A Lion Called Christian
2009 · 45 MIN · IMDB 8.0 · 142 VOTES · DIR. Jackie Osei Tutu, Suemay Oram
Overview
In 2008, a clip posted on YouTube featuring an emotional reunion between a young lion and his owners became an internet sensation. Overnight people wanted to know more about what lay behind this clip. The two men in question, Anthony 'Ace' Bourke and John Rendall, have published an updated best-selling version of their account of how they came to buy Christian the lion from a London department store in the late 60s. They explain how they lived with the lion whilst working in a furniture shop down the King's Road in what was then the tail end of the swinging 60s and how they eventually came to introduce their lion into the wild under the watchful eye of lion expert, George Adamson.
Dialogue Timeline - 490 lines
A SAMPLE ACROSS THE RUNTIME - EVERY LINE IS SEARCHABLE
00:00:06 # Yeah #
00:01:51 # You really got me You really got me #
00:03:28 And we just kind of looked at each other and said, "Right, we're gonna buy him. "
00:05:34 He was very imaginative and was very good at making up games.
00:07:21 As Christian grew bigger, so did the challenges of raising an African lion in a city.
00:09:05 and our bank manager opened an account for him which is where he could put his money in.
00:11:15 they would put their arms around him.
00:13:22 But signalling very clearly, "I am having this, don't try take it away from me. "
00:15:26 It told the true story of an orphaned lion cub, Elsa, who was successfully reintroduced into the wild.
00:17:24 Christian could stay at their country home in Dorking, Surrey, until the Kenyans gave their verdict.
00:19:47 And the delay meant that the ten-month-old Christian was outgrowing his compound.
00:21:36 and we weren't really sure if he'd survive the journey.
00:23:26 So I turned round to Christian and said, "Yes! Yes! We're gonna be alright. "
00:25:06 Katania, an orphaned lioness cub, and Boy, an adult male, born and domesticated in Africa.
00:26:52 walked up to this rock to where Boy was sitting.
00:28:46 You've really got a chance.
00:30:46 In the eight months since John and Ace left
00:32:39 Tony Fitzjohn, a 25 year old with a love of wildlife, joined George Adamson at Kora.
00:34:44 He kept walking slowly, slowly down towards us.
00:37:07 Ace and John were confident that Christian had found his place in Africa.
00:39:14 and that he'd been disappearing for months on end.
00:41:06 We were all smoking cigarettes in those days and drinking
00:42:46 giving him back his freedom.
01:09:06 the proud new owners of a lion cub called Christian.