In the past 50 years, the lion population has dropped from 450,000 to 20,000 and the filmmakers don’t shy away from the brutal nature of lions. However, their documentary, “The Last Lions” is a stunning portrait of an African lioness while also providing some reasons the numbers of lions is dwindling. When the documentary opens, a group of lions invades from the north, descending on the Okavango Delta of Botswana. The newcomers have been displaced by human encroachment and are in search of a new home, which leads to conflict between two groups of lions. When the invaders win and kill the lioness’s mate, Ma di Tau (mother of lions), as she is called, and her three cubs, are left homeless. She ends up fording a river, something lions rarely do, in order to start a new life that includes dramatic battles against massive buffalo, confrontations with hyenas and a strategic alliance to ensure the safety of her cubs.
The suspenseful action sequences and emotional drama is enhanced by a moving score as well as solid narration from Jeremy Irons. And the South African husband-and-wife documentary team, Dereck and Beverly Joubert, have a knack for capturing both the big picture as well as the tiny details, such as the bloodied tip of a buffalo’s horn, which portends a tragic end for one of the cubs. Some of the violence is hard to watch, especially one scene in which Ma di Tau takes on a defenseless baby buffalo. However, she ends up battling with the calf’s mother, who comes to the defense of her baby. It’s hard to decide who to root for when you know defeat for Ma di Tau means she and her cubs will go hungry. “The Last Lions” is a story of a mother’s love, of survival, of triumph, a story that certainly stretches beyond the animal kingdom. 2/21/11
1 comment:
An interesting documnetary about the life of a lion family and the shameful way we as humans have failed the lion population of the world. Wild animals seem to do pretty well until man shows up to ruin the environment and no one seems to care?
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