People of the Forest: The Chimps of Gombe

My review was written in May 1988 after watching the feature on National Geographic video cassette.

"People of the Forest" is a deceptively simple, quite moving documentary relating the everyday life of a group of chimpanzees living in Africa, their forest habitat threatened by man's encroachment.

Aimed at theatrical release by National Geographic Society, feature should play well in specialized situations and have a long life in ancillary and educational markets.

Filmmaker Hugo Van Lawick photographed the chimps over a 20-year period in their natural, protected locale in Tanzania. The feature telescopes the footage effectively into a disarmingly natural, almost cinema verite look at their lifestyle given a fictional, dramatic and anthropomorphic structure via effective narration written by Nancy LeBrun (NOTE: this is the 1988 version, featuring Helen Mirren as voice-over narrator).

The story that unfolds in mainly flashback is that of Fifi, a chimp observed from age five through 25. She becomes attached to her infant brother Flint and eventually inherits the mothering role for her clan following the death of her mom, the matriarch Flo. Common, everyday occurrences and behavior are contrasted with extreme traumas (e.g., the death of Flo, fights among the chimps and the effects of a polio epidemic which kills several chimps including a newborn infant as well as paralyzing Fifi''s brother Faben).

With Helen Mirren reading the narration in quite touching fashion, the film easily builds to the mood of a fable, resembling the mythic narratives of the late novelist George R. Stewart, particularly his sci-fi novel "Earth Abides". The kinship of these primates to man is unmistakable and their collective fate, as the final freeze-frame suggests the horror of their forest being cut down by man, is provocative. Jenny Muskett's spare, dreamy musical score is most effective.

Chimps tha Van Lewick filmed were those studied by Jane Goodall in her groundbreaking work and the intimacy and naturalness achieved is a remarkable achievement.

This is without doubt the saddest film I have ever seen in my life. I cried my eyes out like there was no tomorrow! I watched it on the television one evening - sort of half-watching to begin with, thinking it was going to be a typical nature documentary, but as the story unfolded it was anything but typical. I found myself gradually being drawn into the characters as the film progressed (and yes these chimpanzees are characters as much as any humans are). However, nothing could have prepared me for the ending. I would recommend this film to absolutely anyone, but in particular to those who think that animals have any less heart than humans.

If you haven't seen this you are missing out on one of the most significant documentaries of all time. It is truly amazing in that this clearly shows the intelligence and capabilities, including the emotional suffering of these "people". Sad, shocking, hysterically funny with the most unbelievable footage ever captured from the Gombe. An absolute must for every man, woman and child. This was actually taped over the period of nearly twenty years, an outstanding accomplishment of the lives of the chimpanzee and the effect of man and the industrialization of underdeveloped countries. Something that needs to be in your collection, even if you don't have documentaries. Teachers, a must for your science students!