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John Daniel
John Daniel, a tame gorilla, plays with his human friends in this early amateur film
Home movie 1925 7 mins Silent
Overview
This early home movie sees John Daniel - a tame gorilla brought back to the UK from Africa by Major Rupert Penny - taking tea in the garden, helping to fetch water and even untying shoelaces. Keeping a wild animal at home is undoubtedly problematic for modern viewers, but this ambitious amateur film is nonetheless fascinating, offering a glimpse of eccentric upper-middle class leisure pursuits in the early 20th century.
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