(1925)
5
Tom Wiener
Inspired by Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North (though its creators had only heard of that film when they set out to make their own), Grass is the first documentary epic, shot under conditions that would daunt even a contemporary crew. Filmmakers Merian C. Cooper, Ernest Schoedsack, and Marguerite Harrison persuaded the Bakhtyari (the film's spelling) tribe to let them come along on their amazing migration. Watching a portion of 50,000 people and 500,000 animals ford a swiftly moving river, find their way up a nearly sheer rock wall, climb a 12,000-foot snow-covered mountain, and ford an icy stream, you're amazed that the filmmakers had the strength to compose their shots, let alone keep up with the tribe. It's not clear what Harrison's role here was; she is sometimes glimpsed on a horse, serenely making her way along a trail. The narration, contained in the title cards, is short on any hard information, there is no depiction of anyone or anything dying, sick, or injured, and there is little context supplied. This is, in other words, a cut and dried visual record, but its artful compositions make it exceptionally impressive on those terms.
releases for Grass on AllMovie
Grass (1925)
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Title/Studio |
Release Date |
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Grass: A Nation's Battle For Life
Image Entertainment
More
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March 28, 2000 |
