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the end of a take, she drops her serious persona
and glances directly at the lens—toward Hugo,
her director. In these few instances, we see the
stirrings of love for the man behind the camera.
Taken together, this trove of material provides
an intimate view of Jane at a pivotal time: When
a young woman who had known Africa only from
Tarzan and Dr. Dolittle books was dropped into
her fantasy, and when a novice scientist’s discoveries
debunked long-held beliefs about humans’
closest living relatives.
At Gombe, Jane withstood all manner of natural
threats: malaria, parasites, snakes, storms.
But in her dealings with the wider world, the
challenges often required shrewd strategy and
delicate diplomacy. Early in her career, Jane
had to contend with a primarily male science establishment
that didn’t take her seriously; with
media executives whose support hinged on her
willingness to be scripted and glamorized; with
men who said they’d be her partner or patron but
also sought control, concessions, or relationships
that she did not want.
Through it all, Jane’s philosophy seemed the
same: She would endure slights, accommodate
demands, tolerate fools, make sacrifices—if it
served to sustain her work.
FROM HER CHILDHOOD in England, Valerie
Jane Morris-Goodall professed a deep love of
animals and a desire to work with them in Africa.
Her family lacked the means to send her to
college, so Jane went to secretarial school. She
worked at Oxford and then for a documentary
film company in London. In the summer of 1956
she returned home, where she waited tables to
save for an ocean passage to Kenya.
In Nairobi she boldly asked for an appointment
with paleoanthropologist Louis S. B. Leakey,
whose interest in great apes grew from his pioneering
research into human origins. Leakey
hired Jane on the spot to do secretarial work and
saw in her the makings of a scientist. He arranged
for her to study primates while he raised funds
so she could conduct chimpanzee field research
in Tanzania.
And within months of their first meeting, he
told Jane he was in love with her.
BECOMING JANE 39