Ape Man

You know those lower back, neck and shoulder pains that plague you off and on? Well, you can thank our distant simian cousins for your woes: they stood up. Once human ancestors became bipedal, it was only a matter of time (some million or so years) before the chiropractor became a familiar feature on the healthcare landscape. Originally airing on A&E, the ambitious Ape Man, hosted by Walter Cronkite, is an excellent overview of current evolutionary theories which also serves as a fine introduction to anthropology. Divided into four episodes, Ape Man traces the discovery of fossil remains over the last hundred years or so, exploring finds which have shown us that humans originated in Africa, were making fire by at least 150,000 years ago, buried their dead some 60,000 years ago, and were creating art some 35,000 years ago. Engaging computer graphics, strong narrative structure, and fine location footage make Ape Man an excellent choice for most collections. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)