by Glenn Dunks
We are informed at the beginning of Jane that the footage we are about to see had been previously lost. While it is absolutely astonishing that such incredible footage could have somehow just vanished and nobody thought to look for it before now, let's be thankful. It means we get Jane, a compelling and often awe-inspiring documentary from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Brett Morgen.
Jane is gorgeously composed documentary. An exciting play of form that that swings among the vines thanks to the prowess of contemporary rhythms of structure and construction, yet hums to the classic, even nostalgia-inducing visions at its heart...
I personally can’t imagine the film losing the Academy Award should it be nominated. Not only is the film an exciting technical work, briskly edited and rich in vivid colours, but its subject is a person who engenders such respect and admiration that it is hard to imagine voters watching it and not immediately leaping to their ballots.
This previously missing footage, filmed by Goodall’s now late ex-husband, Hugo van Lawick, builds the spine of Brett Morgen’s film upon which he adds interviews with and narration by Goodall herself. There's also additional video of her returning to England a celebrity (albeit one doted on with sexist journalistic lingo). It was wise, too, for Morgen and his editor Joe Beshenkovsky to include further video of Goodall and van Lawick on the Serengeti;breathtakingly beautiful imagery that is not just an eye-popping sliver of nature porn, but a canny way to give the central narrative of Goodall with the monkeys of Gombe some needed breathing room. This footage in particular is enough to make me dread what this upcoming "live action" remake of The Lion King will look like.
One of the reasons I fell for Jane as much as I did was this footage. Because of that, the film feels as much Hugo van Lawick’s as it does Morgen’s. His footage was shot on film so it has that shimmering glow that many viewers of a certain age will remember from watching nature documentaries on the television in their own youth. And it must be said that Goodall positively radiates throughout – so much so that in some instances you might think you see a halo form overhead. The content of this filmed collaboration between husband and wife would be seen as primitive and perhaps even unexciting by today’s standards, especially compared to the likes of Planet Earth, but within the context of Jane, it's something comforting that still manages to bristle with a sense of wonder strong enough to make even a cynic gooey.
Philip Glass’ score is overly effusive, and I could have used ever so slightly more of the outside world for context of why Goodall’s work had such a striking affect on the public. But ultimately, Jane is a film tailor-made to be liked by anybody who sees it, soothed by the way it effortless sinks the audience into its old world where science and discovery of our world was still something that could be household conversation topics. But most of all, it is a celebration of Jane Goodall and her work. A transfixing documentary positively overflowing with goodness. It might sound hokey, but it was exactly the tonic that I needed.
Release: Currently pretty wide for a documentary in national release (42 screens).
Oscar Chances: Seems like a lock for a nominations and the win is Brett Morgen's for the taking. In the absence of a mega-hit or an all-consuming cultural behemoth, Jane appears to have the goods to take the trophy on what will be Morgen's second nomination nearly 20 years after his first with On the Ropes.