Matt Shea
RubySoho
Morgan Bell
Cibbuano
David O'Connell
Mountain Fog
The Cave of the Yellow Dog
September 27th 2007 23:25
What a month! I went from total ignorance about Mongolian films to having watched three: Mongolian Ping Pong, The Story of the Weeping Camel, and now The Cave of the Yellow Dog.
The Cave of the Yellow Dog is the second feature film from Mongolian director Byambasuren Davaa... his first was The Story of the Weeping Camel; the similarities in the title are not just coincidence.
He uses the same technique in Yellow Dog - find a Mongolian family, take stunning scenic shots of the beautiful Mongolian landscape, and use a slow, gentle story to captivate viewers.
It certainly is captivating... instead of the Gobi desert, he films a family of nomads in the beautiful grasslands of Mongolia. As stunning as the endless fields of grass look in the film, I can personally attest that they're much greener in real life, but Davaa tries to capture as many of the colours as possible.
The film's main character is a little girl, who finds a dog in a cave when out collecting dung. She brings it home and her father wants to send it away. Essentially, that's the entire plot. Not much to work with, but coupled with the raw simplicity of the nomadic lifestyle, it's just so comforting to watch.
The mother makes a pot of tantalizing tea in the morning, and she feeds her children thick yoghurt. The father skins a goat with ease and grace, almost like performance art. The little daughter takes the herd of goats to graze in a nearby pasture. Their lives are so hard, so strenuous, but there's a part of your city-dweller soul that screams out for the smell of fresh air and isolation.
At least, that's what I felt.
As a movie, though, Davaa pulls on the same techniques that she used in Weeping Camel, mainly filming children against the impossible depth of Mongolia. She heightens the sense of isolation and freedom by making the actors look as small as possible. It should be mentioned, though, that this was a Mongolian/German production, and many of the crewmembers were German, including the cinematographer, Daniel Schoenauer.
Unfortunately, it was all quite refreshing in Weeping Camel, and feels a little rehashed here... the story isn't quite as moving.
The Cave of the Yellow Dog is still an enjoyable film, especially for the gleeful experience of hearing the Mongolian language, but it pales in comparison to Davaa's first effort. It must be said, though, that Davaa does what she knows best - filming the incredible relationship between the native Mongolian people and their animals, and the land they live on.
I say: Slow-moving and soft, but still an eye-opening look into Mongolia.
See it for: Mongolian films seem to highlight the lives of children, which is quite invigorating to see... they learn to work at a young age, but they still have that insatiable curiosity.
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Is this on the big screen or through National Geographic own label?
MNG
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I'm definitely going to look out for Weeping Camel first. Then might try this out too.
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