Africa in the movies, back in the day

 (I translated Korean to English with the help of AI.)  

(There are spoilers for the movies "Hatari!" and "Born Free".)

There is a TV documentary called "동물의 왕국" (Animal Kingdom). It was so famous that it was used almost like a pronoun referring to animal documentaries. It's simply amazing that it's still being broadcast. Works that gave me a fresh shock, like "동물의 왕국," among the movies I watched when I was young, are now flashing through my memory.

It would be impossible not to mention the region of Africa when dealing with animals. Many films that seriously focused on animals were set in Africa. The movies "Hatari!" and "Born Free" are probably the most representative examples. What's surprising is that there still haven't been other feature films that have continued their legacy.

My memories of the movie "Hatari!" are only faint fragments. What remains most vivid are the fact that the protagonist was John Wayne, the sight of off-road vehicles racing across the African savanna, and Henry Mancini's theme music, "Baby Elephant Walk".

Unlike having few memories of the movie Hatari!, I have relatively many memories of the movie "Born Free." This is probably due to my preference for the movie's story.

The story of "Born Free" is about a lion cub named Elsa who loses her mother and is raised by the protagonist couple. It's the story of Elsa returning to nature after becoming an adult. The scene where Elsa, raised by humans, struggles to adapt to nature but finally returns to it in the end remains deeply impressive. The movie must have been successful because a sequel came out, and I could also see Elsa's cubs. The theme song of this movie is also truly famous. It's a song titled "Born Free," the same as the movie's original title.

The perspective on nature has likely changed a lot between when the two movies above were released and now. From today's perspective on nature conservation, the two movies, "Hatari!" and "Born Free," would likely have many aspects that could be criticized. On the other hand, it also makes us feel more ashamed of how much we are currently damaging nature. One thing for sure is that the appearance of the African savanna captured by the cameras in those two movies back then does not remain today. The baby elephants that walked sprightly, and Elsa who returned to her place as a top predator, are now on the verge of extinction.

"Link to the Korean original"