The general public discovered Dersou Ouzala in Akira Kurosawai’s Oscar-winning film in 1975. The film was based on the book of the same name, written by Vladimir Arseniev and published in 1921. It recounts the trials and tribulations of one of the Tsar’s explorers and Dersou, a local scout blessed with almost supernatural survival skills. For millions of cinema-goers Dersou Ouzala epitomised the hardiness of the disappearing Tungusic people , a sort of far-east Russian version of the Last of the Mohicans. This documentary follows in the footsteps of Dersou Ouzala and Arseniev, a century later on. In this version, the Chinese bandits have been replaced by businessmen, the Russian pioneers have prospered, and the Korean farmers have either gone home or become assimilated. The population density has increased, timber resources are in great demand all over the Pacific region, and yet… And yet, the backdrop to their adventure, the Sikhote Aline mountain range, has survived as an untouched area of wild, almost primeval wilderness. National parks have sprung up, Russia has made protecting tigers a priority and there still some people who continue to live out in the wilds. The ghost of Dersou Ouzala can be felt everywhere in the taigas, talking to the trees and animals and praying to Amba, the tiger god. It is easy to forget that a hundred years have passed by … «IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DERSOU OUZALA» A FULL-LENGTH TV DOCUMENTARY WRITTEN BY CÉDRIC GRAS
In the company of Cédric Gras, the Russian-speaking author who is a connoisseur of this region, the documentary will embark the audience on a trip to meet those who choose to make the taiga their home. The men and women whose beliefs, outlook and mission are to help preserve this natural habitat remind us, poignantly, of Dersou Ouzala.
TV
13 /
Powered by FlippingBook