People Of The Forest: The Chimps Of Gombe

Winner of a prestigious Peabody Award, People of the Forest charts the complex interrelationships of one chimpanzee family over a period of 20 years. Based on his former wife Jane Goodall's research, Hugo van Lawick's lovingly shot film begins with a picture of a pensive Fifi, an adult female chimpanzee, lost in thought as her children cavort around her. The superb narration by Donald Sutherland gently breaks in, the image dissolves, and we see a very young Fifi covetously eyeing her new baby brother Flint, whom Flo, their mother, won't let loose for a second. Thus begins an extraordinary saga of a family and their friends, a saga that encompasses a wide range of emotions that we mistakenly think of as exclusively human. At the center of the story are Fifi, her older brother Figgin (who enjoys playfully kicking his siblings in the head), Flint, and Flo. Fifi is determined to mother Flint, Figgin dreams of becoming the dominant male (and will lay on a bare branch to sleep like Mr. Macho himself, until the others fall asleep and he can find more comfortable quarters), and Flint ...well Flint becomes the most spoiled brat in the jungle. In one of the funniest scenes ever committed to film, Flint walks around whopping his playmates up aside the head, until his friends' mothers decide its time to take their abused children home (since Flo is the head female of the troop they can't show disrespect by giving Flint the pop on the bottom he sorely needs.) The mothers have to literally drag their offspring away from the mini-tyrant (because, hey, even if it's a little rough, playing is playing, right? It sure beats sitting at home with Mom watching the vines grow). Eventually, into this light and cheery environment comes a killer-polio-and the chimpanzees are dumbfounded by this unexplainable scourge. As the chimpanzees struggle with this mystical disease, our hearts are wrenched. People of the Forest will forever change the way people think about chimpanzees. The jealousy, rage, helplessness, exultant triumphs, and devastating losses of the principals; are as familiar to us as the changing seasons and unlike many mawkish melodramas that strive to depict the human condition and fail miserably, People of the Forest paradoxically succeeds in telling us more about ourselves. An outstanding achievement. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (Available from: Baker & Taylor Video, 501 S. Gladiolus, Momence, IL 60954; (800) 435-5111.)