Customer Reviews

He Dances for His Cormorants (Home Use Version)

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This is a superb short film. I first saw it 15+ years ago on BBC and thought it as one of the most relaxing films I'd seen. Over the years I had attemped to purchase a copy of it, only to find it in VHS at great expence from America.

A few months back I saw it for sale, on DVD, via Amazon and without considering cost placed my order. All in all, including UK import duty it has cost me about £72.00. Was it worth it? Not really as the original magic was not there. Maybe the BBC over dubbed the soundtrack supplied. However, I am not disappointed with the film, just my stupidity in spending so much to obtain a copy.

If you want some peace in your life order this "must have DVD" while it can still be gotten. I originally saw this program on television years ago when it first came out. The simple life of Zong Man on the Lijiang River where he lives with his wife and with his cormorants (trained birds that dive in the river to bring him fish) is just incredible. He ties a string around the comorants necks so that they cannot swallow their catch. The birds dive on fish, catch them and bring them back to Zong. After Zong's basket is filled, he removes the string so that the cormorants can catch fish and eat them. The cormorants love Zong and he in turn takes good care of them. He lives in a simple shack on the edge of the river and goes to town (when he is not fishing) to talk with other cormorant fishermen and to seek the best bloodline for his cormorants. He raises cormorants by looking for a spouse for his best bird. The warm and trusting relationship between Zong and his birds is incredible. Zong's lifestyle is incredible! Hard to believe, wonderful simpleness - very, very relaxing to think that people ever survived in this manner. You will not be disappointed in this film. I do not yet own the dvd but have it at the top of my priorities to buy when I can.