BFI

The opening title card describes this as "an experiment designed to show whether a chimpanzee is 'human' enough to like a dog", though it's hard to draw an especially rigorous scientific conclusion from this footage.

The chimpanzee starts by helping the dog reach a platform in its cage, prior to wrestling it to the ground, but this initial bout of seemingly friendly interaction is abruptly countered by a shot of the dog trying to bite the chimpanzee, prior to chasing it around the cage (presumably barking loudly) and effectively forcing it to climb the cage out of harm's way.

The chimpanzee is then introduced to a cat, and makes similarly friendly overtures towards it by stroking it as it laps some milk from a saucer. But, as with the dog encounter, the cat is clearly less than enamoured with its new friend, and quickly resorts to biting and scratching. This time unfazed, the chimpanzee wrestles it to the ground and the film discreetly cuts.

Michael Brooke

Click titles to see or read more