Himalaya - l'enfance d'un chef (1999)

Director:

Eric Valli

Writers:

Nathalie Azoulai (writer)
Olivier Dazat (writer)

Release Date:

15 December 1999 (Belgium)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

In a world of breathtaking beauty unfolds a classic tale of wisdom and adventure.

Plot:

An aging chief's last stand, lessons for the new, and the education of a young chief-to-be played against harsh Nature in Nepal's Dolpo...

Plot Keywords:

Nepal | Caravan | Monk | Divination | Mountain Life

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Thilen Lhondup	...	Tinle
Gurgon Kyap	...	Karma
Lhakpa Tsamchoe	...	Pema
Karma Wangel	...	Passang
Karma Tensing	...	Norbou / Urgien
Labrang Tundup	...	Labrang
Jampa Kalsang Tamang	...	Jampa
Tsering Dorjee	...	Rabkie
Rapke Gurung	...	Tundup
Pemba Bika	...	Tensing
Karma Chhewang	...	Meme / Paljor
Tenzen Charka	...	Chopga
Yangzom	...	Dawa
Gyalsen Gurung	...	Chewan
Phuti Bika	...	Deld

Also Known As:

Himalaya (France) (short title) (UK) (USA)
Caravan (Canada: English title) (festival title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

France | UK | Switzerland | Nepal

Language:

Tibetan | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS-Stereo

Certification:

Hungary:14 | Germany:o.Al. (f) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | France:U | Hong Kong:IIA | New Zealand:PG | Norway:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Dolpo Valley, Nepal

Company:

Antelope Films

Trivia:

The director, in the commentary on the DVD, says that he was inspired by the book "Caravan Towards Buddha" by Andre Migot. This book was titled "CARAVANE VERS BOUDDHA" when it was published in 1954, but can now only be found under its alternate (English) title, "Tibetan Marches" (translated by Peter Fleming). See also "Au Tibet sur les traces du Bouddha (Collection Itinéraires)" by André Migot.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cinemania (2002)

A fascinating and beautiful counterpart to Scorsese's Kundun

It would have been very easy for this film to degenerate into a series of beautiful static images. Luckily, the unpretentious qualities of the production and the compellingly direct plot mean that a wholly believable picture is built up of an almost totally foreign society.

The only possible hint as to the time-period of the film is a bottle of gin which surreptitiously turns up in a character's pocket- even this could come from any time in the last hundred years. In this way, the picture acquires a sense of timelessness which serves to highlight perennial themes and values of the family and all societies.

The ordinary people of Tibet seemed to be a vast undifferentiated mass in Kundun, acting as a backdrop to the actions of individuals like Mao and the Dalai Lama. Here we see the neighbouring society of Nepal from the bottom-up, with political events entirely irrelevant to the story of the struggle against nature.

Go and see it if you can!