Product Details

• Actors: Pat Connelly
• Directors: Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Cinema Guild
• DVD Release Date: August 3, 2010
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003FO80MI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,059 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Sweetgrass" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The vanishing American West - a beautiful and subtle depiction of the demise of a way of life, February 21, 2010

By 

Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sweetgrass [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

An ethnographic study of a vanishing way of life, Sweetgrass follows some of the last modern-day cowboys as they herd sheep into the beautiful Absaroka-Beartooth mountains. The film is an astonishing document, that recalls Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack's Grass: A Nation's Battle For Life for its epochal scope, its subtle humor, and its profound depiction of the passing of a lifestyle.

The opening shots depict sheep in wintry pastures, barely standing out against the snow, the sounds of bleating and bell and the white overwhelm the senses. We see a single sheep, in a medium shot, bleating loudly, and then she turns to face the camera in silence. It is a strange moment, and an intriguing choice for a documentary film where the filmmakers seem barely present since its subjects - the sheep and the men and women who tend them - appear almost oblivious to the camera throughout, with rare exceptions such as in this opening shot where the subject of the film breaks the fourth wall, and stares at the camera. A defiant gaze.

The film demands some patience initially, but there is a highly satisfying payoff. The filmmakers work in a tradition of ethnographic filmmaking, attempting to capture a way of life without commentary, so that there is no voiceover, no explanation other than what can be observed. There is no human voice for the first several minutes of the film, and the first human voice we hear is of a farmer making peeping noises as she carries a baby lamb in order to encourage its mother to follow her. The most extended speech is a tirade filled with invectives, of a tired and discouraged shepherd who later complains to his mother via satellite phone that he would rather love these mountains than come to hate them.

The film, which was shot digitally but then blown up to 35mm film for its theatrical release, is quite beautiful; occasionally its digital origins show in the sweeping vistas that lack some of the nuance, depth, and detail of true film, but the patience of the filmmakers and their care and attention in framing images and capturing the difficult reality of the mountain trek, more than makes up for it. Highly recommended.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a work of art (but not for everyone), September 23, 2010

By 

Michael Monagan - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sweetgrass (DVD)

This movie is an absolute work of art. Defying all the norms of documentary film-making, Sweetgrass lets the story unfold on it's own terms. No narrative, no quick cuts, no being lead by the nose from plot point to plot point, yet the film has pathos, humor, drama, artistry, and lots of reality. John Ahern is the real Marlboro man not the Hollywood version we've been taught to believe. THis is one of my favorite movies ever. I will say however, that it is not for everyone. It is subtle and moves in real time and I'm sure will leave many if not most people scratching their heads. Just as most people don't like the art in museums, or classical music, or jazz, or modern dance, most people will probably not like this movie. Too bad. BUt that's life.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whine-whine-whine!!, July 6, 2011

By 

Donna Hughes (Iowa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sweetgrass (DVD)

I can't believe the amount of whining here from many reviewers! We don't live out on a ranch, but we have had sheep for years and I have also worked around cowboys in my younger days. What I saw in this movie was the reality of working around livestock, which can be very aggrevating at times, and sometimes dangerous. Sheep do not just walk up, sit down and say "shear me please."!! They don't necessarily like their "person" being handled and they can and do jump, kick and struggle. You can get kicked or knocked down. Once the shearer sets them up, then they relax for the most part. And you try shearing that many sheep, doing it so carefully that there isn't a nick on them and you will be there for a month! This is a business and the idea is to make a living. As unpleasant as it is to dock tails, I thought they did it very nicely with a tool that docked and cauterized at the same time, as I used to see them dock tails and just let the blood run until it stopped, and while some didn't bleed much, others did.

They marked each ewe and lamb with a number so they could easily see who belonged to whom, and when you have that many ewes lambing in a short period of time, with any number of problems, like orphan lambs and birthing dificulties, you have to move quickly and do your best to solve things as you go along. There isn't always time to be gentle, warm and fuzzy about it.

Also it was filmed as a real experience with all the warts, not as some cleaned-up fantasy! The beginning showed an honest portrait of the sheep. It was a beautiful beginning. How could you feel anything for the sheep if you complained about this introductory footage? They have their moments. After that, sometimes it WAS dark. Sometimes there was chaos in the dark, as when scaring away the mama bear and her cubs. Sometimes stock dogs aren't perfect. I was a bit surprised at the Pyrenees guard dogs polishing off the dead sheep, as it didn't seem a very good thing to do, but other than that I thought it beautifully done and am considering buying a dvd.