In Kenya, a little girl (Pamela Franklin) lives really the African nature by befriending a fully grown lion and following native rites , as her mother (Capucine) , worried that her daughter may be turning into a savage , summons Tina's American father (William Holden) to help to return her to domesticity and the States (Conneticut) and as attempt to civilise this wild chid . Meanwhile, her veteran hunter stepfather (Trevor Howard) believes this is a marvellous environment for her to grow up in and her mom becomes increasingly concerned by her behaviour . Two Men Obsessed By a Woman Who Desired Them Both..."He'd tear you to pieces if I gave the word."
A cross-eyed savannah drama with a lot of wildlife , in which a little girl allegedly turns a Wild Child and adding a triangular romance among Holden-Capucine-Howard . The plot is light and simple , as a free small girl named Tina lives with her mother and stepfather on a wildlife reserve in Kenya but things go wrong when comes her biological father along with his fostered one . Quartet starring are frankly fabulous . Capucine is very good as the mummy who attempts to bring Tina back to civilization and give her a civilized upbringing . William Holden is fine as Tina's biological father , who is called and invited by his ex-spouse to come over from America in the hope that he can take her back to civilization to civilise this wild child ; ironically , in real life Holden liked Kenya so much that he decided to live there . Trevor Howard as the game warden stepfather who has to swallow his pride is pretty good . But is Pamela Franklin who steals the show as the little girl Tina whose best friend results to be a lion and along the way she embraces local customs . Special mention for colorful and brilliant cinematography by Ted Scaife . Shot on location in Kenya , being sumptuously photographed in exotic locations in the best travelogue style . As well as rousing , impressive mussical score by Malcolm Arnold , incuding an attractive and enjoyable leitmotif .
The motion picture was competently directed by Jack Cardiff . This cameraman/fillmaker made a few films as Dark of the sun, The girl on the motorcycle, Sons and Lovers ,My Geisha, Intent to Kill, The long ships , The liquidator , The Mutations , but his biggest successes were as a great cinematographer . As Cardiff become impressed with the use of light and color in paintings by the age of seven or eight, and described how he watched art directors in theaters painting backdrops setting lights. His friendship with Edward Scaife who photographed splendidly this The Lion and Ted Moore led them to work as camera assistants in this period when both worked in a camera department run by Freddie Young , who would also become a legendary cinematographer . Jack worked for Alfred Hitchcock during the filming of The skin game (1931). This led to his operating camera for the first Technicolor film shot in Britain , Wings of the Morning (1937). He finally was offered the full position of director of photography by Michael Powell for A matter of life and death (1946), ironically working in B&W for the first time in some sequences. His next assignment was on Black Narcissus (1947), where he acknowledged the influence of painters Vermeer and Caravaggio and their use of shadow. He won the Academy Award for best color cinematography for this film . Jack certainly got to travel when it was decided to shoot African Queen (1951) on location in the Congo and in Africa also filmed this The Lion (1962) .
