We had arranged for Flora to temporarily live with the small herd of African elephants at Zoo Miami, the zoo my father had founded. Take a look ahead at some of our most anticipated superhero series arriving in 2021 and beyond. Ten years in the making, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT follows the poignant journey of circus producer David Balding as he tries to find a nurturing and permanent home for Flora, the 18-year-old ... 2 of 2 people found this review helpful. Sixteen years have passed since circus producer Ivor David Balding adopted Flora, the orphaned baby African elephant he lovingly raised as part of his family and made the star of his show. Flora’s financial needs quickly began to outweigh that of the film, so we founded a non-profit, Ahali Elephants, and began fundraising for her future..."[2]. Written by Miriam was fascinated watching Flora grow up in the circus, and when she heard that David Balding wanted to retire Flora -- his 18-year-old African elephant, the star of his circus and sort of his surrogate daughter – – and send her back to Africa, she thought it would make a terrific film, and started calling documentary directors she knew. One Lucky Elephant (DVD) : One Lucky Elephant begins with circus producer David Balding's realization that Flora, the orphaned African elephant he adopted and made the star of his circus, is tired of performing. One Lucky Elephant is a wonderful journey of two "kindred spirits" - David Balding and Flora. The road to Flora's retirement, however, is a difficult and emotional journey which tests their bond in unexpected ways. Where does an elephant go after a life in the circus? Are the chains, ropes, prods and other training tools kind to the creature? One Lucky Elephant. Flora the African Elephant as herself It reminds me of "Project Nim" - amazingly, a mirror image ( a captive elephant this time used in a circus instead of a born in captivity chimpanzee used in a research project ). One Lucky Elephant follows Flora and Balding for a full 10 years, as various options appear and then evaporate. [11], 2010 recipient of The Humane Society of the United States ACE Grant for Animal Content in Entertainment. Through interviews with those who had worked around both David and Flora - The viewer soon begins to realize just how difficult this mission of Balding's really was.Competently directed by Lisa Leeman - "One Lucky Elephant" (80 minutes in length) is a documentary that's definitely worth a view. Add the first question. Sixteen years after adopting Flora, a 10,000-pound elephant that is the main attraction of a St. Louis circus, trainer David Balding resolves to return his beloved beast to a more natural home. Rent One Lucky Elephant (2010) starring David Balding on DVD and Blu-ray. [13] According to a New York Times article, the Documentary Showcase is, "Conducting Documentary Diplomacy. One Lucky Elephant is an American documentary film directed by Lisa Leeman that premiered December 1, 2011 on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network as part of the OWN Documentary Club. In February 2015, Lucky contracted Endotheliotropic Elephant Herpes Virus, a virus fatal to over 90% of the elephants who contract it. What happens to an elephant that is "trained"? *Note* - In 2014 - David Balding (75 at the time) died due to medical complications. 2011 Directed by Lisa Leeman. "[7] Flora, though, was “One Lucky Elephant,” as the title of a tender new documentary tells us. "[1], The filmmakers originally set out to tell the story of Flora's journey back to Africa, but when that plan took a detour that put the production of this film in financial jeopardy, the producers, "kept on filming for nearly 8 years. Where does an elephant go after a life in the circus? The film provides insightful research footage to further discussion of the human-animal bond as part of anthrozoology (human–animal studies), a new academic field that examines the relationships between non-human and human animals. It is a story that explores the issues with keeping wild animals in capitvity but also captures the intimate relationship between man and pet. “One Lucky Elephant”, a documentary, had its world premiere at the film festival. One Lucky Elephant is a poignant documentary whose simple premise masks a substantial emotional wallop, examining both the genuine sense of connection within animals, and the unfair presumption of that desire. According to the director, the introduction to the characters came from, "Miriam Cutler, a composer who specializes in docs and who co-produced and scored this film, has been the resident composer for Circus Flora since its early days. 72. Synopsis A ten thousand pound love story. It's available to watch. Directed by Lisa Leeman. Ten years in the making, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT follows the poignant journey of circus producer David Balding as he tries to find a nurturing and permanent home for Flora, the 18-year-old African elephant that he rescued as an infant, raised as his "daughter" and made the star of his circus. David's love for Flora is put to the ultimate test when he realizes he made a terrible mistake keeping her as a solo elephant, and decides to retire her from the circus after 17 years of performing. The impressive panel featured the film’s director Lisa Leeman, its writer/producer Cristina Colissimo, Laura Balding (the wife of Flora’s ‘father’, David Balding, featured in the film), scientist Dr. Toni Frohoff (behavioral and wildlife biologist and author of "Dolphin Mysteries: Unlocking the Secrets of Communication"), Dr. Lorin Lindner (clinical psychologist and author of "Post-Traumatic Stress and Elephants in Captivity,") and Ron Kagan (director, Detroit Zoo, one of the first zoos to close their elephant exhibit, relocating their elephants to sanctuaries). From IMDB: "Ten years in the making, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT follows the poignant journey of circus producer David Balding as he tries to find a nurturing and permanent home for Flora, the 18-year-old African elephant that he rescued as an infant, raised as his "daughter" and made the star of his circus." The road to Flora’s retirement, however, is a difficult and emotional journey which tests their bond in unexpected ways. "A PARABLE OF PACHYDERMISH PROPORTIONS, "One Lucky Elephant" is a bittersweet story of man, beast and a very real relationship that makes helmer Lisa Leeman's documentary the thinking person's "Dumbo"—and, coincidentally, one of the better kids' movies on … OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.oneluckyelephant.com PARTNERS: Humane Society of the United States Ahali Elephants The Elephant Sanctuary Wildlife Works Over a year later, Lucky … This elephant, Liz, is now 57 years old, older than Lucky… One Lucky Elephant is movie about a circus producer trying to place his 18-year old beloved elephant in a permanent home. OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.oneluckyelephant.com PARTNERS: Humane Society of the United States Ahali Elephants The Elephant Sanctuary Wildlife Works Should any wild animal be trained in such a way? Ivor David Balding as himself Following the film, the audience was treated to a panel discussion that focused on the plight of elephants and other wild animals in captivity and the many issues sparked by the film. "A PARABLE OF PACHYDERMISH PROPORTIONS, "One Lucky Elephant" is a bittersweet story of man, beast and a very real relationship that makes helmer Lisa Leeman's documentary the thinking person's "Dumbo"—and, coincidentally, one of the better kids' movies on … Lucky: a fitting name for the young female elephant who has made a full recovery from her brush with death at the beginning of last year. Sixteen years have passed since circus producer David Balding adopted Flora, the orphaned baby African elephant he lovingly raised as part of his family and made the star of his show. Not Yet Rated 1 hr 24 min Jun 8th, 2011 Documentary. 1 talking about this. Ten years in the making, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT follows the poignant journey of circus producer David Balding as he tries to find a nurturing and permanent home for Flora, the 18-year-old African elephant that he rescued as an infant, raised as his "daughter" and made the star of his circus. One elder elephant at the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary was born in 1957 and has been there since 2006. Knowing Flora will outlive him, and with his health and finances becoming an issue, David sets off on a quest to find a home for Flora can live freely with other elephants. Ultimately, David must face the difficult truth that the circus is no place for Flora. She later resided for short periods in zoos in Miami and Pittsburgh before finally finding what seems to be a permanent home at a large elephant sanctuary in Tennessee. Get unlimited DVD Movies & TV Shows delivered to your door with no late fees, ever. The film focuses on the extraordinary human-animal bond between Circus Flora founder, Ivor David Balding, and Flora an endangered African elephant, and their journey to find her a permanent home that leads them to The Elephant Sanctuary (Hohenwald). We follow David's journey as he discovers just how difficult it is to find a proper home for an elephant in a world that reveres these animals for their majesty yet slaughters them ... Queen Elizabeth Gives Elephants the Royal Treatment During Playful Zoo Visit, 'True Blood's Kristin Bauer van Straten needs you to help save Africa's elephants and rhinos, Movies I Have seen on VHS/DVD in order since 1983. Where does an elephant go after a life in the circus? "One Lucky Elephant" follows their search for a home for Flora, which began in 2000 and became a great challenge. With Ivor David Balding, Flora. The owner then begins to talk about how he wanted an elephant all his… "[14], Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, https://www.indiewire.com/article/laff_10_lisa_leeman_and_cristina_colissimos_interspecies_love_story_one_luc#, http://filmguide.lafilmfest.com/tixSYS/2010/xslguide/eventnote.php?EventNumber=4255, http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2010/05/one_lucky_elephant.html, https://movies.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/movies/one-lucky-elephant-documentary-opens-review.html, https://www.rogerebert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110817/REVIEWS/11081998, http://www1.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/one-lucky-elephant-film-review-1004099638.story, https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117942993?refcatid=31&printerfriendly=true, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/one_lucky_elephant_2011/, http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/press/releases/2010_10_02_awards.htm, http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2010/11/one_lucky_elephant_110510.html, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/movies/16docs.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20120321002446/http://exchanges.state.gov/cultural/american-film-program/docshowcase.html, http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/reviews/specialty-releases/e3i1a8e8c1bed52a35759d33069744783bb, http://www.rogerebert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110817/REVIEWS/110819984, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/24/entertainment/la-et-one-lucky-elephant-20110624, http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/movies/one-lucky-elephant-documentary-opens-review.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=One_Lucky_Elephant&oldid=988217838, Pages using infobox television with editor parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 11 November 2020, at 20:35. 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