Armand Denis: His Fascinations

He would be the first to admit that as a young boy growing up in Antwerp, he had some very strong obsessions. From an early age he was infatuated with the natural world of animals and travel and later in life with film, photography and cultural anthropology. His passions would go a long way into how we view animal welfare, conservation and the environment today. Meet Armand Denis …

Armand Denis (1896-1971) was born in Brussels into a family of Flemish stock. Soon after his birth the family moved to Antwerp where his father was a judge. Armand would describe his father as “something of a puritan and a disciplinarian with a strong sense of individuality.” His mother, well aware of her son’s fascination with the natural world and travel, was very encouraging. Armand would label his childhood as “stable and happy.”

At age 3 yrs, Armand was known to breed flies and insects in a matchbox. By age 5, his collection of lizards was quite prolific. By age 7 and 8 yrs. he would travel on his own by railroad around Belgium noting wildlife, their environments and acquiring basic skills in photography. At age 17 he enrolled at Oxford as a “refugee student” (more about that later) where he studied chemistry and engineering. After World War I he took on a number of engineering jobs in France ,Belgium and the United States. As an engineer Armand invented a feedback circuit system called Automatic Volume Control (AVC) that changed the world of radio—an industry that was in its heyday. The substantial royalties he received for his AVC invention and patent transformed his life. Armand now had the financial independence to abandon his career in engineering and pursue his passions which were never far from the surface — namely the study of animals, their habitats, and their well-being through documentary filmmaking.

First stop? The island of Bali in Southeast Asia. With second -hand cameras and used equipment, he set out for the Dutch East Indies island of Bali. Originally intending to film a documentary about the Bali’s animal life, his adventure took on a life of its own. Rather than a “standard” documentary, Armand became infatuated with Balinese culture. The resulting film titled Goona Goona, used an all native cast in capturing the magic of the religious temples, ceremonies, intricate dances and inter-social customs (read: the sex life) in Balinese daily life. Goona Goona soon became an international sensation as it romanticized island life to the western world— kickstarting Bali’s first major wave of tourism.

The popularity of Goona Goona got the attention of prominent Hollywood film makers. An offer was made for Armand to team up with box office sensation Frank Buck to direct an “adventure movie”. Buck was a Hollywood legend known for his swashbuckling swagger as an animal trapper. The film Wild Cargo (1934) was filmed in Singapore, Ceylon and India and depicted Buck capturing exotic animals (e.g. leopards, rhinos, giant pythons, orangutans, water buffalos, etc.). Wild Cargo was a moderate success but did once again give Armand the financial freedom to grow and pursue his passions.

The experience of working with a Hollywood movie star and filming of a staged, scripted plot line was anathema to Armand’s idea of creativity. He believed filming animals in the wild was a more accurate (and exciting!) way to inform an audience. He started to plan various African expeditions of his own. Sponsored in part by the Belgian government and backed by the Dodge Motor Company U.S.A, Armand began his African odyssey. The film crew traveled overland from Belgium, crossed into Spanish Morocco, pushed through the Sahara