoy the African background, the animals and Pamela Franklin.

1. The focus of attention in the film? As illustrated in the film?

2. How enjoyable was the film? For what audience? The basic plot, the style and treatment?

3. The importance of colour, African locations, details of the animals?

4. The focus of the film on Tina? The explanation of her family background, her difficulties, her boy-like appearance? Her love for the lion? her wildness in the face of dangers? Her relationship with her mother? Her reliance on Bullit? Meeting her father? Matter-of-fact speech? Her clipped and sophisticated speech? Her loneliness and problems?

5. How convincing a character was the mother, her explanation of the consequences of decisions? The divorce from her husband and her leaving him? Her marrying Bullit? How much love? Her concern for her daughter’s love for her former husband? How convincing the reconciliation and her leaving?

6. How egotistical was the father? His capacity of love for his wife, for his daughter? What did he hope to achieve in Africa, trying to remove her from danger? The clashes with Bullit? What future would the family have?

7. How convincing and interesting a character was Bullit? Capacity for work and his skill? His love for his wife and daughter? His knowledge of the natives, his shooting of the lion? His final decision? how much strength of character?

8. The importance of the daughter? her crisis of her way of life, the dangers? Being rescued by her father? Her not wanting the lion to be killed? Her reaction to its death? was she happy at the end?

9. The atmosphere of realism, African customs, the death of the chief?

10. How valuable an exploration of human themes? How convincing?