Elsa's Legacy: The Born Free Story

This fascinating episode from the PBS-aired NATURE series tells the tale of George and Joy Adamson—the game warden and author, respectively, who inspired 1966's Born Free. When George shot a lioness in self-defense, he orphaned three cubs, one of which the couple named Elsa and raised to adulthood. Narrated by Chris Morgan, Elsa's Legacy relies more on home-movie footage and readings from George's 1987 My Pride and Joy memoir than clips from the film (although excerpts from John Barry's famous score are featured, along with some unnecessary dramatic re-creations). Interviewees include George's assistants, Johnny Baxendale and Tony Fitzjohn; naturalist David Attenborough, who filmed the couple in Kenya; and actress Virginia McKenna, who portrayed Joy in Born Free (she notes that Joy treated Elsa just like her own child). Unable to conceive, Joy told Attenborough, “I love Elsa more than I love any man” (suffice to say, the Adamsons would live apart for much of their lives). When the Adamsons first attempted to return Elsa to the wild, the animal found herself unprepared and returned to the humans, although she eventually learned to fend for herself. Illness would claim her life, but the saga continued as George worked as a trainer for the film Born Free, and later created a camp for lions. Ironically, although the big cats did them no harm, both Adamsons met violent ends at the hands of men. Sadly, the lion population they sought to improve has declined by 90 percent since their famous movie. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Fennessy)