← Back

Koko: A Talking Gorilla

Original title: Koko, le gorille qui parle
1978 · 1 h 25 min
Directed by Barbet Schroeder · Japan · Contemporary Asian Cinema
Documentary

Where to watch in the United States: Stream: Criterion Channel. Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDB; availability changes.

Cast

Koko Penny Patterson Saul Kitchener Carl Pribram Roger Fouts

Credits

Cinematography: Néstor Almendros
Music: Guta Cattoni Maris Embiricos
Editing: Dominique Auvray Denise de Casabianca
Produced by: Margaret Ménégoz

Plot

A documentary that follows Dr. Penny Patterson's current scientific study of Koko, a gorilla who communicates through American Sign Language.

Sinekatalog’s take

Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978) is a Japanese documentary directed by Barbet Schroeder. It stars Koko, Saul Kitchener and Carl Pribram. It runs 85 minutes. It is listed here for its festival and awards record.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

View on Letterboxd ↗

Ratings

IMDb: 7.2 / 10 (1,010 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

If you liked this

Picked by director, genre, era and shared cast. Titles only, no spoilers.