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Himalaya (1999)

Director: Eric Valli

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From Time Out Film Guide

Elemental, sweeping and often majestic, this is both an engaging drama and a labour of love in tribute to the Buddhist, semi-nomadic people of the Dolpo, a remote region deep in the interior of the NW Himalayas. At the film's heart is a stunning re-enactment of a strenuous, often perilous annual yak caravan through the mountains. As the harvest yields only three months' food, salt must be traded for extra grain. Around this the film-makers weave a story dramatising themes that typify the conflicts and traditions of a threatened culture. The non-professional cast are given roles to suit their abilities, but turn in uniformly winning performances. If there's a fault, it lies in the director's occasional difficulty in sustaining narrative and dramatic flow without sacrificing his concern to reproduce authentic ethnographic detail.

Author: WH 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Eric Valli

Producer: Jacques Perrin, Christophe Barratier

Cast: Thilen Lhondup, Gurgon Kyap, Lhakpa Tsamchoe, Karma Wangel, Karma Tensing Nyima, Labrang Tundup full cast

Duration: 109 mins


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