TV Pick of the Week: A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough - review by Yvette Huddleston
A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough Netflix, review by Yvette Huddleston
For those of us of a certain age, there is a piece of extraordinary wildlife footage that nearly 48 years ago made an impression like no other. Back in 1978, as a schoolchild I still remember vividly watching with my parents and younger brother David Attenborough’s latest series Life on Earth. It was groundbreaking television in many ways but the sequence that has surely stayed with everyone who saw it at the time was Attenborough’s encounter with a group of silverback gorillas in the mountains of Rwanda.
Attenborough remained calm and quiet – and gently awestruck – as he was unexpectedly greeted warmly by a gorilla family. The baby of the group in particular was very keen to play and ended up lying on top of Attenborough, much to his amusement. That little gorilla was called Pablo, and the veteran broadcaster clearly still has very fond memories of that moment. In this wonderful documentary, he revisits that time, reading from the diaries he wrote while he was making the Life on Earth series and sharing his recollections. He talks about the powerful sensation of looking a gorilla in the eyes. As he said in the original documentary: “There is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than with any other animal I know.” In his observations today he says that the intelligence he saw there was affecting and he wondered what valuable lessons humanity might learn from them.
While Attenborough shares his memories sitting at home in what looks like his study, the camera team catches up with the descendants of Pablo in their mountain home. In the late 1970s the future of the gorillas looked uncertain, extensive poaching had led to severely dwindling numbers. However, thanks to the work of pioneering conservationist Dian Fossey and others that trend has been reversed and the good news is that the gorillas are thriving.
The documentary catches up with the Pablo group and explores their complex social dynamics as they deal with imminent change. The dominant male is now getting old and a young contender is challenging the older by attacking him as well as a younger rival, which eventually leads to a tragic incident. Full of fascinating, thought-provoking information, delivered in Attenborough’s familiar, much-loved style, this is often moving too, never more so when the near centenarian recalls once again his first meeting with Pablo and its effect on him. “I will never forget him.”