JANE

Directing: B+
Writing: B+
Cinematography: A-
Editing: B

Jane Goodall is a woman of extraordinary historical significance, a key element in mankind's understanding of chimpanzees, ourselves, and how the two relate. It seems this woman's amazing life continues unabated: Jane is a documentary filled with early 1960s footage of her very first research, thought to have been lost -- until 2014.

To say it's fascinating to see this footage from the vantage point of the 21st century is an understatement, and writer-director Brett Morgen (Cobain: Montage of Heck; The Kid Stays in the Picture) curiously sidesteps some of the more obvious questions -- perhaps most notably the question of how chimps might have been affected by the mere act of being studied. This was the first time chimpanzees were observed in the wild; Goodall was initially chosen for the project precisely because she had no scientific training at the time; for some time, she interacted with them directly. And this was thought to be a study of how chimpanzees behave in the wild.

That said, this is still a woman who made observations never made before, which shook the worldwide scientific community. And here, in Jane, we see plenty of the footage first demonstrating these observations. For instance, a primate other than a human fashioning and using tools.

Nothing is said of the quality of the film stock discovered in 2014. It is simply presented here, often with plainly creative editing to enhance dramatic effect -- that part is a minor disappointment, when so much of the footage can clearly speak for itself. Most of it is of stunning quality for something thought lost since the sixties, thanks to the process of remastering.

I must mention my one major complaint, which is the original score by Philip Glass, usually an indispensable composer. And perhaps I'm the only one who feels this way, but I found this score to be pointlessly obtrusive and distracting, full of dramatic crescendos entirely unneeded. Unless it's a musical, I don't usually grade a film's music or score as its own element, mostly because I have so little musical knowledge or insight. That said, it could be argued that the score is very much an aspect of sound editing, and therefore the editing overall -- which is why that gets the lowest grade here. I stand by the solid B, as the story this film tells is compelling from beginning to end. But it is slightly sullied by this score.

Otherwise, Jane is a documentary more than worthy of being seen. Morgen interviews a present-day Goodall, who reminisces about her early research on chimpanzees, how they informed her own outlook on life, and how becoming a mother herself helped her understand the instincts of the mother she observed mating and then birthing in the wild. We see a large amount of related footage, including a whole lot of a young Goodall herself.

We see footage of the era when she met her first  husband, wildlife photographer Hugo van Lawick, and the son she raised for the first three years of his life in Gambia, around the chimpanzees she was studying. Knowing what more we know now, a lot of this is stunning -- early on we hear Brett Morgen ask from behind the camera about how chimps were capable of tearing their faces off. Goodall just says matter-of-factly that there was no wildlife research on these animals at the time: they just didn't know. So, she lived among them, after months became accepted by them, and ultimately found herself disheartened to become the person who discovered they can be just as brutal in primitive warfare as human beings can.

A lot of these discoveries are common knowledge now, and it almost seems quaint to hear about those who had no clue. It's incredible, though, to hear -- and see -- the story of those who made these discoveries and first-time observations. It's too bad Goodall was the only one interviewed in the present day; van Lawick passed away at the age of 65 in 2002, but some insights from their son, who she called Grub, could have been invaluable. Instead we only get footage of him as a toddler, and a brief bit of footage as a young man with his father. At one point Goodall notes that Grub "always hated chimpanzees." That seems like something ripe for exploration, but here that's both the start and the end of it.

Jane Goodall's life is rife with amazing stories, and Jane is but one, a slice rather than anything approaching true biography. That said, so much of the footage is jaw dropping, you can never look away from this movie.

An unconventional relationship indeed: Jane Goodall and one of her many unprecedented subjects.

Overall: B+