The news made headlines and her funding continued, only now National Geographic wanted a photographer to join her. Goodall was less than pleased with van Lawick at first but in time they fell in love and had a child together. Eventually he was reassigned to the Serengeti, where Goodall raised their son before returning to her work in Gombe. The couple divorced in 1974.
“It occurred to us as we were putting the film together the narrative that I was going to arrive with is her relationship with Hugo falls apart, she goes back to Gombe and reinvests herself in conservationism,” say Morgen who describes his film as a love story between two people and their work. “There’s a moment in time where I realized Hugo and Jane were both doing exactly what they were put on this earth for. They came together and produced something incredibly significant.”
They’re not alone. Morgen’s documentary is the first to sell out the Hollywood Bowl with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack composed by the inimitable Philip Glass, who is already receiving Oscar buzz. Early in the process, Morgen and his wife listened to the first five music cues and decided Glass had fallen in love with Goodall. “The theme song for Jane is quite different than most of the music that Philip is known for,” Morgen points out. “When I spoke to Philip after hearing it, he said, ‘I’m not sure you noticed, but I think I might have fallen in love with Jane.”
“The content is radically different,” Glass says of the movie. Perhaps the most influential composer of the past 50 years with groundbreaking symphonies and operas to his credit, he has worked on movies like Martin Scorsese’s “Kundun,” “The Hours” and “Notes On A Scandal.” “It’s not just a documentary. It’s a documentary of a world that doesn’t exist anymore,” he says. “The beautiful savannas of Africa, not just the animals but the insects, the whole thing was gorgeous.”
At the age of 83, Goodall dedicates most of her time to conservation these days, working on a range of projects including Roots & Shoots engaging young people in the fight to preserve the environment. “The problems around the world are so huge,” she says about why she began the program. “We’re making a mess of things, there’s no question about it. We’re treating the finite resources of the planet as though they’re infinite. And if we carry on with business as usual, then it’s going to be too late. Some scientists say it’s too late already, but I believe we have a window of time. I keep meeting young people who’ve lost hope in the future. And if that happens I think we’re all gone.”
Bournemouth, England - A young Jane Goodall poses for a picture in her school uniform. (Jane Goodall Institute)
Gombe, Tanzania - Jane Goodall watches as Hugo van Lawick operates a film camera. (Jane Goodall Institute)
Gombe, Tanzania - Hugo van Lawick poses with a smile. (Jane Goodall Institute)
Bournemouth, England - Jane Goodall and Hugo van Lawick during their wedding. (Jane Goodall Institute)