Die Salzmänner von Tibet (1997)

In Tibet's Changtang region, nomads harvest salt to buy barley. A clan prepares four of its men for an annual trek to Lake Tsento, where they rake salt from shoals into piles, then into ... See full summary »

Director:

Ulrike Koch

Writer:

Ulrike Koch

Stars:

Margen, Pargen, Zopon

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Margen	...	Old Mother
Pargen	...	Old Father
Zopon	...	Lord of the Animals
Bopsa	...	Novice

Storyline

In Tibet's Changtang region, nomads harvest salt to buy barley. A clan prepares four of its men for an annual trek to Lake Tsento, where they rake salt from shoals into piles, then into bags, and onto their yaks to return, 90-days in all. After picking an auspicious day to depart, they feast, sing, tell stories, and race horses. Women are forbidden on this sacred trip. All is ritualized: Margen cooks, Pargen prepares burnt offerings and distributes meat, Zopon cares for the caravan of 160 yaks, Bopsa bends his strong back to arduous work. To each other they speak the secret language of saltmen; they pray and observe exemplary behavior. The goddess of the lake smiles upon them.

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Plot Keywords:

salt | nomad | tibet | f rated | mythological | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

Germany Switzerland

Language:

German Tibetan

Release Date:

22 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Saltmen of Tibet

Filming Locations:

Tibet, China

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

DEM 5,499 (Germany), 2 January 1998, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,160, 26 July 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$146,437, 22 November 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Catpics Coproductions, Duran Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Great Documentary

A documentary about a nomadic tribe in Tibet going out to a dry lake to get salt does not sound very appealing. But this is not a popcorn movie but a visual cultural feast whereby you partake of a rapidly vanishing morsel of humanity. The superstitions, the epic songs and poetry, the faith of a people who truly believe in following their own unique patterns of life are something the West had in the times of Homer but that is now, unfortunately, completely foreign to most of us in the "developed" world. We have lost the spiritual serenity that comes from following well established patterns of life, often with dire mental consequences in our increasingly soulless society. The film makers have woven us intimately into the fabric of these materially poor but spiritually rich and scrappy saltmen. And made us see that there was more to life than the shopping mall and pop culture. So disconnect your land lines, turn off your cells, turn off the driveway lights and sit back and ease yourself into a timeless adventure.