John Daniel

John Daniel, a tame gorilla, plays with his human friends in this early amateur film

This early home movie sees John Daniel - a tame gorilla brought back to the UK from Africa by Major Rupert Penny - taking tea in the garden, helping to fetch water and even untying shoelaces. Keeping a wild animal at home is undoubtedly problematic for modern viewers, but this ambitious amateur film is nonetheless fascinating, offering a glimpse of eccentric upper-middle class leisure pursuits in the early 20th century.