The Story of the Weeping Camel

In direct descent from Robert Flaherty, this Oscar nominee for best documetary is Nanook of the North with yurts instead of igloos, camels instead of sled dogs; set in the Gobi desert of Mongolia instead of the frozen north, but still focused on a family enclave in a forbidding landscape. Lots of patient anthropological (and bactrian) observation, but also the insertion of staged storytelling and sentiment. Apparently German-produced, this film arrives by way of National Geographic, which explains and limits its appeal. The camels are quite diffent from the Arabian sort, looking like something out of Star Wars mythology, and they are fascinating to watch, especially the white colt rejected by its mother. The herders have to bring a “violinist” (as the subtitles have it) to woo the camel back to its offspring, making her weep in the process. The trip to town is a leap across centuries, from ancient animal husbandry to tv cartoons, which bring a huge smile to the face of the photogenic young son who is the star of the family. A slow but winsome family portrait from an unfamiliar culture, this is worth a look if you have the patience for it. (2004, dvd, n.) *7-* (MC-81, RT-95.)