World Affairs
Jane's Journey
Review by Ross Anthony

This documentary is beautifully filmed, accented sweetly with slow gentle wild life shots. It’s inspiring and uplifting. It floats on the alluring peace of Jane Goodall. Listening to her, is like listening to Gandhi. She’s got something very few people have -- a warm fulfilled calm, a certainty of mission, a love for life, and a convincing hope. She loves the planet, and she loves her chimps (although chickens wind up getting the short end of the stick).

A satisfying quantity of early film footage of a very young Goodall hangin’ with chimpanzees opens and captivates. But, this is not a save the monkey film. It's a save the planet film. It’s a bait and switch, where the product you take home is bigger and better than the one you thought you bought.

“We're the most intelligent life on this planet, so why are we destroying the planet?” Jane says to the camera as if she’s talking with an old friend, or a new one. She’s so relaxed, she’s so welcoming. She's so inspiring, you just might take up a root or chute. She's a treasure. The film's a treasure see it.

It’s not without its faults and she’s not without her contradictions, and it certainly feels as if she didn’t just agree to this production, but probably produced it herself. Nonetheless, as daily distractions mount, quality (as in not whiny, as in hopeful, as in solution-oriented) reminders to appreciate life and Earth seem to be growing fewer. And older people sharing their wisdom in order to better the planet (while not running for office) are in short supply.

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  • Jane's Journey. Copyright © 2011.
  • Directed by Lorenz Knauer. First Run Features

Grade..........................A- (3/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Wednesday, 14-Sep-2011 16:09:43 PDT