Nonhuman primate representation in film
Description
This thesis examines nonhuman primate representation in American entertainment films in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The written portion of the thesis serves as an accompaniment to a 25-minute video documentary. The documentary, which includes archival footage and photographs, exemplifies the same visual strategies used by previous filmmakers in order to gain a fuller understanding of how nonhuman primates have been represented on-screen. Although addressing many of the same questions as the written portion of the thesis, the documentary primarily seeks to illustrate how we have used primates in film, and the effect doing so has on that species and our own. The ultimate purpose is to appeal to a lay audience to reconsider conceptions of nonhuman primates both within and outside of the media they engage with. The written portion supplements the statements made in the documentary with analysis, statistical support, and a literature review. Chapter 1 examines the prehistory of primates in film, showing how zoos and circuses laid the groundwork for primates to be used as performers. Chapter 2 provides an overview of different primate character roles and their place within different genres. Chapter 3 explores the human relationship to other primates. Chapter 4 identifies the impact that these films have on humans, primate populations, and primate "actors." The concluding chapter provides a reflection on this impact, and offers an ideal version of what is to come for the future of primate usage and representation in film.