# 340 - Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/random-acts-of-cinema-17730/340-koko-a-talking-gorilla-1978
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/random-acts-of-cinema-17730/340-koko-a-talking-gorilla-1978.md
Podcast: [Random Acts of Cinema](https://stenobird.com/podcast/random-acts-of-cinema-17730)
Published: 2025-12-01T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://randomactsofcinema.libsyn.com/340-koko-a-talking-gorilla-1978
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/randomactsofcinema/335.340.KokoATalkingGorilla.1978.mp3?dest-id=1378643
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/random-acts-of-cinema-17730/episodes/340-koko-a-talking-gorilla-1978
Duration seconds: 4803

## Resource

Researchers at Stanford University conducted a decades-long experiment wherein Koko, a female gorilla, was taught American Sign Language. The findings and the ethics of this experiment were then (and remain today) controversial. Director Barbet Schroeder captures intimate footage of Koko, scholars, and her caretakers, leaving the viewer to be charmed by Koko and come to their own conclusions about whether a gorilla can and should be taught how to converse at a high level with humans. Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server here ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our merch store . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you'd like to watch ahead for next week's film, we will be discussing and reviewing Arthur Crabtree's Fiend Without A Face (1958).

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## Transcript

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