Now Elizabeth Hess's unforgettable biography is the
inspiration for ''Project Nim, '' a riveting new
documentary directed by James Marsh and produced by
Simon Chinn, the Oscar-winning team known for ''Man on
Wire.'' Hess, a consultant on the film, says, ''Getting
a call from James Marsh and Simon Chinn is an author's
dream. ''Project Nim'' is nothing short of amazing.'' An
adorable baby chimp, a loving family, and an experiment
that changed the lives of all it touched . . . Project
Nim, the brainchild of a Columbia University
psychologist, was designed to refute Noam Chomsky's
claim that language is an exclusively human trait. Nim
Chimpsky, the chimpanzee chosen to realize this
potentially groundbreaking experiment, was raised like a
human child and taught American Sign Language while
living with his ''adoptive family'' in their elegant
Manhattan town house. But when funding for the study
ended, Nim's problems began. Over the next two decades
he was exiled from the people he loved, put in a cage,
and moved from one facility to another, including, most
ominously, a medical research lab. But wherever he went,
Nim's humanlike qualities and his ability to communicate
with humans saved him. A creature of extraordinary charm
and charisma, Nim ultimately triumphed over a dramatic
series of reversals and obstacles. His story, both
moving and entertaining, also raises the most profound
questions of what it means to be human--and about what
we owe to the animals who enrich our lives. |
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