Gorillas in the Mist (1988)

Portrait of a wildlife warrior

Despite the requisite Hollywood cliches, this is a great film. Dian Fossey didn't know what she was getting into when she volunteered to go to Africa, working for Dr. Louis Leakey in taking a census of the endangered Mountain Gorillas. She didn't realise she was expected to work alone, in a remote mountain hut, and in a country torn by civil war...

But she came to love the subjects of her study so much, that nothing could prize her from the mountain, not even the (human) man she eventually fell in love with. "When you look deep into a gorilla's eyes," she wrote, "your life is changed forever."

The blacks thought she was a witch, due to her reddish hair and fierce glance (captured well by actress Sigourney Weaver, although the real Dian was apparently a bit more shy than Sigourney's character). But this witchlike image actually helped to scare the poachers off. And Dian's work helped prevent the gorillas from becoming extinct. But unfortunately she was murdered by cowardly scum...black poachers in the pay of white animal traffickers. Too often the best are cut down before their life's work is finished...

One other thing to note is the incredible beauty of the landscapes, filmed on location in the mountains of Rwanda. The result is a worthy tribute to this wildlife warrior, who is now most probably in Asgard, feasting at Freyja's very table (with a gorilla at her side, no doubt). March 9, 2008

Gorilla's in the Mist

An incredible movie about an incredible person and the creatures she loved. This movie is enjoyable for those who like nature, animals, true stories, excellent acting, etc. January 18, 2008

Gorillas in the Mist

Set in the 1970s, Michael Apted's reverential biopic about the life and murder of primatologist and animal-rights activist Dian Fossey is compelling for one reason only: Sigourney Weaver's Oscar-nominated, force-of-nature performance. Fearsome in her dealings with people, Fossey couldn't be gentler or more nurturing with her beloved gorillas, and Weaver is compelling in portraying these contrasting moods. Bryan Brown offers able support as Fossey's lover, photographer Bob Campbell. July 6, 2007

A Classic

My thirteen year old wants to be a zoologist. She watched this movie with her mouth open. A great movie then - a great movie now. June 26, 2007

In the mind of a gorilla

We must thank the director and salute Sigourney Weaver's beautiful performance: this movie gives us a rare insight into the lives and minds of the gentle, yet ferocious, giant mountains gorillas. It is also the amazing journey of an extroardinary woman who went to live by herself in a remote mountain of Rwanda, secluded from the world. She lost much of her sanity, as well as her life, in the process of saving the lives of a few hundred remaining gorillas. Without her work, who knows who could have saved them from savage murder and total extinction? Thanks to her work and dedication, a "lost cause" had been heard at last.

The struggle for the survival of the "Great Apes" is not totally over though. One must hope that the abject poverty and the political unrest that still affect the region, as well as the illegal poaching and smuggling of goods and animals across borders - that happen with or without government officials' approval in each country involved - and the continuing deforestation and fauna's loss of habitat, can one day all come to an end so that the survival of these amazing creatures can be achieved.

One must recognize the sacrifices and thank people like Diane Fossey, conservationists around the world, and the Rwandese people in particular, who have made it possible so far despite great internal economic and political pressures. All hope is not lost!
September 23, 2006

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