Born Free: A New Adventure (1996) (TV)

Director:

Tommy Lee Wallace

Writers (WGA):

Joy Adamson (characters from the book "Born Free")
John McGreevey (written by)

Release Date:

27 April 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure | Family

Plot:

Another thrilling adventure for Elsa the lioness as she works her magic on two teenagers struggling with changes in their life |

Plot Keywords:

Lion Cub | Africa | Animal Rights | Biologist | Lioness

Cast

Jonathan Brandis	...	Randolph 'Rand' Thompson
Ariana Richards	...	Valerie 'Val' Porter
Chris Noth	...	Dr. David Thompson
Lea Moreno Young	...	Gina Thompson (as Lea Moreno)
Linda Purl	...	Eleanor Porter
John Matshikiza	...	George Luello
Pamela Nomvete	...	Ondine Luello
Siyabonga Twala	...	Jomo
Florence Masebe	...	Frances
Wandile Molebatse	...	Nik Nik
Vicky Kente	...	Selena Wilkinson

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Lanseria, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Company:

Franklin/Waterman Productions

Movie Connections:

Followed by To Walk with Lions (1999)

Elsa #2

Eleanor Porter (Linda Purl) is a nurse/practitioner in a South African clinic, who is given David Thompson (Chris Noth), a Chicago biological researcher with a 2 year grant and 2 children, Rand (Jonathan Brandis) and Jena (Lea Moreno). Eleanor has her own daughter Val (Arianna Richards), who cares for a domesticated lion cub Elsa, before she is due to be shipped to a zoo. Rand and Val want Elsa to be integrated back into the wild instead, and train her to this end. Will it work?

Purl's role doesn't give her much to play, an initial resentment of David because he got the grant her friend wanted, an equally worried parent when Rand and Val run away, and finally a supporter of the cause, however there is an amusing edit from a closeup of her to a wilderbeast. And despite Eleanor's seemingly stronger position, her sparring with David works against her because Noth is the funnier performer.

The teleplay by John McGreevey, based on characters from the book Born Free by Joy Adamson, has the audacity to actually have Rand and Val told to read Adamson's book for tips! Talk about self-reverential. Although presumably pitched as a children's film, director Tommy Lee Wallace allows Brandis to deliver a mannered James Dean-inspired polymorphously perverse performance, supplies an artificial looking crocodile to interrupt the Blue Lagoon teen romance, and uses stock footage for Elsa's in the wild tests.