Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life

Released Mar 30, 1925

1h 10m

Documentary

List

100%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

This moving documentary by Merian C. Cooper follows the journey of the Bakhtiari, an impoverished nomadic tribe in Iran, in their never-ending search for fresh grass for their herds. The tribe must traverse snow-capped mountain passes and hazardous terrain. All the while the question looms over them: Will they get their herds to the grazing fields before the animals die of starvation? This film is considered one of the earliest ethnographic documentaries.

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Audience Member

Some incredible early footage is ruined by the most condescending, annoying, stupid, immature inter-titles known to man. 5.6

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Grass, a documentary made by filmmakers Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Shoedsack (the makers of King Kong), is an astonishing portrait at the hardships that the Bakhtiari tribe of Persia (now Iran) has to endure in order to survive. Having heard about the earlier example of an ethnographic documentary, Nanook Of the North, the filmmakers decided to make a similar film about these primitive Middle Eastern people. They journey alongside these nomadic people from Angora (modern-day Ankara, Turkey) to the lands of these "Forgotten People" in western Iran. They then follow a man named Haidar Khan as he leads over 50,000 people of his people and well over 500,000 animals through the Karun River and over Zard Kuh, the highest peak in the Zagros Mountains. The making of the film is notable for the fact that Cooper, Shoedsack, and Marguerite Harrison were the first Westerners to ever make the migration with the Bakhtiari. The way the people depicted in the film has developed their ingenious methods at conquering the environmental hardships make the film so captivating. Most notably is how they have developed a way to use goatskin floats to ford the river and the barefoot climbing of the ever so high peak of Zard Kuh. It is an amazing thing to view and only makes the viewer seem so weak by watching these brave people journey toward their destination where grass is able to grow to keep them from becoming extinct. This is a must-see movie that I highly recommend watching. It's an incredible journey. 10/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The second major ethnographical documentary by Merian C. Cooper, (King Kong) featuring the Bakhtiari tribe of Persia on a seasonal migration. ( http://mediaje.blogspot.com/2010/12/grass-1925.html )

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Historically significant film about the massive moving of about 50000 people and their grazing animals. There's a clear colonial point-of-view for too many of the shots, but the spectacular vistas and the enormity of these people's undertaking is impressive.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

A pretty damn good film, sad, funny, and great.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Audience Member

Amazing journey! Neat video

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

A fascinating, visually splendid film about the massive annual migration undertaken by Persia's Bakhtiari tribes in search of fresh pastures for their cattle.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

It is an unusual and remarkable film offering, one that is instructive and compelling but in no way a story. Yet, in this picture, there is drama interspersed with captivating comedy.

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

If DW Griffith, Ernest Rutherford and Rudyard Kipling could collaborate on a movie, it might look like this.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 25, 2003

Full Review

Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

On rare occasions, the moving picture thrusts its head from the primeval muck of mediocrity and proclaims, in loud, clear tones -- "I have an honorable place in the scheme of artistic creation. I can do great things!"

Oct 7, 2021

Full Review

Iris Barry

The Spectator

[A] marvelously well-photographed record of human life in outlying parts of the world.

May 10, 2018

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

A friendly rivalry with Flaherty informs the venture, a record of vital importance for Rouch, Herzog, Gney, et al.

Sep 21, 2015

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Synopsis

This moving documentary by Merian C. Cooper follows the journey of the Bakhtiari, an impoverished nomadic tribe in Iran, in their never-ending search for fresh grass for their herds. The tribe must traverse snow-capped mountain passes and hazardous terrain. All the while the question looms over them: Will they get their herds to the grazing fields before the animals die of starvation? This film is considered one of the earliest ethnographic documentaries.

Director: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount
Genre: Documentary
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 1925, Limited
Release Date (DVD): Mar 28, 2000
Runtime: 1h 10m