Kingdom of the Himalayas

An English-language dub of a Spanish documentary that takes a distinctly old-school approach to rendering a portrait of the mountain kingdoms of Tibet, Nepal, and the lesser-known Ladakh, Kingdom of the Himalayas features no interviews or host, just an omniscient off-camera narrator who conducts viewer through valleys, peaks, settlements, monasteries, and one bustling metropolis in the form of Lhasa. Viewers will witness a short ride-along with a yak-herding tribe of nomads in which a woman has multiple husbands (this intriguing culture is described as fated to extinction); hear acknowledgment of the strong influence of the exiled Dalai Lama; and see a Nepalese ritual harvesting of honey from hives on virtually inaccessible, sheer rock faces—a Ripley's Believe It Or Not! endeavor that is as much religious ceremony as agriculture. The narration is surprisingly critical at times, citing devotion to religious studies as having retarded Tibet's modern progress, and even complaining that musicians at a climactic Buddhist mystical dance have more enthusiasm than talent (ouch!). A bit of an oddball armchair travel/cultural documentary, this is an optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)