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''Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life'' is a 1925
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
that follows a branch of the Bakhtiari tribe of
Lurs Lurs () are an Iranian people living in the mountains of western Iran. The four Luri branches are the Bakhtiari, Mamasani, Kohgiluyeh and Lur proper, who are principally linked by the Luri language. Lorestan Province is named after the Lur ...
in Persia as they and their herds make their seasonal journey to better pastures. It is considered one of the earliest ethnographic
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
s. In 1997, ''Grass'' was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."


Production

The film was directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and
Ernest Schoedsack Ernest Beaumont Schoedsack (June 8, 1893 – December 23, 1979) was an American motion picture cinematographer, producer, and director. Schoedsack worked as a cameraman in World War I, where he served in the Signal Corps. At the conclusion o ...
, with intertitles by Richard Carver and Terry Ramsaye. It was the first film produced by the team of Cooper and Schoedsack, who went on to produce ''
King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'' and many other films. Cooper was a writer performing research for the
American Geographical Society The American Geographical Society (AGS) is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the ...
and Schoedsack was a cameraman. Reporter and former spy
Marguerite Harrison Marguerite Elton Harrison (1879–1967) was an American reporter, spy, filmmaker and translator. She was also one of the four founding members of the Society of Woman Geographers. Biography Harrison was born Marguerite Elton Baker, one of two d ...
was an instrumental member of the production team. Harrison had met Cooper at a ball in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
,Brin, David. (2005) ''King Kong Is Back!: An Unauthorized Look at One Humongous Ape'', BenBella; and she provided him with food, books and blankets when he was taken prisoner by the Russians in 1920 and sent to work in a prison camp.Brownlow. 2005 Harrison also appears in the film as herself. Years later, Schoedsack commented that Harrison had not done "a damn thing" during the expedition. Funding was provided by a loan of $5,000 from Cooper's father and brother, and Harrison contributed an additional $5,000.Harrison, Marguerite "There's Always Tomorrow" 1935 Farrar & Rinehart ASIN: B00085QALK In filming the journey, Cooper, Schoedsack, and Harrison became the first Westerners to make the migration with the Bakhtiari. The only previous ethnographic documentary was
Robert Flaherty Robert Joseph Flaherty, (; February 16, 1884 – July 23, 1951) was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature-length documentary film, '' Nanook of the North'' (1922). The film made his reputati ...
's '' Nanook of the North'' (1922). According to Cooper, the filmmakers were unaware of ''Nanook'' until their return to New York City from filming in Persia.


Summary

The film's producers were mainly concerned with documenting a way of life that was unknown to all those outside the Bakhtiari realm. The film highlights the extreme hardships faced by
nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...
ic peoples, as well as the bravery and ingenuity of the Bakhtiari on their migration in search of grass, which meant abundant seasonal pasture for their animals. ''Grass'' documents the caravan route from Angora (modern-day
Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
) to the Bakhtiari lands in Persia (western Iran in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province and the eastern part of
Khuzestan Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it cover ...
). The film then follows Haidar Khan as he leads 50,000 of his people and countless animals on a harrowing trek across the
Karun River The Karun ( fa, کارون, ) is the Iranian river with the highest water flow, and its only navigable river. It is long. It rises in the Zard Kuh mountains of the Bakhtiari district in the Zagros Range, receiving many tributaries, such as t ...
and over Zard Kuh, the highest peak in the
Zagros Mountains The Zagros Mountains ( ar, جبال زاغروس, translit=Jibal Zaghrus; fa, کوه‌های زاگرس, Kuh hā-ye Zāgros; ku, چیاکانی زاگرۆس, translit=Çiyakani Zagros; Turkish: ''Zagros Dağları''; Luri: ''Kuh hā-ye Zāgr ...
.


Reception

In a contemporary review for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', critic
Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.ere is drama interspersed with captivating comedy, and the audience last night applauded some of the wonderful photographic sequences and at other times they were moved to laughter by the antics of the animals." The film was first shown at The Explorers Club annual dinner held at the
Hotel McAlpin Herald Towers, formerly the Hotel McAlpin, is a residential condominium building on Herald Square, along Broadway between 33rd and 34th Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Constructed from 1910 to 1912 by the Greel ...
in New York City on January 24, 1925, along with a lecture by Cooper. The ''Explorers Journal'' reported: " is Mr. Cooper's happy achievement to have portrayed poignantly and comprehensively the drama of a people in their primitive struggle with inexorable forces of nature.... The pictures were a fitting climax to an evening of thrilling entertainment." ''Grass'' was later purchased for distribution by
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
. Its theatrical debut took place at the
Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began develop ...
in New York on March 30, 1925.Vas,Mark 2005 Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong, Villard; First edition (August 2, 2005),


Planned remake

In 1947, Merian C. Cooper sought to remake ''Grass'', which he called a "damned half picture," and he said: "One man and one woman, and their children, will exemplify for the audience the whole of this struggle for survival which breeds a race that is proud and strong, rugged individuals all, meeting bravely the moods of natural forces seemingly bent upon their destruction." Ernest Schoedsack told him to forget the idea because his Persian friends had informed him that a rail line now ran through the country, and much of the Bakhtiaris' trek was now performed using cars and trucks.


Reissue

''Grass'' was reissued theatrically in the early 1990s. Rights to ''Grass'' had been donated to the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...
, and Milestone Film and Video obtained the rights in 1990. Dennis Doros of Milestone said:
Out of the one hundred and fifty to two hundred films we've done, ''Grass'' and ''Chang'' are among the ones I am most proud of distributing. ''Chang'' is a national treasure in Thailand. ''Grass'' has images of race and culture that don't exist anymore; it's been called the greatest migration in modern history, and I agree. The journey of the Bakhtiari is so astonishing, the power of those images is like a dream, the way they're constantly moving and climbing.
''Grass'' has been issued in videocassette and DVD format. It is also available for streaming on the Criterion Channel. In 2009, author Bahman Maghsoudlou published a book titled ''Grass: Untold Stories'' that includes background information and historical references related to the making of the film.


References


External links

* ''Grass'' essay by Dennis Doros on the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
websit

* ''Grass'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 97–9

* * * *
''Grass'' clip (20:47)
at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
*
Another ''Grass'' clip (10:04)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grass (1925 Film) 1925 films American silent feature films Black-and-white documentary films American documentary films Films shot in Iran United States National Film Registry films Documentary films about Iran Films directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack Films directed by Merian C. Cooper Anthropology documentary films 1925 documentary films American black-and-white films 1920s American films