Travellers and magician
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Travellers and Magician is the first feature film ever made in the Himalayan
kingdom of Bhutan. Travellers and Magician shows the contrast of ancient
traditions and modern life's conflicts.
This film is shot in beautiful surrounding of Bhutan. In the movies our roads
look steep and scary. The speeding Land Cruiser and the car dangerously
maneuver the treacherous hair pin bends. The archery match and the house
consecration though not much highlighted in the movies were some of the
best scenes. The immense beauty of the surroundings, the majesty of the
rolling sky form the backdrop for this story within a story.
This story is a story of a restless youth, a newly minted civil servant who is
posted in a rural area where the only mean of communication is the postal
service. This film actually shows the tug of modernisation on the ancient
traditional values. It depicts that the human desires are restless and we look for our own immediate needs.
Dhendup, the hero in the movie, is ready to make the rest of his life western by getting a visa to go to
America. Around him a world in robes and sandals turns at pace of about 90 years behind the west, and
Dhendup decides to grab his ghetto blaster and make a run for it.
But in missing the bus, Dhendup is doomed to walk or hitchhike for miles. Seemingly, this pace is how
many in the rural area travel, and he finds company on the road. At first impatient, and peeved since his first
companion, a Buddhist monk, will be entitled to be picked up first if a driver has only room for one. Time
goes by, and more travellers join in the search for rides.
The monk weaves tales for Dhendup's consideration, which become the rich inner story of the film. The
callous Dhendup is reflected in the tales, and softened by a beautiful girl's selflessness.
Movie runtime : 108mins
Director: Kyentshe Rinpoche
Cast: Tshewang Dhendup, Tshewang Lhamo, Sonam Kinga
kingdom of Bhutan. Travellers and Magician shows the contrast of ancient
traditions and modern life's conflicts.
This film is shot in beautiful surrounding of Bhutan. In the movies our roads
look steep and scary. The speeding Land Cruiser and the car dangerously
maneuver the treacherous hair pin bends. The archery match and the house
consecration though not much highlighted in the movies were some of the
best scenes. The immense beauty of the surroundings, the majesty of the
rolling sky form the backdrop for this story within a story.
This story is a story of a restless youth, a newly minted civil servant who is
posted in a rural area where the only mean of communication is the postal
service. This film actually shows the tug of modernisation on the ancient
traditional values. It depicts that the human desires are restless and we look for our own immediate needs.
Dhendup, the hero in the movie, is ready to make the rest of his life western by getting a visa to go to
America. Around him a world in robes and sandals turns at pace of about 90 years behind the west, and
Dhendup decides to grab his ghetto blaster and make a run for it.
But in missing the bus, Dhendup is doomed to walk or hitchhike for miles. Seemingly, this pace is how
many in the rural area travel, and he finds company on the road. At first impatient, and peeved since his first
companion, a Buddhist monk, will be entitled to be picked up first if a driver has only room for one. Time
goes by, and more travellers join in the search for rides.
The monk weaves tales for Dhendup's consideration, which become the rich inner story of the film. The
callous Dhendup is reflected in the tales, and softened by a beautiful girl's selflessness.
Movie runtime : 108mins
Director: Kyentshe Rinpoche
Cast: Tshewang Dhendup, Tshewang Lhamo, Sonam Kinga
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