Koko: A Talking Gorilla

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Koko: A Talking Gorilla

1978

1h 25m

Documentary

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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.

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Mr. Schroeder has assembled this funny, provocative documentary with gratifying intelligence and care.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 30, 2006

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Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

To swipe a lame pun from a Tales from the Crypt comic, Koko is sure the gorilla of my dreams.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 2, 2006

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Jeremy Heilman

MovieMartyr.com

It confronts the viewer with several questions that cannot be easily answered, providing considerable food for thought.

Rated: 55/100

Jan 8, 2008

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Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

Sprinkled comments provide enough intellectual provocation to begin debate, but the main course is Koko's wide-ranging behavior.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 10, 2006

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

spend a little time with Koko and you'll start to fall under her spell.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 5, 2006

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Audience Member

Endlessly fascinating and beautifully photographed by the master, Nestor Almendros.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

An interesting, thought-provoking film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

How far can communication go to blur the line between animal and man?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Barbet Schroeder

Director

Penny Patterson

Actor

Karl H. Pribram

Actor

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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