Des Bartlett, Jen Bartlett	...	(Director)
Jim DeKay, Colin Willock	...	(Writer)
Michael Minard	...	Composer
Des Bartlett	...	Cinematographer
Jen Bartlett	...	Cinematographer
Ombika Pride	...
Black Mane	...	Ombika Male
Goldie	...	Ombika Male

Comments: This is old school beautiful stuff. Simple and sparse narration that lets the lions be the story. It focuses on family matters more than killings. The husband and wife team of film makers spent five years with the Ombika Pride in Etosha National Park, Namibia. They had a ton of footage to whittle down to a 60 minute show. That's how you do it!

Shockingly, a copy on the youtube is totally watchable. It's a little soft focus, lacking detail in bits like the lion's fur, but it doesn't have a bunch of compression artifacts jumping around

Originally released as part of the "Survival" series in the UK in 1981, it was re-released in the USA in 1991 as part of the "Predators of the Wild" series with different narration that tells a slightly different story

I prefer the American narration style but the UK version of the story is better, in the sense that it seems to describe more accurately what's occurring onscreen

The lack of actual onscreen kills is likely due to having only the two film makers on sight. No team of spotters with extra camera crews or drones flying around. They probably just couldn't get the long chases captured on film. There is a funny sequence where they vowed to stick with a lone young male, who was ejected from the pride, until he makes his first kill. They capture a half dozen amusing failures. Finally, after three weeks he gets lucky

Brutally sad sequence talking about how lionesses group raise their cubs: "Some of these cubs don't belong to this lioness yet she's leading them down to drink" Their real mother lies at the end of the water hole, mortally injured. Her jaws are smashed, probably by a zebra she was trying to take down, and she's unable to eat or drink

When they cut to a shot of the real mom with her broken face lying there watching them your heart will drop

Summary: Nearly 500 lions roam the vast land of Etosha National Park in Namibia, each pride guarding territory, raising young, and feasting on prey. Filmmakers Des and Jen Bartlett spent nearly five years filming the Ombika pride, a family of 19, resulting in this 1 hour documentary. They tracked their special pride of lions to record the rivalries, loyalties, and complex animal relationships. Catch a rare glimpse into the pride system, from family interactions and shared responsibilities to raising cubs and teaching them to hunt. Watch the pride's success and failures, battles and births, and encounters with elephants and the rarely seen black rhino