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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Born Free” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Matt Monro | |
| from the album Born Free soundtrack | |
| B-side | “Other People” |
| Released | 1966 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:07 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Songwriter(s) | John Barry, Don Black |
| Matt Monro singles chronology | |
| “Beyond the Hill” (1966)”Born Free“ (1966)”Honey on the Vine” (1966) |
| “Born Free” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Roger Williams | |
| from the album Born Free | |
| B-side | “Jimmie’s Train” |
| Released | July 1966 |
| Length | 2:22 |
| Label | Kapp |
| Songwriter(s) | John Barry, Don Black |
| Producer(s) | Hy Grill |
| Roger Williams singles chronology | |
| “Lara’s Theme from ‘Dr. Zhivago’“ (1966)”Born Free“ (1966)”Sunrise, Sunset“ (1967) |
“Born Free” is a popular song with music by John Barry and lyrics by Don Black. It was written for the 1966 film of the same name and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Original version
The song’s composers, John Barry and Don Black, asked British singer Matt Monro, who was managed by Black at the time, to record the song for the film’s soundtrack. The producers of the film considered the song uncommercial, however, and deleted it from the print shown at its Royal Command premiere in London. When Monro, who attended the event, made Black aware of the edit, they successfully lobbied the producers to restore it. Monro’s interpretation appeared over the closing credits in a shortened version recorded especially for the film, which enabled it to qualify for the Academy Award. Monro’s complete commercial recording was released on the film’s soundtrack album and became the singer’s signature tune for the remainder of his career.
Charted versions
Matt Monro’s version never charted. However, Roger Williams recorded a cover which was noted for its use of a male chorus, heard in the second half of the song after the instrumental section. The song reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult contemporary chart for six non-consecutive weeks in September/October 1966
The r&b group the Hesitations recorded a cover that peaked at #38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.
“Born Free” also appeared on the Vic Reeves album I Will Cure You. Released as a single, this version peaked at #6 in the UK Singles Chart in 1991.
In popular culture
- A recording by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was featured in the 2005 film Madagascar.
- The song is featured on the 2007 soundtrack Dexter: Music From the Television Series.
- The song is featured in a 2012 TV commercial for the Land Rover LR4. Land Rover has a history with Born Free, being a corporate sponsor of the Born Free Foundation, and their vehicles were mentioned prominently in the original Joy Adamson book.
- The 2012 video game Silent Hill: Downpour features the song which can be heard throughout on gramophones. The significance of “Born Free” is in relation to the game’s theme of prison and captivity.
- In July 2020, the Unilever brand Axe began airing a TV campaign for its deodorant line that spoofed the restrictions on dating during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Monro’s version as the soundtrack theme.
- In New Zealand, AA Insurance uses the Born Free Song in its advertising campaigns, in concert with ordinary people doing things that might or might not cause damage, the idea being, that because they have insurance, they can “live a little freer”.
| Born Free | |
|---|---|
| Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Hill |
| Produced by | Sam Jaffe Paul Radin |
| Screenplay by | Lester Cole |
| Based on | Born Free by Joy Adamson |
| Starring | Virginia McKenna Bill Travers |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Kenneth Talbot |
| Edited by | Don Deacon |
| Production company | Shepperton Studios |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date | 14 March 1966(UK) (Royal Film Performance) 22 June 1966(US) |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million |
| Box office | $3.6 million (est. US/ Canada rentals) |
The film reunited the real life couple Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna as a couple first seen together in The Smallest Show on Earth in 1957.
George Adamson served as chief technical advisor on the film and discusses his involvement in his first autobiography, Bwana Game (UK title, 1968), known in the US as A Lifetime with Lions. According to Ben Mankiewicz, who introduces the film on Turner Classic Movies, the production unit mainly used wild lions.
The making of the film was a life-changing experience for actors Virginia McKenna and her husband Bill Travers, who became animal rights activists and were instrumental in creating the Born Free Foundation.
One of the lions in the film was played by a former mascot of the Scots Guards, who had to leave him behind when they left Kenya. The producers also acknowledged the help received from Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and the Game Department of Uganda.
Born Free received critical acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92 percent of 12 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7 out of 10.
Vincent Canby waxed enthusiastic about the film, writing in The New York Times, “Almost from the opening shot – a vast expanse of corn-coloured African plain where lions feed on the carcass of a freshly killed zebra – one knows that Joy Adamson’s best-selling book Born Free has been entrusted to honest, intelligent filmmakers. Without minimising the facts of animal life or overly sentimentalising them, this film casts an enchantment that is just about irresistible.”
The film was one of the most popular movies at the box-office in Britain during 1966.
Won
- Academy Award for Original Music Score: John Barry
- Academy Award for Best Song: John Barry (music) and Don Black (lyrics) for “Born Free”
- Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song – Motion Picture: John Barry
- Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture: John Barry
Nomination
- Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama: Virginia McKenna
- DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures: James Hill
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2004: AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs:
- “Born Free” – Nominated
- 2005: AFI’s 100 Years of Film Scores – Nominated
Sequels and spinoffs
The book Born Free (1960) was followed by two other books, Living Free (1961) and Forever Free (1963). In 1972, a film sequel entitled Living Free was released. While deriving its name from the second book, the film was based on the third book in the series. It starred Susan Hampshire and Nigel Davenport as Joy and George Adamson although the film was not as well-received as its predecessor.
A documentary follow-up to Born Free, entitled The Lions Are Free, was released in 1969. The film follows Born Free-actor Bill Travers as he journeys to a remote area in Kenya to visit George Adamson, and several of Adamson’s lion friends.
In 1974, a 13-episode American television series was broadcast by NBC, entitled Born Free, starring Diana Muldaur and Gary Collins as Joy and George Adamson. The series was later followed by television film in 1996 called Born Free: A New Adventure, with Linda Purl and Chris Noth. Joy and George Adamson do not appear as the main characters in the story. It spawned a TV series in 1998, but none of the episodes aired in the U.S.
To Walk with Lions (1999) depicts the last years of George Adamson’s life, as seen through the eyes of his assistant, Tony Fitzjohn. George is portrayed by Richard Harris, and Honor Blackman makes a brief appearance as Joy.
The one-hour Nature documentary Elsa’s Legacy: The Born Free Story was released on PBS stations in January 2011. It includes a collection of archival footage and an exploration into the lives of Joy and George Adamson during the years following release of the film.
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