Favorite Lion Documentaries

[TheBlackCatCrossing]

Awhile back, I was watching The Last Lions. It's a really good docu from National Geographic and it's beautifully narrated by Jeremy Irons. Do yourself a favor if you have not seen it. It's more than just a nature show, it tells a story about a lioness and her quest for survival. It's very strong in a lot of places.

I was thinking, there are some very good lions documentaries. I know a lot of us began studying lions because of a certain little movie. Which ones are your favorites?

1. Last Lions-Self explanatory :-p

2. Lions of Darkness-I still have this on VHS. There is a cub named Tau and his story is tragic. His mom dies after a hyena attack. He's the smallest of the cubs. The three males in this docu took the pride from an older male lion and it's very poignant seeing how much they depend on the lionesses for survival. He comes back at the end and well, it's very emotional because that time he is severely malnourished. The Jouberts did a wonderful job chronicling the trials of these lions.

3. Eternal Enemies Lions and Hyenas-Now THIS was depressing as Hell. I saw it as a little kid and did not watch it again until I was a teenager. This is also by NatGeo. As a kid I did not like it but now that I am older I appreciate it a lot more. This showed me that the hatred between lions and hyenas is brutal. There is a part where the hyena matriarch taunts one of the two male lions by marking where he marked. This male lion is called 'The Hyena Killer'. The matriarch of the hyena clan has babies and a lioness from the pride has cubs. This is not for the squeamish or sensitive. The music was haunting and beautiful.

Also recommended: Tigers of the snow, The Unlikely Leopard, The Leopard Queen, African Cats.

Has anyone else seen these? Any recs?

[le0]

Haven't really watched any.

[TheBlackCatCrossing]

Has ANYONE???

[TheLionPrince]

I've heard about The Last Lions, though I haven't watched it. However, I have seen have African Cats, and I loved it!

[Regulus]

What about Christian the Lion? And Born Free?

There's also White Lion, but that was neither a documentary, nor anything great... although it was about a lion so it is worth mentioning by default.

[TheBlackCatCrossing]

[quote="Regulus"]What about Christian the Lion? And Born Free?

There's also White Lion, but that was neither a documentary, nor anything great... although it was about a lion so it is worth mentioning by default. [/quote]


^I never saw those. I would like to, though. I know that "Born Free" was referred to in Mad Men, it's a drama on AMC that takes place in the 1960s. My aunt's name is Elsa which I found amusing. I saw it and i was all 'NO WAY!'

[cleargreenwater]

Eternal Enemies is harsh, brutal, and an utter classic for that reason. I've noticed while the cinematography of documentaries may have gotten less squeamish in terms of gory high-def footage, I don't think "nature red in tooth and claw" has been so remorselessly displayed & made the primary focus of one since. I don't think another one like Eternal Enemies could or would ever be made again. Princess! D: And one wicked bad trip

It's kind of like the joke about wildlife documentaries though that they depress the hell out of you

This other show I saw on African Wild Dogs is my newest example, after following the pack for months & watching the pups all grow up they all, ALL, get rabies and the last ten minute of the show is just these 2 dozen AWDs stumbling around blindly attacking each other foaming at the mouth and slowly starving & dehydrating to death. They ALL die, it was something. Moving, but at the same time I felt abused and angry at the filmmaker for pulling a fast one like that on me after an hour

....I saw the Tau one, but never had any idea what it was called! That's the problem with these things when they show them, unless it's one they're really proud of like Last Lions, they don't really give a specific title for it most of the time you're watching and then you can never find them again >_<

Case in point, I saw one a few years ago on the current pride decending from the Maneaters of Tsavo. No idea what is was called though, it's lost to me. But it's out there, really!

One recent one I saw that I caught & remember the name of is Planet Carnivore: Lion. Alec Baldwin narrates; he's done a lot of wildlife documentaries lately, I never would've saw that development in his career but I guess Jeremy Irons was a one-shot deal & Mike Rowe is already too busy

I have a lot of fun with this one show called "The Pack", too. Each episode features a different predator (one of them is lions, of course!) & it talks about their hunting techniques & strategies, but it's really fun about it, like it gives the basic educational info about the animal's physical adaptations and then maps out the kill with a graphic like going over a football play, then shows footage of the hunt & why it worked (or didn't). A little glossy, but a different spin on the documentary concept and accessible to a wide audience, I've watched it with non- nature-doc people and their eyes didn't glaze over.

[Woeler]

The last lioness from National Geographic is one of the best I have ever watched. (No, not the last lions. The last lioness)

[quote]A haunting call echoes across the Liuwa Plain. There is no answer, there hasn't been for years. She has no pride, no support - she alone must safeguard her own survival. Her name is Lady Liuwa, and she is the Last Lioness. Isolated by a scourge of illegal trophy hunting that wiped out the rest of her species in the region, Lady Liuwa is the only known resident lion surviving on Zambia's Liuwa Plain. For four years, cameraman Herbert Brauer watched her lonely life unfold, until, in her solitude, she reached out to him for companionship.[/quote]

And of course: Kevin Richardson - Dangerous companions

[quote]Lions are some of the most dangerous animals known to man. BUT there is one man who is part of their pride. Kevin Richardson, an outdoorsman who lives just 30 miles north of Johannesburg, has an amazing ability to communicate with some of Africas most feared predators. His conservation area is home to lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards and panthers. He is able to live with them, sleep curled up with them, swim with lionesses, caress cubs and tussle with males. This exciting and touching series will take viewers on a journey to the stunning African wilderness, giving them an exclusive insight into the life of the real Lion Whisperer.[/quote]

[cleargreenwater]

[quote="Woeler1"]And of course: Kevin Richardson - Dangerous companions

[quote]Lions are some of the most dangerous animals known to man. BUT there is one man who is part of their pride. Kevin Richardson, an outdoorsman who lives just 30 miles north of Johannesburg, has an amazing ability to communicate with some of Africas most feared predators. His conservation area is home to lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards and panthers. He is able to live with them, sleep curled up with them, swim with lionesses, caress cubs and tussle with males. This exciting and touching series will take viewers on a journey to the stunning African wilderness, giving them an exclusive insight into the life of the real Lion Whisperer.[/quote][/quote]

I have not seen or heard of this guy, and it seems from what I can gather that the animals are in his care on a rescue preserve, so I will give it a shot.

I really have to say though, I strongly dislike the cult of personality much wildlife programing has become in the wake of Steve Irwin, and in most cases am extremely displeased at human/animal integration for the sake of ratings/documentary story arch because all it does is needlessly acclimatize wild animals to humans which is dangerous/bad for both in the long run, and even on a superficial level detracts from viewer's time spent just appreciating the animals on their own merits. I just recently watched an otherwise very interesting hyena documentary that I did not recommend on principle for this reason.

So....before I go look him up, is this guy gonna piss me off?

[Woeler]

[quote="cleargreenwater"]is this guy gonna piss me off? [/quote]
Considering what you stated: Definitely