Bij de beesten af

Most documentaries about animals tell you have they live and reproduce. In this one by the great Bert Haantsra you witness a kind of soap-episode. He gives names to the monkeys and he follows them for a long period. Although the chimps live in a zoo, you get a great inside look on how these animals behave and interact with each other. The climax of the film is when Haanstra places a fake lion to see how the chimps react.

This is definitely one of the best documentaries 'with a message' namely about the relationship between man and animal

If you have ever doubted about a relation between human beings and the animalworld....you have to see this movie! It is not about proving the evolution theory, it is just a funny look at the behaviour of people and animals, and how much they are alike. Bert Haanstra proved with this film (and many others) that he is one of the greatest directors the Dutch cinema ever had and will have.