The Film: Wildlife activist and actress Tippi Hedren starred in this comic family adventure written, directed by, and costarring her producer husband Noel Marshall and inspired by the surprise success of Born Free (1966).
The critical and box office success of 1966’s Born Free may have contributed to the origination of the project, but marketing Roar seemed problematic—it’s not really a thriller (some had compared it to Born Free mixed with The Birds thanks to Hedren’s presence) or even an emotionally gratifying venture (though it does have a well-intentioned message).
The financial success of the 1966 lion-centric movie “Born Free” also seemed to signal that the idea could be financially viable.
Roar has drawn comparisons to other lion movies like Born Free and Napoleon and Samantha , but thanks to the cinematography of Jan de Bont, the film also has a look that is similar to other wilderness horror movies like Grizzly and Prophecy .
This would-be Born Free celebrates the beauty and power of lions, tigers, panthers, leopards, and cougars, but in a way that is totally irresponsible and dangerous.
Mondo Cane than Born Free or The Bear, the Marshalls’ (including Tippi Hedren and a young Melanie Griffith) attempt at showcasing the possibility of humans and wild untrained animals co-habiting together not only serves to further disprove their naïve, foolhardy notions but is the cinematic equivalent of listening to a Wesley Willis record.