The Eagle Huntress (2016)

However much this documentary gives you the feeling that it was staged, there is no mistaking the lead role's innocence and strength. The centerpiece isn't so much the cinematography, but that 13 year old girl's seemingly from birth choice to take up training an eagle to hunt. Even the hardships seem effortless to her. For example, finding the baby eagle and taking it from its cliff-edge nest, the high point of the documentary, finds her making hand motions to the eagle, putting it at ease like a mother eagle. Later, she pets it while feeding it, and snuggles under its already enormous wing. When she and her father go to the competition, this is when the film seems most staged, but how can a filmmaker do that and get away with it seeming natural? Then comes the hardest hardship of going into the mountains to catch game, carrying the 15 pound eagle (that's a stone for you Europeans) on her arm as she and dad ride on their horses for miles into the cold. It's as if David Attenborough will soon start narrating. The film's thorn is a non-indigenous soundtrack. Though sweeping, it sounds much too Western to give the film a needed dimension of authenticity.

A feel good tribute to girl power, following your dreams and most importantly a bond between child and parent, The Eagle Huntress is not only one of the most stunning looking documentaries in some time but a likable and easy to digest tale of sticking it to the man and doing what you love no matter the nay-sayers.Narrated by female heroine herself Daisy Ridley (who also produces this film alongside Super-Size Me filmmaker Morgan Spurlock), debut documentary filmmaker Otto Bell takes us to the harsh, unrelenting, yet utterly captivating landscape of Mongolia as we're introduced to 13 year old school girl Aisholpan Nurgaiv, who along with her nomad family lives away from the hustle and bustle of modern day society.This nomad lifestyle Aisholpan lives just so happens to include the native tradition of eagle hunting that Aisholpan's father Rys is adept at and Aisholpan's love for this also means that she wants to be the countries first official eagle huntress in a society that views females as the servant of the wiser and tougher males.Bell capture's the bond between Aisholpan and Rys that means he is supportive of his driven daughter no matter what others say and Bell also captures the incredible working relationship that develops between bird and human as Aisholpan raises her recently caught eaglet to become a keen follower of her voice and instruction, so that both human and feathered beast can compete in not only the countries esteemed eagle competition, but the dangerous hunt they must eventually partake in should they wish to truly be considered bonafide eagle hunters.This heart-warming story allows for some breathtaking scenery and photography to take place. Mongolia offering up an almost otherworldly spectacle and the fierce prowess of the eagles themselves are a sight to behold while Aisholpan is an almost Disney like hero that just so happens to be a teenager and her drive to succeed is wholeheartedly commendable.It's a shame then that Bell's film for some reason or another feels a little slight, some things feel unexplored in full while you can't but escape some scenes in the film are a little stage for dramatic effect. This could be in some stilted conversations that feel pre-rehearsed or so-called spare of the moment hunts/action scenes feeling a little to smooth for a fully-fledged documentary feel bringing home the sentiment that The Eagle Huntress has been Hollywoodized a little bit to make it more digestible to a larger audience.Final Say – A frequently fascinating and visually brilliant documentary, The Eagle Huntress is a film all ages can partake in and enjoy and the real life centrepiece of the tale Aisholpan is one of recent memories most likable and memorable heroes, made all the better thanks to the fact she is real, relatable and brave as they come.3 ½ unlucky foxes out of 5

https://web.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/EagleHuntress2016long.pdfThe Eagle Huntress Ancient Traditions and New Generations By Adrienne Mayor [email protected] May 1, 2016Essential and interesting reading to get past the hype and western prejudices of what is a fine film with an ignorant vein about the place of women in Central Asian eagle hunting...When she was interviewed in Mongolia's leading newspaper in 2016, however, Aisholpan's mother Alma gul stated that there are no restrictions on girls deciding to be eagle hunters. In the film itself, Aisholpan's father Agalai says, "I think boys and girls are equal."

And incredibly moving on all levels. Such a different way of living, such a spectacular huge empty landscape. I came away so thankful for my way of life .. but yet envying them for their way of life. And the eagles . .so beautiful and yet so vicious. Full of awe for everything in the documentary. I hope it is eventually made for public sale. I would gladly buy a DVD for myself, and other copies as gifts for others. The cultural, geographic and family dynamics laid out for us .. to say nothing of the tradition of eagle hunting itself ... kept me riveted through the entire film. The summer camp and the winter quarters, the residential school for the children, the entire cultural panoply was FAR more inclusive than taking a tour of Mongolia. And the juxtaposition with modern ways of living and modern attitudes. I laughed inside when they rode their ponies, dressed in traditional hunter costumes with their eagles on their arms, into the streets of city traffic, on their way to the eagle hunters competition. Such a contrast.