Cave Of The Yellow Dog Reviews

Why did I choose this DVD?

I really cannot believe I ordered this. The language is Chinese and subtitled in English. A story about a nomadic family. The story went nowhere and was of little interest to me.

cave of the yellow dog

If you liked the subtle, unfolding, enexpected beauty of a film like 'The story of the weeping camel' then this is another gem for you! It is quiet and unassuming allowing you to fall in love with not just the characters, but the landscape and culture, without even realising!

It is a lovely but brief segment from the life of a nomadic mongolian family, whose little girl returns from the city for a holiday. Her lovely adventures make for charming, non offensive viewing.

A truly beautiful piece of film work.

Mongolian nomads

The makers of The Story of the Weeping Camel have broken three cardinal rules here: never work with children, animals or Mongolian nomads (OK, I made that last one up). This film, with very little in the way of a structured plot, tells the simple tale of a family of nomads living on the Mongolian Steppes. Their young daughter finds a stray puppy and adopts it, much to the disapproval of the pragmatic father. The story has been done many times before (The Yearling and Old Yeller spring to mind), but the setting really makes this memorable. It’s fascinating to watch a dying culture, with scenes of farming, cooking and one particularly memorable sequence where the family (literally) moves house. The fact that the filmmakers used a real family, albeit in imaginary scenarios, also adds to the authenticity. This is certainly recommended, especially if you want something a little different, although I suspect that children might find it a bit on the slow side.

insight

surreal, real, lovely, documentary-like, paced, mystical, mythical, landscape, traditional, clouds, focus, fable, balance, and with all that my five year old wanted to watch it over and over again, with me reading the subtitles. Really enjoyable.

[Highly rated reviewer]

movies to chillout to

A simple story of the life of Mongolion nomads and with alittle bit on how the modern world is slowly encroaching upon them. Nothing major really happens (even the drama at the end is more from a 1930's film than anything truly dangerous) but the scenery and photography is lovely and the 'acting' is very natural. A real life family is used so all the interactions are actual and the trusting manner of the parents allows the children to take on their responsibilities with a lot less fuss than most would in the western world (a similar film of a family in England would probably lead to a migraine from all the shouting).

Good World Cinema

Its funny how something so simple and straightforward as a child finding a dog can be so entertaining. This films draws you into the unique family lifestyle and traditions of the Mongolian people without the need for unnecessary drama. The simplistic yet hard life of a herder and his family are portrayed here without the need for proper actors and special effects. Worth getting out.

Beautiful...

snapshot of Mongolian Nomadic life. Well worth a watch.

Another World

If you only like 2D films of 2D wooden actors running in slow motion away from explosions you won't like this film. It is for the rest of us. Nothing explodes at all in this film - sorry.

Every shot in this film you could print off and hang over the mantlepiece. Amazing shots or amazing scenery. Slice-of-life film of another world blissfully far from the American Dream.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Lassie in Mongolia

It’s basically a sweet but thin story about a girl and her dog. The story here is just an excuse to explore a way of life and it shows.

It’s all very well wanting to show the Mongolian Nomadic way of life (which is what the director wanted to do), in fact it’s good to show this life, but that shouldn’t be the prime reason for making a film, that should be the prime reason for making a documentary. The directores previous film, ‘The story of the Weeping Camel’, has much more substance to it.

Learn how to be a nomad.

This was the most fascinating film I have ever seen. I was spell bound. I reckon I could have a fair go at packing up and moving on to new grazing lands. I preferred this film to The Weeping camel (by the same Director) perhaps because the family were so gentle, engaging and natural.