If you are into aesthetic metaphor in the moving image than this film is well worth viewing. The director constructs a kind of guided meditation through the use of poetic narration and symbolic imagery.The film is narrated by a man of whom it would appear has suffered some kind of crises and has thus gone to live a spiritual life among nature. The metaphor and beautiful symbolism both in word and image succeed however in making this an archetypal journey of spiritual growth.The director clearly has a keen and exquisite sense of aesthetic beauty, and the film is edited very well, the combination of which I felt thoroughly worked to accomplish not only a beautiful but a relevant and meaningful experience for the viewer.There were however a few moments where I felt certain elements had been over-stressed and sometimes this felt a little laboured. For example there is a slight over-reliance on dancing, as if the director was afraid to let the beauty of stillness occupy the screen. This sometimes results in an unnecessarily 'noisy' image. At times also the dancing appeared a little ambiguous and confused, and this I feel was a mistake caused by what seems like a loss of focus towards the end.That said however, the film is overall extremely good and I found it very moving at times. It is visual poetry and truly a work of art.

Yes, the images are beautiful but Yes, these beautiful images are symbolic of humans trying to control nature for their own purpose.Exotic animals are beautiful when they are wild and in their natural habitats and without humans swirling around. When you train elephants in a circus to obey you, it becomes disgraceful and disgusting. How many takes were necessary to obtain the "picture perfect" images of a dancer and a bird flying above? How many takes does it take to have 5 elephants moving together at the same time? A lot!Most animals in that "movie"/artistic performance have been domesticated even if their nature is to be wild and sometimes ferocious. We're not talking about cats and dogs here but about animals usually living in the wild.Controlling animals for the pleasure of humans had always disgusted me.

I had the privilege of visiting Gregory Colbert's Parisian studio this weekend and fell in love with his magnificent, oversize sepia images of people and children interacting, sitting, dancing, or swimming with Asian elephants, eagles, manatees, cheetahs, whales and more. I had seen his 2005 exhibit, "Ashes and Snow", in New York City and still have one of its posters hanging above my bed. I wanted to watch the film of the same name in its entirety and was spellbound.For those who are not familiar with Gregory Colbert, he is a Canadian born photographer and film-maker, who traveled on expeditions to India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and many more to document the incredible interactions between humans and animals. He exposes his work only in immense "nomadic" structures. Ashes and Snow attracted over 10 million visitors in NYC, Santa Monica, Tokyo and Mexico City, making it the most attended exhibition by a living artist in history. Colbert's Nomadic Museum continues its global journey indefinitely and has no final destination. The movie, narrated by Laurence Fishburne, is stunning to say the very least. It is angelic, gentle and mesmerizing. Mostly silent, a simple, enchanting music plays in the background. From time to time a poem is read, telling the fictional tale of a husband writing 365 letters to his wife. The poems themselves are wonderful and divine, perfectly fitting into this symphony of sights and sounds and of perfect harmony between living beings. There are scenes of utmost beauty and precision that sent me into a dream-like state.I highly recommend this film to anyone who is interested in art, photography or cinematography or simply to anybody who loves animals and wants to see something truly beautiful and unique. It can also be left on in the background and be watched over and over again for the striking, almost sacred allure of its images.Gregory's next appointment is with the penguins and icebergs of Antarctica and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us.My rating: 8.5 Fabio's: 6 Total score: 14.5 For more movie reviews, please visit http://www.paulinasmovies.blogspot.com/

I've worked for many years as a cinematographer, on small film projects, and I must say, this is one of the most beautiful films that I have seen in my entire life. The first time I saw it, in Los Angeles, I was thrilled beyond belief. I returned every weekend for the entire three months, braving the long lines at the exhibition. I am only truly peaceful when I am watching the film. I have a hectic life- three children, a long work day, and very little time to relax.I bought the film, and often show it at home to guests. My children also love it. I am so happy that they can grow up with something so beautiful in their homes. Thank you, Gregory Colbert, for the amazing film that you have created.