The African Elephant

Wildlife adventures often work like Disney cartoons - they're most successful when the animals, the heroes, are humanised to the point of being excessively charming. This documentary, which was shot in East Africa, works along these lines, especially in the way it describes the matriarchy of the elephant world and the idiosyncrasies of other socially rejected creatures. In fact the commentary written by Alan Landsburg is so full of humanly innuendos that one begins to suspect a heavy 'people' message; and it would be fair to simply dismiss the film for being into disguised (and dishonest) 'noble savagery'. Still, there's some fine photography, and some delicate observations which make this film a trillion times better than any zoo.