Out of Africa

January 16, 2003 6:58 PM

The Tsavo lions were made famous by the 1996 film The Ghost and the Darkness. The stuffed trophies were donated to the Chicago Field Museum, where you can still see them today, in all their maneless glory. Facinated by stranger-than-fiction stories out of Africa, like the lost tusks of Malima Temboz, the Mountain that Walks.
posted by steef (4 comments total)

Interesting first post, steef.
Apparently these lions have been the inspiration for many books and films over the years, one being the first feature length 3-d movie called Bwana Devil in 1952. The film had the intriguing tag line 'A lion in your lap...A lover in your arms'! Here's a copy of the movie poster.
posted by madamjujujive at 7:30 PM on January 16, 2003

William Goldman talks about the changes made to original story for the screenplay of The Ghost and the Darkness in one of the essays in Which Lie Did I Tell?
posted by maudlin at 9:35 PM on January 16, 2003

The Ghost and the Darkness is one of my favorite films. I wanted to watch it (again) one night, so I described it to my wife as a love story set in Africa.

After the first guy got killed by a lion, she asked, "This is a love story?" I assured her it got better.

Well, after about the 40th guy was killed, or maybe it was when the lions buffeted at the hospital, she kind of figured I had snookered her. And she hit me.

But it's a great movie. And there is a love story, for about 5 minutes at the beginning and end.
posted by TheManWhoKnowsMostThings at 11:34 PM on January 16, 2003

Seen the exhibit -- those are some big fricking lions. Much more intimidating in person than they seem they'd be from the movie, even though long dead.

The pelts are looking pretty shabby now though :/
posted by Foosnark at 12:19 PM on January 17, 2003