Loss of touch with Mother Nature

Dersu Uzala (Russian, 1975)
Director: Akira Kurosawa

First there was darkness, then there was light. This alternation of night and day was instrumental in developing many of man's inner and outer equilibrium. Internally, the diurnal circadian rhythm was achieved. The pineal gland owed its maturity to it. Man learnt to live in symbiosis with the elements of nature by learning simple things about them. The wind, moisture, heat, stars, moon and sun were their guides. Then came the ability to produce light at their will. Suddenly, people found they no longer had to depend on nature to move around. Slowly, their closeness to nature grew far apart.

This Oscar winner is a poignant Japanese-Russian venture that highlights a unique friendship between a Russian military surveyor and a Goldi nomadic hunter. The Goldis, or Nanai people as they are known now, have their ancestors in Manchuria.

Nanai family, Amur region of Russia

Captain Arseniev and his men meet up with an amusing-looking man as they survey the Far East region of Russia. The man introduces himself as Dersu Uzala, a hunter who roams the jungle for kills. They decide to take him in to help with their expedition and surveying. Not taking him too seriously on his proclaimed knowledge of the forest, they were awed and pleasantly surprised by his uncanny ability to deduce things from simple observations. Looking at a track on the ground, he could tell the age, the ethnicity and many things about the owner of the footprints. His predictions eventually turned out to be embarrassingly accurate to the dot.

His survival skills too proved valuable. Caught in a snowstorm, he once saved the Captain's life by building an igloo-like structure from tall grass in a jiffy. Together, Dersu and the battalion explored many areas and experienced many adventures. Dersu turned out to be someone who has the utmost respect for the forest. He does not damage it for its own sake or kill animals for fun. At one juncture, he becomes emotionally disturbed as he had to shoot down a tiger. A tiger, in his belief, is an animal not to be killed, as it would anger the spirits.

From that time on, he was never his old self. He became withdrawn and had nightmares. He even had hysterical blindness to animals. As the expedition came to an end, the Captain invited him to stay with him in his home in town.

Dersu could not really fit into the domesticated life. He eventually went back to the forest. With his failing eyesight and emotional instability, he did not survive long.

Again, Kurosawa showed us that you do not have to understand the language to appreciate a good movie. The friendship between two men of different backgrounds and stature comes alive with mutual respect and acceptance of each other's convictions without malice. True friendship transcends all borders!