Monument Valley: Navajo Homeland

As is so often the case, the latest Finley-Holiday production is a beauty. Monument Valley, Utah, is a small region of only a few hundred square miles set in the Navajo homeland. Russ Finley's superb cinematography and the haunting Native American flute music of R. Carlos Nakai provide a beautiful video and audio setting for the story, where present day Navajos live in hogans (clay houses) and raise livestock and create the famous woven Navajo rugs and blankets. The program visits the Goulding trading post where Harry Goulding and his wife "Mike," first set up shop in 1923. In a 1990 interview, Mrs. Goulding recalls the olden days, and Hollywood's "discovery" of Monument Valley by director John Ford, who shot Stagecoach on location, and returned to shoot many more films in the area. An interesting guide to the history, peoples, and geology of Monument Valley, this exquisite program is another winner from Finley-Holiday, and is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (Available from: Finley-Holiday Films, 12607 East Philadelphia St., Whittier, CA 90601.)