THE LAST LION (1972)

The Last Lion (1972) is a South African action-drama directed by Elmo De Witt, featuring Jack Hawkins in one of his final screen roles. The screenplay was penned by Wilbur Smith, based on the 1921 novel Uit oerwoud en vlakte by Sangiro. Smith later revisited similar themes in his 1989 novel A Time to Die

The film follows Ryk Mannering, a terminally ill American millionaire who embarks on a final hunting expedition in Africa to track and kill a male lion that has long eluded him. Obsessed with this quest, Mannering hires a private doctor to keep him alive during the hunt and enlists a local hunter to assist in tracking the lion. His ruthless actions, including the killing of a lioness with cubs, strain his relationships with his companions. Ultimately, Mannering kills his quarry but collapses and dies immediately afterward .​

Cast

• Jack Hawkins as Ryk Mannering

• Karen Spies as the Doctor

• Dawid Van Der Walt as David Land​