Story of the Weeping Camel

Screening: 19 November 2005

Germany/Mongolia 2003
Directed by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni
Leading players ~ Janchiv Ayurzana, Chimed Ohin, Amgaabazar Gonson.
90 minutes (subtitles)

Synopsis

Despite attempts by the family, whose livelihood depends on the camels, to reconcile them, the mother camel remains obstinate.

So the family draw upon the ancient traditions of their people and send for a violinist to perform a bonding ceremony. The music of the violin and the songs of the nomads blend with the mother camel's cries and create an unforgettable experience.

A simple story treated with insight and sensitivity, the twin hearts of the film are the immeasurable beauty of the Gobi landscape, with its vast windswept spaces, and the essential unity of the four generations of the same family depicted in the film all depending on each other and on the camels, who provide their main form of transport and are also counted as part of the family.

This is delightful tale of a way of life that has remained the same for centuries, unchanged by modern civilisation: part magical drama and part reality.

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Film facts

The film scored 89 at the November 2004 viewing sessions of the BFFS South West Group.

The directors had only ten hours of film and one 16mm camera when they arrived in Mongolia so every shot had to count. Byambasuren Davaa, one of the co-directors, is himself from Mongolia.

'Gobi' is a Mongolian word for arid rangeland which is distinguished from true desert where not even camels can survive. The Gobi although windy and arid can support life.

The camels in the film are Bactrian camels with two humps, powerful animals standing about seven feet high and weighing 1,600 to 1,800 pounds. They provide many bare necessities to the Mongolian nomads besides being a primary form of transport, camel milk and meat. Also the camels' hides make saddles and shoes, even dried camel droppings can provide fuel. They are hardy enough to withstand the harsh winds of the Gobi and can carry from 375 to 600 pounds at speeds of 2.5 miles an hour.

The Story of the Weeping Camel is presented by THINKFilm and National Geographic World Films, based in Los Angeles, which aims to present films about world cultures to a wider audience in partnership with selected film distribution companies.

Contrary to our previously published listing, this film will be shown on Saturday 19 November, not Monday.

'The superbly unobtrusive photography captures both the eerie beauty of the landscape, and the intimate bond between man, beast and spirits. A wonderfully winning oddity.' Mark Kermode - The Observer.