Was it necessary? That's the difficult question that arises after the show is over and you have to count the casualties. Although a simple drama beyond all civilisation out in the wilderness of the bush, there are enormous complications here of relationships, involving even unexpected conflicts in a local tribe .- no matter how much you might admire films like "King Solomon's Mines" (in three versions), "Born Free" and other tremendous African local films shot on the spot, this is something more advanced both in realism, beauty and psychology. The girl, all brought up in the wilderness of Africa, loves a lion, and her mother (beautiful Capucine) is worried about her daughter's too deep attachment to her lion friend, and calls for her earlier husband from America (William Holden) to come and save her. Holden is totally alien to mentalities and local customs and the way of African life and of course makes matters worse by blundering, leading to the inevitable course of destiny, that nothing works out according to anyone's wishes. Trevor Howard as the wildlife warden somehow repeats or continues his role as wildlife protector of "The Roots of Heaven" and makes a splendid show of it. But the jewel in the crown here is young Pamela Franklin as the boyish daughter having her lion for her lover, and the film abounds in spectacularly beautiful wildlife scenes with no other disturbing whites around. This is indeed a treat for anyone who knows how to appreciate the necessity of man to recognise his belonging to nature.