Director Brett Morgen, Jane Goodall, and Philip Glass at the Hollywood Bowl screening of Jane (left to right).
Hollywood director Brett Morgen teamed up with National Geographic and renowned composer, Philip Glass, to tell the incredible story of the face of Mother Nature: Dr Jane Goodall.
It’s a compelling and breathtaking documentary with heavenly symphonic scores depicting a lost world of yesteryears.
Brett Morgen and his team used a trove of never seen before 16 mm footage unearthed after 50 years from National Geographic’s vault.
The story is set in the early 1960s when a young Goodall was living in the forests of Tanzania tracking chimpanzees. She spent months patiently waiting, watching, and note taking. Then, finally, these extraordinary primates accepted her. They allowed Goodall into their world and she recorded chimps using tools.
Goodall’s work brought the world’s attention to the fact that these social primates were sentient, intelligent and charismatic. She pioneered a unique field approach to wildlife observations.
It’s a touching story. Dutch filmmaker Hugo van Lawick was sent by National Geographic in 1964 to document her work; they fell in love, married and had a child together.
When I asked Brett Morgen what his biggest thrill was during the undertaking of Jane, he told me, “Working with Philip Glass.”
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its band shell, a distinctive set of concentric arches that graced the site from 1929 through 2003, before being replaced with a larger one beginning in the 2004 season.
Glass’s legendary touch for scoring music is nothing short of stunning in Jane. In Los Angeles, we were treated to a live symphony at the Hollywood Bowl during the screening – unprecedented.
Jane Goodall, The UN Messenger of Peace, is incomparable. The Jane Goodall Institute and its Roots & Shoots program connects children and young adults with Nature: 100,000 active groups in 100 countries . “There are five reasons for optimism,” Goodall told me. “Children are natural born ecologists, the human brain specializes in innovation, Nature is resilient, social media is a powerful tool because it connects 7.5 billion people, the human spirit is indomitable and when like-minded people link together – we are an unstoppable force for goodness.”
Jane is the best documentary of 2017 – go see it and feel it for yourself!
Dr Reese Halter’s upcoming books are: Save Nature Now & Love Nature.