Discovery Channel Documentaries 1988

You can learn a lot in 20 years--just ask Jane Goodall. She spent much of her life with the chimpanzees of Gombe in Tanzania and changed the way we see these bright, playful animals. Filmmaker Hugo von Lawick followed her progress and shares the fruits of his labor in People of the Forest, an epic look at birth, life, and death in the jungle. The individual personalities of the chimps stand out so clearly it's sometimes a strain to remember these creatures aren't human, and their struggles with other tribes, predators, and the forces of nature are alternately thrilling and heartbreaking. The photography is lush--with 20 years of footage to pick through, it should be--and Donald Sutherland's narration is clear and unobtrusive. People of the Forest lends a strong sense of empathy to the viewers and leaves us with greater respect for our closest cousins.