Lions for Sale

Starring: Knox Manning (narrator)
Directed by: Del Frazier
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Short, Documentary
Length: 10 minutes
1941

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Documentary follows Gay's Lion Farm in California, the largest lion training facility in the world.

Review:

Tim: The 1941 documentary short Lions for Sale is both illuminating and depressing. I can't say I loved this short, but even as it slightly turned my stomach, it was still fascinating to watch. This dual nature of the film is the most stark feature of its 10 minute run time.

The film is illuminating because it reveals what the largest lion training facility looked like in the 1940s. The film runs through the different training techniques used and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how you train a lion. That was fascinating and revealing and I appreciated that aspect of the short. I didn't know much about how to train a lion and after watching this, I have a much better understanding.

Now, the film is also somewhat depressing because our attitudes about animals in captivity have changed since the 40s. Yes, we still do it and I'm sure there are still lion training facilities around. However, it is a bit sad to see how these lions are trained from birth, never knowing they were meant for something greater. The lion is a majestic, incredible creature and it was a bit hard to watch these ones in captivity. Even worse was the narration, which took a tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top gleeful view of the lions. There didn't seem to be a lot of respect for these creatures. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but it was a bit uncomfortable to watch.

So, in the end, I can't claim to have enjoyed Lions for Sale all that much. It was informative (as any documentary should be), but the tone and approach felt very much emblematic of its time. This isn't a bad short, especially if you watch it intending to learn about the prevalent attitudes of the early 1940s in regards to training animals in captivity.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- N/A


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: N/A