Saturday, November 04, 2006

Nature - Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History - TV - Review - New York Times


Nature - Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History - TV - Review - New York Times: "An Up-Close Look at a 2 Percent Difference

Lou is 42. He was born in Africa but came to the United States as a 2-year-old and has spent most of his life in New Mexico.
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Billy Joe, who was in show business before being sold to a research laboratory, in “Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History” on “Nature.”
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For years he was subjected to risky, often painful biomedical experiments there. One additional biographical detail — that Lou is a chimpanzee — should not diminish the sympathy that viewers feel because of his ordeal.

Allison Argo, who wrote, directed and produced “Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History,” the season premiere episode of “Nature,” has made a touching and persuasive political documentary. She begins by reminding viewers that more than 98 percent of chimpanzee DNA is the same as human DNA. Which makes Lou 98 percent human. Or, if you prefer to look at things from the other side, it makes Albert Einstein, Catherine Deneuve, the Kennedys, the British royal family, the Dixie Chicks, the New York Philharmonic, the pope and, of course, Charles Darwin 98 percent chimpanzee."

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