Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Michael_Elliott Origins of AIDS, The (2003) *** (out of 4) Thought provoking documentary that tries to link monkey's used to fight polio in Africa with the outbreak of AIDS. I remember when the original article in Rolling Stone brought this subject up and I also remember a lot of scientists blowing the theory out of the water but this documentary does a great job at showing how some might believe that the disease got started as a cure against polio. I read somewhere that this theory has been proved wrong since this documentary was released but I'm not certain on that. As for this film, there's a lot of deep and rich detail given on the history of the disease and what was going on in Africa during the time of the polio outbreak. I'm not sure where the truth lies but this is a fascinating documentary either way.

moviegoingcat This is basically an excellent documentary. It is certainly the case that it shows that the scientists lied about their vaccine. However, that does not mean that this is what caused the epidemic to begin. One question is how it is that the native nurses or laboratory assistants who took care of the chimpanzees and operated on them and did autopsies on them...did not themselves get AIDS. Did they have a special immunity? You have to consider that although the sure way to get AIDS is through injection or transfusion, it is also the case that close contact with blood is extremely dangerous. I somehow doubt that they were dressed in space suits when they worked on the Chimps. I will assume that the non-natives involved had the Salk vaccine before embarking on their project. At any rate you can have a group of Nazis involved in something, but they might not have caused what you think they did. I think it would be a good idea to start compiling reliable data on all the medical and biological research done in Africa from 1920 through 1978. It would also be a good idea to get better data on substances used by native witch doctors in those areas in which AIDS first surfaced.What the film shows about the use of the chimpanzees is about as horrifying as most of us can imagine. You literally see the life being taken out of the living chimpanzees whose organs are being removed. That's enough to make anyone consider that medical science needs to be rebuilt on new foundations.

Ken Hodnett I have seen this documentary several times and have studied the question of the origin of the AIDS epidemic for many years. I thought it was actually being conservative for what it could have presented as relevant or in support of Hoopers' theory. It was riveting to actually see and hear members of the team that made the vaccine in question speak about their experiences and reveal little known evidence about its production. I was shocked at the statement of one famous vaccinologist when asked about its production.I found myself saying 'Oh my God' at other evidence shown but only briefly touched upon. I think that if you know enough about the subject before seeing this documentary you will likely not view the pandemic and those affected as you did before. Especially, when you ponder the many implications of the evidence presented in the political climate of the times.

geraldicus To my mind, an additionally disturbing aspect of this deeply enthralling 'theoretical' documentary was that I just caught it by chance at an obscure hour on one of the more obscure, pseudo fringe channels, namely Sundance. Why this documentary is not considered worthy of prime-time airing, allowing a far greater number of the population to see it and draw their own conclusions escapes me. But then again, maybe not.In essence, was the HIV pandemic created by a fluke accident of tribal rituals or the 'cut hunter' theory, i.e. tribal hunters in central Africa (the Belgian Congo, now Zaire) becoming exposed to contaminated monkey blood containing SIV (Simian Imunodefficency Virus) through cuts or abrasions on themselves, or was this tragedy 'man made' through mass inoculations in Africa of Polio vaccine which had been cultured from monkey tissue contaminated with SIV which, when entering humans turns to HIV.I could go on and on, but my simple advice would be, make this the next documentary you watch, I was hooked from beginning to end. One of its strengths is the way it puts across all the evidence supporting its key theories in a very matter-of-fact, understated way, hence avoiding slipping into the dangerous arena of 'sensationalist journalism'. It's enthralling, intelligent and, as one may imagine, deeply disturbing. It's a film, I believe, that should be seen by as many people as possible. So why haven't the more mainstream channels picked this up?. Maybe 'who's wearing what' on the Oscars red carpet is still deemed far more important.