Search - People of the Wind on DVD

A TRIP TO BE REMEMBERED...

Lawyeraau | Balmoral Castle | 12/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an engrossing documentary of the Bakhtiari migration in which about 500,000 men, women, and children, along with approximately one million animals, spend eight weeks of hardship in their struggle to cross the Zagros mountains in order to reach summer pastures for their livestock. Their two hundred miles odyssey is told in the words of the leader of the Babahdi tribe. His words are voiced over by actor James Mason. His story is as compelling, as it is amazing. It is difficult to believe that a people would so endure a journey of such hardship year after year.There is no road through the mountain, only trails or passages worn over time. It is, indeed, rough and rugged terrain over which to cross. The people climb, unroped, these 15,000 foot peaks, herding along their livestock, in clothing and footwear that does not inure them to the ravages of frostbite and illness. You see young children herding animals on precipices that would give most people pause. It is a primitive, yet communal way of life. The film provides the viewer with a fascinating glimpse into a lifestyle which would be foreign to most. It is compelling, documentary film- making at its best. It is a film that would appeal to all those interested in other cultures, as well as in the human condition."

Like living the nomad life yourself

Judith Goldsmith | Berkeley, California | 07/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you've been fascinated by gypsies and other nomads, this is a real treat. You're right there with them, seeing the hardships, the awesome countryside, and the colorful clothing & jewelry, getting a feel of what it's really like. I felt right at home, and understood my heritage better. A gorgeous film."

Bakhtiary's Journey

spottey2001 | Highland, Ca United States | 02/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This documentary is most interesting film I have seen in recent years about this forgotten people. This film is about Bakhtiary tribe annual journey from their winter pasture into their summer highlands. The movie takes you on a wonderful trip into the most rugged, yet beautiful scenery of inner Iran. The music only amplifies your joyous odyssey from numerous river crossings and mountainous trails. A must have collection for anyone with a kin eye for beauty."

Glimpses of a primitive lifestyle -- compromised by producti

J. A. Eyon | Seattle - USA | 09/03/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The DVD I saw had a very grainy image which proved distracting at times (such as the scene of a downpour -- was that laboratory-inserted rain or graininess?). The poor imagery kept me from becoming totally involved.

Another distraction was the use of a first-person narration voiced, oddly enuf, by James Mason (I guess there were no Iranian actors available back in 1976). He supposedly narrated the actual thoughts of the tribe's leader -- but that wasn't stated anywhere. Either way, that seems counter to the principle stated at the beginning of the film that nothing in this film was faked or re-enacted.

Because the film concentrates on the annual trek from the low to high pastures, much cultural detail is sacrificed. In fact, many curious events are left unexplained. Often, I felt like a young child -- seeing but not understanding.

At least, the individuals themselves are interesting. The arrogant leader. His cynical comments on the people around him and of people he meets along the way. The costumes. The incredible, upright posture of these nomads. The protesting pack animals.

But overpowering it all is the breathtaking trek over land and river, up the steep Zagros Mountains and over it's snowy summit to the welcoming summer pastures. There's a brief scene that seems to distill that effort in which a young girl piggy-backs a child seemingly half her size while working her way up the precipitous mountainside.

A silent documentary called Grass: A Nation's Battle For Life was produced on this same tribe and their trek 50 years earlier.

(According to Wikipedia, as of 2006 a small percentage of Bakhtiari still made the journey -- but with transport for the herds and they didn't go barefoot in the snow.)"