On-location shooting in East Africa lends credibility to this mostly predictable family saga about an American lawyer who travels to his ex-wife's wildlife sanctuary in Kenya to see his estranged pre-teen daughter; turns out the youngster has become an out-of-control little creature who runs with the animals, in particular a full-grown lion named King. The wife's new husband, a former safari hunter, is threatened by the male intruder, while the ex-hubby is distressed over his daughter's upbringing (she displays an advanced education, yet her see-sawing emotions--much like her mother's--reveal a troublesome undercurrent). Just a year after her mercurial performance in "The Innocents", young Pamela Franklin once again does forceful acting work; her maliciousness is very mature for a child, and her glassy-eyed intensity is impeccable and scary at the same time. Still, it's understandable why this girl never became an audience favorite: her brash independence and wizened superiority is rather a turn-off for most adults (perhaps kids, too). In the grown-up roles, William Holden stays commendably in a lower key while chilly marrieds Capucine and Trevor Howard do their best to make him as uncomfortable as possible. Mixture of family dynamics melodrama and African travelogue isn't enthralling entertainment, although the cinematography is good, as is Malcolm Arnold's buoyant score. ** from ****
Review of The Lion
