Jane Goodall is on tour. She’s in my town right now, across the river, being interviewed on the radio program Think Out Loud, from Oregon Public Broadcasting. What makes a 77 year-old want to go on tour?
Goodall’s tour coincides with the release of the film Jane’s Journey. You can follow the news about the movie here on Facebook.
There’s no question Jane Goodall has done some great things, and I’ve heard she’s a very inspiring speaker. But I already like chimps, and I’m on board with saving them from extinction and passing laws to prevent researchers from cutting up their living brains, so I can afford to miss her presentation. Plus, I know that saving an animal from extinction only means “now it’s okay to kill it again” (think buffalo, eagle, wolf, and so on).
I would like to see the movie Jane’s Journey, though. Maybe. It’s been getting tepid reviews. The gripe seems to be that it’s a little too much admiration for Jane Goodall, and not that much information about what she’s done.
Here’s the trailer.
Here’s a review from the New York Times.
Here’s a review from the L.A. Times.
Here’s a review from Variety.
Bad reviews aside, her story really is something, and how many primatologists can you name? Jane Goodall is a walking, talking celebrity superstar… of science! That’s quite an accomplishment.
To read more about some famous chimps (and other primates), try our Common Bonds feature, Great Apes!