The Woman Who Loves Giraffes
What if you were the leader of a revolution that you didn’t know had happened? That’s the story told in The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, a documentary every bit as remarkable as the much-lauded 2017 National Geographic film Jane, about gorilla researcher Jane Goodall.
Anne Dagg has been labeled the “Jane Goodall of giraffe research” — largely because Goodall’s name is more recognizable than Dagg’s. But Dagg’s story is in many ways more remarkable, because her groundbreaking work was so little supported when she did her most important research (in the late 1950s) and because it has remained unknown except to other giraffe researchers until recently.
As in Jane, amazing footage from the scientist’s early days in the wilds of Africa contributes mightily to the impact of the documentary, and some of the vintage film is even restaged with present-day Dagg in poignant tableaux.
Unlike Goodall’s much-heralded achievements, Dagg’s work runs headlong into a wall of sexism, and Giraffes is as much a story of shameless male chauvinism as it is of Dagg’s unflagging determination. It’s also a call to action to rescue the precipitously declining population of wild giraffes — whose predicament, as the film discusses, seems to generate considerably less sympathy and media attention than that of the more human-like gorillas. Exhibit No. 1: The lack of attention to this moving and important film, completed in 2018 and only now getting a limited theatrical release.
The film is clearly a labor of love for director Alison Reid — whose resumé consists chiefly of her work as a stunt coordinator on countless TV series. She had full access to Dagg and a number of related archives, and advances the story well beyond Dagg’s rediscovery with additional interviews and stunning moments (ever see a pregnant giraffe get an ultrasound?). Victor Garber is among the voice talents who bring to life Dagg’s correspondence, written and received, and a number of quietly heroic supporting characters are well-drawn in the course of a jam-packed 90-some minutes, including Dagg’s husband; the (white) African benefactor responsible for those late 1950s film clips; and modern-day giraffe advocates (of several races).
Wisely, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes keeps the focus on the woman, and while viewers will learn quite a bit about giraffes, those seeking a full zoological briefing will need to consult some of Dagg’s 20-plus books. As miraculous as giraffes are in the animal kingdom, it’s the human story that will bring tears to viewers’ eyes at several points along the way.
Grade: A. Not rated, but a PG-13 equivalent (due solely to some disturbing photos of slaughtered giraffes). Opens March 13 at Grail Moviehouse and Pisgah Film House
(Photo courtesy of Pursuing Giraffe Adventures Inc.)
