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Koko: A Talking Gorilla

Play trailer Poster for Koko: A Talking Gorilla 1978 1h 25m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
French filmmaker Barbet Schroeder chronicles the life of Koko, an amazing female gorilla who is trained by Stanford University researcher Dr. Penny Patterson to communicate her feelings via basic American Sign Language. Through interviews with scientists and researchers, Schroeder also examines the ethics of animal experimentation and asks the difficult question of whether highly intelligent animals with seemingly human emotions should be granted the same rights as people.

Critics Reviews

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Janet Maslin New York Times 09/30/2006
4/5
Mr. Schroeder has assembled this funny, provocative documentary with gratifying intelligence and care. Go to Full Review Eric Henderson Slant Magazine 07/02/2006
3/4
To swipe a lame pun from a Tales from the Crypt comic, Koko is sure the gorilla of my dreams. Go to Full Review Jeremy Heilman MovieMartyr.com 01/08/2008
55/100
It confronts the viewer with several questions that cannot be easily answered, providing considerable food for thought. Go to Full Review Peter Canavese Groucho Reviews 07/10/2006
3/4
Sprinkled comments provide enough intellectual provocation to begin debate, but the main course is Koko's wide-ranging behavior. Go to Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com 07/05/2006
4/5
spend a little time with Koko and you'll start to fall under her spell. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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02/21/2013 Endlessly fascinating and beautifully photographed by the master, Nestor Almendros. See more 02/17/2013 An interesting, thought-provoking film. See more 01/01/2013 I remember the book Koko's Kitten. Who knew a really good documentary about Koko existed? It is fascinating to watch the gorilla get down with sign language. See more 05/15/2012 How far can communication go to blur the line between animal and man? See more 05/10/2011 This is just utterly fascinating. I've also seen the more recent documentary of Koko as an adult. People so easily forget that animals have thoughts and feelings, and this film that shows that we are no better than them. See more 03/21/2011 If I knew that what I took away from this was the intended effect, would give 4 stars. But I think it's an incidental reading as a result of the passage of time. See more Read all reviews
Koko: A Talking Gorilla

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Barbet Schroeder

Director

Penny Patterson

Actor

Karl H. Pribram

Actor

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Koko: A Talking Gorilla

Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis French filmmaker Barbet Schroeder chronicles the life of Koko, an amazing female gorilla who is trained by Stanford University researcher Dr. Penny Patterson to communicate her feelings via basic American Sign Language. Through interviews with scientists and researchers, Schroeder also examines the ethics of animal experimentation and asks the difficult question of whether highly intelligent animals with seemingly human emotions should be granted the same rights as people.
Director
Barbet Schroeder
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 25m