Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925)

The filmmakers join the Bakhtyari in Angora, Turkey. The Haidar declares that the tribe must travel to find grass for the herd in Persia. Fifty thousand people and their animals struggle across the River Karun on goat skin floats and climb the Zardeh Kuh to find green pastures.This is yet another documentary of a lost way of live like Nanook of the North (1922). This is a slice of a world long gone but from an outsider western point of view. It doesn't really dig too deep into the culture and the Bakhtyari themselves don't have much of a voice in the film. The goat skin floats river crossing is just amazing and is something that I couldn't even imagine before this.

Thanks TCM for bringing this piece of history to a broader audience. And what a slice of the past it is. This is living next to the land, in spades. That thousand-mile trek through Arabia and the Caucuses is not just long, but harrowing, as well. It's men, women, kids, donkeys, cattle, goats, sheep, all winding their way through impossible terrain, with a few skinny dogs tagging along. Sure, it seems they do it every year to get to the mountain grassland, but I can't see it ever gets any easier. When I backpack in the snow, I've got good warm boots and heavy socks—these folks, however, do it in, uh, bare feet!!!-- for better traction, I guess. Anyway, I'm still shivering from that footage. Then there's the river crossing. That alone is worth the price of admission. You've got to admire their herding prowess in the rapids with nothing more than inflated goatskins. In fact, I have a whole new appreciation for the lowly sheep and the gutsy herders who tend them. As good as the footage is, questions do arise. What, for example, do they do with sick people. It seems they can't stop the trek, so I guess they just pack them along and hope for the best. Also, we don't see them eating along the way or building fires (if they do) or setting up tents. Instead, Cooper & Co. track the snaking caravans only, but then that's more than enough. However, someone should have given second thoughts to some of those ridiculous title cards. But all that is merely incidental to a filmed record of a people who reach far back in time, and ones I would be proud to have as forebears. Then again, I guess I won't be complaining about having to walk to the store, any time soon.

I read the comment of Chris_m_grant from United States.He wrote : " A Fantastic documentary of 1924. This early 20th century geography of today's Iraq was powerful."I would like to thank Chris and people who are interested in Bakhtiari Nomads of Iran, the Zagros mountains and landscapes and have watched the movie Grass, A Nation's battle for life. These traditions you saw in the movie have endured for centuries and will go on as long as life endures. I am from this region of Iran myself. I am a Bakhtiari. Chris, I am sorry to bother you but Bakhtiari region of Zardkuh is in Iran not in Irak as you mentioned in your comment. Iran and Irak are two different and distinct countries. Taking an Iranian for an Irankian is almost like taking an American for an Mexican. Thanks,Ziba

This 1925 silent, inspired by "Nanook of the North," is the story of an incredible people, the Bakhtiari, who annually move over 50,000 people and a half million animals between their summer and winter grazing pastures in Iran. They ford raging icy rivers and climb/descend a 15,000 foot mountain. Incredible footage; the filmmakers nearly froze to death.A remake of the story is "People of the Wind" (1976), which is beautifully done. "Grass" is the story of the trek from the winter to the summer pastures; "People" is the reverse trip. Both are available (at last!) on video from Milestone Films.