Watching: Last of the Nomads

Overview

This Norwegian documentary was released in other countries as Lapland Calendar. In Disneyesque fashion, the film details the day-to-day existence of the Norwegian Laplanders. The "story" concentrates on the annual odyssey wherein the Lapland reindeer are shepherded to snow-free grazing lands. Not surprisingly, director Per Host is more fascinated with the reindeer than with the human characters -- and, by extension, so is the audience. The film was lensed in economical Eastmancolor, meaning that most existing prints have washed out over the past 40 years.