Opiniones de usuarios

The film, set in a remote Himalayan village in Nepal, is gorgeous start-to-finish, a labor of love by those who made it over a long period of time. The cinematography gets a lot of good "press," and rightfully so, but what I really enjoyed was the soundtrack. I expected the good visuals, and got them, but I didn't expect such wonderful music.

As for the look, it's different, with rugged barren mountain village terrain and snow-topped Himalayas in background, although we don't enjoy those until almost 50 minutes into the film.

What's really different, however is the fact the film employed no professional actors. These were real people of that area! They also faces you won't soon forget.

As for the story, the treks don't begin until 45 minutes has gone by in the film. You have to be patient. Much of that first part, people argue back and forth on the merits of making the trip and who would and should be going. Finally, we wind up with two separate camps: the younger guy "Karma" and his crowd and the older man, "Tinle," who takes his son, grandchild and his mother,and mainly older friends of the stubborn old coot of a leader.

Old man Tinle does nothing but bitch and moan most of the movie but people do their share of complaining to him, too. Yet, I found nobody unlikable for some strange reason. Most of the time, nobody in this village appears happy. These people must love to argue!

As one man say, speaking of Tinle: "Trying to talk to him is like trying to stop the snow from falling."

I liked the following: when asked why he changed his mind about going on the trip with Tinle, his son and lama-artist "Norbou,"" told his father, "After you left the monastery, I remembered what one of my masters said: "when two paths open up before you, always take the hard one."

I also thought the yaks were fascinating. . I'd like to know more about them after watching this movie.

Overall, it's a dramatic and touching adventure story. that will reward you if you can hang with it for first three-quarters of an hour. It also will make you grateful you weren't born in this part of the country.

This film is simply beautiful to watch. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, the music and directorial mood is captivating. The film is light on plot and the little bit of intrigue sort of fades away, but that really doesn't matter.

I have been to the Himalayas (Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan) and it is really hard to capture the exquisite beauty of the place and the grace of the Buddhist people who dwell there. This film captures that beauty and grace.

If you have any interest in that part of the world and its people, this film will hold your attention and inspire your imagination. How? I don't know, perhaps some of that Himalayan magic rubbed off on the film crew.

I have climbed up a glacier in New Zealand and down a mountain in Switzerland, and it was rough going for a middle-aged film critic. However, truly rough it can be if you're old, live in the Himalayas, and need to spend a couple of weeks taking your yak and salt to get some grain for winter survival.

Photographer Eric Valli's beautiful epic film `Himalaya' is the first Nepalese film to be nominated (in 1999) for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It is also a heroic fable of a small community's struggle to change the guard from old to young and retain the respect of the gods. The simple plot, told in every culture that has any notion of the grandeur of place and power, may deceive some into thinking this a small cliched film. It is rather a grand design of human struggle and triumph, figuratively and realistically represented in the salt caravans that still traverse the majestic Himalayan Mountains in Tibet.

When one of the caravans tries to cut off 4 days by attempting a route reserved for the devils, the ensuing danger as yaks and humans walk the narrow path is so beautiful and harrowing that my glacier experience looks now like a picnic. Blue sky above, blue water below, and a path so dangerous indeed the gods themselves would have second thoughts. Valli's cinemascope is the perfect medium to catch the overpowering mountains and miniscule stones, both instruments of the terrible powers those gods still wield in this other world.

The actors are handsome locals, and the story is right out of Shakespeare and Howard Hawks. See this film before you get too old to breathe its artistic air.

One reviewer asks if we (Westerners) can ever see the world through another's (non-Westerner) eyes. Good question. There's no 'yes' or 'no' answer because we can't get into people's heads. The cultural viewpoint from the standpoint of the actor in the cultural setting is always different from the outsider. As intruders into that world, we can observe, wonder and learn. Yes, indeed like voyeurs, my friend but these are not "primitive" people. These are people who have adapted to a way of life and developed means of coping with it. Since many of these people live isolated lives, the cultural diffusion of technology invades their worlds slowly. (We anthropologists see this fact as a mercy) This film is a wonder. As one reviewer asks, can we watch a film for over a 100 minutes of people walking? It depends. What do you want? Adventure? Rent a Hollywood spawn with phony chases, lots of CGI and god-awful writing. This is a simple story but one basic to the human condition. Loss, death, coming of age, transition, love and resurrection. This film is full of archetypes but without the contrived devices found in so many Western films. The adventure is that of the daily lives of these people who live always on the edge. It is most unfair to judge this simple tale and its depiction from the same viewpoint of another mythic journey. There's only the violence of nature and the triumph of human will to survive-- not happily ever after, but just for another day. As an anthropologist who spent over 25 years working with pastoralists (nomadic herders) in Africa, Central Asia, South America and the Middle East, I was delighted with this unpretentious story. I never worked with yak or reindeer [I highly recommend the exceptional "Pathfinder" for an excellent view of the Lapps]herders and the presentation certainly squared with everything I've read about these dynamic, wonderful people.

If you believe film should be an artform, then you'll love Himalaya. As the director states in the bonus audio track, the production team did not identify and write to a "target market" when developing the screen writing, they did not follow the dreary Hollywood "recipe" for film-making, and, most importantly, they did use non-actors to portray almost all the lead and back-up roles.

Tinle, the lead character, is a treasure. The first time I viewed the movie, I thought, 'what a wonderful actor.' His timing is exact yet unpredictable, his personality forceful, his face is exquisite, his form unique and authentic. A natural, I thought. Indeed, he plays himself in a quasi-autobiography, and what a wonderful character he is.

This is a movie about an ancient civilization we are losing and, sadly, will soon be lost. Really, its a documentary, and, as the director states, will certainly be used by future historians as a visual artifact of what is soon to become the lost Dolpo civilization of Nepal. The soundtrack conditions you to this heartbreaking reality.

The movie is successful on many levels: a mother's lost love (who hasn't seen her adult child since he was eight); a loving grandfather/grandson relationship, which is painfully lost; a wife who loses her husband, and a young boy who loses his father then attempts to make sense out of the loss; a young religious man who chooses the 'difficult' path over the easy monastic life; a classic confrontation between generations; and an old man whose entire life is built on strength, perseverance, and admiration, but then who ultimately must let go of it all to those who are destined to succeed him.

I loved this movie. It made me think of my mother, an artist, whom I miss dearly. Himalaya is a work of art.

This film may not be everyone's cup of tea but it is served in a gorgeous and delicate teacup. The story is simple, perhaps too simple. But it is drawn against the magnificent background of Nepal. Even bad photography would be good in that part of the world but the camera work in Himalaya is superb, sensitive and sweeping, richly textured and impressively framed. The most amazing aspect of this rare film is that none of the performers are actors! They play themselves flawlessly. The faces, frequently in harsh close up, are noble and full of character. Hollywood never could duplicate one silver haired old woman who is a living work of art. The children are beautiful and lack any self consciousness whatsoever in front of the camera. Utterly amazing! It's a movie for film freaks and those who appreciate fine photography. But somehow the world is a slightly better place because it was made!

An anthropological yet poetic glimpse of 'rural' Nepal via a story paralleling the classic American west 'cattle drive'. Very enjoyable (but the films landscapes makes one especially grateful for the existence of trees).

When I was in Nepal in November, 1999, I had the great pleasure of attending an early screening of the finest movie I have ever seen and I strongly recommend "Himalaya" (Caravan) as something you might also enjoy seeing when it opens at a theater in your area. I waited expectantly for 18 months for it to come to Denver where I could see it again and it finally happened in May. Since then I have seen it 3 more times and it still gives me an emotional high each time. It's not quite like seeing it with 500 Nepali natives in Kathmandu where I was the only person who knew what was going on since no one else could read the English subtitles nor understand the Tibetan dialogue.

The French director, Eric Valli, made this incredible film( nominated for Academy Award as Best Foreign Film in 2000) in the Dolpo region of northwestern Nepal on the Tibetan border using native people instead of professional actors. It is a fictional account of how those people actually live there in extreme isolation and is documentary in the sense that it records a way of life which will gradually disappear as more modern influence comes to the area as it has in so much of Nepal. The filming is extraordinary, the scenery is spectacular, the action is lifelike, the characters are real and the mysterious music is intriguing. When you see it you may understand the huge task of making the film under very difficult conditions.

The story from a faraway village in Himalaya mountains where old chief of the village lost his son, who was the leader of the fleet, during yearly journey with salt from the mountains.But next winter is quickly coming and is is necessary to hit the road again. Who is going to be the next leader ?

Again nicely done nature movie showing differences in mans thinking. Old men who worship traditions and rituals and obey the will of gods against young man rely only on himself and obvious marks of wild nature.

The film doesn't give a solution but points on the fact that both traditions and common sense play important role in one's life. Also integration of people living in the wild nature and nature itself is shown.(old man knows when is his time to leave this world , speaking with an old yak ...) Other strange moment was when one yak from the fleet fell to the lake and old man said it was the will of bad spirits and the price for choosing the more difficult path.(everywhere man can see spirits instead of nature itself} Summary > All mentioned above are simple Buddhistic thoughts - so called dharmas and this movie shows it in a natural background.

I'd like to thank this film's director & producer for introducing the Tibetan culture to the world as well as making such a wonderful production! The music is just amazing and it reaches the deep side of my heart all the time!

People have lived in the Himalayan mountains for centuries but the world still knows so little about them. Through this film I've realized their lifestyle is so different from ours; but yet in human nature they are no different from people from the rest of the world. Are the people & their culture too "exotic" to most of us, or most of us are too busy living the lives that are only familiar to us?

I'd also like to take a bow to people who live in the Himalayan mountains and everyone who was involved in making this wonderful production. Truly this is a MASTERPIECE!

On the rooftop of the world we follow the indigenous people of Nepal and their struggles between generations and the picking of a new leader. I am very glad to find a film that is (at least seems) true to the people and their culture without passing any judgment. I hope there would be many more of these to come.

As a film its whereabouts of course play an important role, and it really gives you a feel for their struggles. This is people you care about so you would not see them hurt. Not so deep in your heart you know they wont be hurt much either, meaning its a 'safe' trip. This making it appeal to the whole family and in the same way taking away some 'tooth'.

I think it's way too easy to get carried away by the exoticism of a place, culture/ people and time.

check another review on the film on this site: http://worldfilm.about.com/library/weekly/aa022001a.htm

copy paste from the review:

International cinema lets you glimpse other worlds stranger than any science fiction movie can imagine and look at societies completely alien to our own. But films from elsewhere also often tell strange stories in surprising ways because film-making and storytelling follow different conventions. Himalaya shows the proud and beautiful people of Nepal in their natural habitat - but it doesn't let its heroes tell their own stories. The result is as pretty to look at, as instructive, and as emotionally uninvolving as a coffee table book.

This film is about conflict & mistrust between generations. Walking is the minor element. The mutual mistrust between the 2 generations were very well portrayed. Although there was an obligatory change from mistrust to mutual respect, the story is still very convincing and gripping. The film almost seemed like a documentary of the villagers' life, which is what makes the film even more interesting.

The location of filming were really stunning. The scenery of the barren mountains and snowy mountains were totally breathtaking. This film may be boring for some people, but for people interested in the Tibetan culture, this is a film for you.

The Himalayas are the highest mountain range in the world, and people living the hard life in the mountain villages are steeped in tradition, still living the way that their ancestors have for hundreds of years, surviving by collecting the abundant salt and trading it for grain and other necessary supplies for surviving the long winter. Himalaya focuses on the village of Dolpo in a troubled time; the village chief has died whilst on a salt caravan and the community allegiances are split, as the chief's father, Tinle, wishes old tradition to be upheld and for his grandson, Passang, to take the position of chief, the younger generation of the village wish to be lead by the arrogant and able Karma. The village salt caravan is split, with the older villagers following Tinle and traditional methods, and the younger following Karma and his youthful strength, Passang is torn between the love of his grandfather and the need for a father figure like Karma and through the following of the salt caravan we see their relationships developing and changing.

Himalaya is entirely shot on location in Nepal, and although it seems that it's hard not to make a beautiful film in such an inspiring part of the planet, Himalaya is visually incredible, really giving a sense of enormity of the mountains and the rugged nature of the terrain and the people. One of the most memorable scenes of recent cinema takes place as the caravan travels along a tiny crumbling trail high above a lake, crisp, sharp textures and vibrant colours draw you in and give immense feeling to the scene, piqued by the sense of danger as they slowly work their way along.

Excellent cinematography and direction, assisted by a great soundtrack, have lead to an essentially unmissable film, one of the best and most engaging movies about the region, truly an epic journey.

It also features lots of hairy yaks, it's yak-tastic.

From the opening frames, while the credits are running, it's evident that this film is a visual wonder. The imagery is stunning, as is the soundtrack. The story is deceptively simple; I was slowly drawn into the film and at some point realized that I was totally "there". A message about the universality of human nature emerges from this film and it is beautifully exposed by the characterizations. There are no starring roles; each of the characters is vital to the development and conclusion of this wonderful film. At times, I was awed by the seamless direction and editing; by the handling of the actors and the extras and had the thought "You'd think these people made movies every day!". The logistics of making this film boggle the mind; I imagine it was something like mounting an Everest expedition! For anyone who cares a hoot about the world beyond the end of their nose and/or anyone who is less than satisfied with what Hollywood is offering lately, THIS is a film to see...and perhaps to see again. Thanks to all who made it possible!

"Himalaya" is about as exotic as films get. Using indigenous people in a remote and harsh corner of Nepal (Dolpa), an adventurous French director (Valli) created a film about a superstitious and aging tribal chief who leads a caravan of Yaks through hazardous Himalayan reaches to trade salt for the grain required to sustain his people. The film is interesting inasmuch as it uses native nonactors in an extremely remote region of great beauty which is seldom seen up close and personal. The result, however, is not great drama and the scenics, though beautiful, are less breathtaking than I had expected. In fact, I found the "The Making Of..." featurette on board the DVD more interesting than the film itself. Considering the low entertainment yield of this ambitious project, it would probably have worked better as a documentary or travelogue. Nonetheless, this exotic-for-the-sake-of-exotica film should be much appreciated by those into films about foreign cultures or with a special interest in the Nepali. (B)

I don't rate movie's at a ten lightly so when thinking about what to rate this Cinematic experience (it's not just movie or film) but i will refer to it as that from here on, i was going to give it an 8 or 9 but the more i thought about it the more i realized that the only reason for this would be that it's not a film that fits into the top ten watch and say wow films and just because it hasn't won as many awards as lord of the rings (which i love and probably is'nt as good as this) doesn't mean that it has to affect how good this movie really is. Watching this movie is like watching the sun rise or watching the love of your life sleeping next to you, when you see something like that it just hits you with wonder. It has beautiful people with very interactive character personalities, very good acting (even by the yaks ha ha) it makes you wonder if they are just being themselves, nearly ever line in this movie has meaning, lines like "stop praying and lets go" makes this movie so much more human. A lot of the characters especially Karma have a lot more of a "western" way about them than what you would expect and that is probably another thing about this movie that gives it even more attraction to the western type audience. The camera work and locations are just the right balance to make you forget your watching a movie and think your on holidays in the mountains, the music and sounds are also just the right touch. If this was a big budget jerry bruckheimer or oliver stone movie this would have gotten the attention it deserves (but probably wouldn't be as good ha). I probably enjoyed this movie even more by not expecting much from it i didn't even want to see it (i wanted to see star wars) Any movie that makes you feel that you would love to be one of them and give up your x-box and trek through the snow has to be good. This is definitely one of those movies you have to put in your WATCH BEFORE YOU DIE pile.

Splendidly filmed on the "rooftop of the world", the film is a breathtaking "human adventure" minus the usual added elements of Hollywood and the Occident. A strong film on pride, endurance and the life of a people and culture not often seen. In sum, the film gives a rare and very much appreciated glimpse into a segment of Himalayan life and traditions. Few, if any, past efforts made along similar lines, live up to this one. The vivid colours and magnificent scenery brings the pristine background to life. Thumbs up for director Eric Valli.

'Himalaya' tells the story of Himalayan peasants undertaking a perilous trek in order to trade the goods they need to survive the winter. It could therefore have been a realistic film about the everyday hardship of life in this beautiful but hostile part of the world. Instead it combines this everyday setting with a banal, clichéd foreground plot involving love, and the succession of tribal leadership, which never exceeds the sophistication you'd expect in a fairy-story. It's hard to see what the French film-makers involved in this production were attempting to achieve: the result is neither action-packed nor truly authentic, leaving the viewer with little to do but admire the mountainous backdrop.

I'm glad I've seen this one at the movie theater! Such a beautiful piece of photography will, of course, look great on the TV, too. And the story is by no means secondary: a warm tale of human endurance, indeed. But watching those images of Nepal on the big screen was just something I thank heavens I was able to do! Delightful!

I had the privilege of seeing this film in a theater. Thus the magnificent panoramas and astounding beauty of the mountains and people can be fully appreciated. The movie is about the essential trek in life: about the passing of the torch from one generation to another. It revolves about the essential aspects of life, and also of its circular nature (the past is always related to the present and future). What is truly awesome is the magnificent level of acting that the Director obtained from true mountain people.

All of the film is awesome, but the journey on the path by the border of the lake is a high point in the film.

Coming from a mountain country myself, and also enjoying trekking, I found many parallels between the quest of these Nepalese and the quality of people I find up in the high Andes. No doubt there's more wisdom as regards life from the people many consider "backward" as opposed to those we feel are "civilized". Not to be missed.

I saw the film in Kathmandu, just prior to returning to the U.S., and where I had lived for over 3 years. The film is incredibly popular there, and has been playing to a packed audience, 2 shows a day, for over three months now (Sept.-Dec.). Caravan has English subtitles, and depicts the traditional life of salt traders in Dolpo, a district of Nepal. The photography is outstanding, the views of the Himalayas are magnificent, there are heart-stopping scenes, and the best part is the depiction of a fast-disappearing culture.