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HAPPY PEOPLE: A YEAR IN THE TAIGAMovie Reviews
English and Russian language documentary about indigenous people living in the Siberian wilderness without running water, telephones or medical aid. Cast:Werner HerzogDirector:Werner Herzog, Dmitry VasyukovRelease Date:January 25, 2013DVD Release:April 23, 2013From:Music Box FilmsLength:1 hr. 34 min.
APRIL 23, 2013
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga, Very Good Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga opened in key cities to very good reviews. • Curt Holman wrote in Atlanta Creative Loafing, "Instead of a pitiless account of a doomed populace, Werner Herzog brings surprising warmth to his toiling, fur-clad protagonists — or at least some of them." More Reviews Below...
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga Positive Reviews (29 Reviews, reviews below)
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the footage shot by Vasyukov is striking, lovingly detailed, and certainly up to par with anything Herzog himself might have done.... fascinating, even touching... Age 12."(See all of Jeffrey M. Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 403 words, 01/23/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Nicolas Rapold, New York Times: GOOD "...a quaint throwback to the illustrated chronicles of television nature documentaries... The documentary stops dead at one point for speechifying about absolute freedom."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 01/25/13
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a lyrical portrait of self-reliance... this does feel like a lesser Herzog project (he joined on after it was shot).... a short film probably would have sufficed."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 109 words, 01/25/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD "...an intimate portrait of the vanishing breed of hunters and fishers still making a life in the isolated heart of Siberia... Herzog has become a master of the understatement..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 02/15/13
Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "The film is both elegiac and amazingly retro, like the nature specials that baby boomers were weaned on.... The filmmakers clearly feel that this is true manly living..."(See all of Farran Smith Nehme's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 261 words, 01/25/13
Steven Boone, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "What Herzog gleans from Yaskyuov's exhaustive material is a simple observation: The men of the Taiga are heroes of rugged individualism."(See all of Steven Boone's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,242 words, 01/25/13
Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...remarkable.... It's fitting that this film of people making do with what they have should itself look somewhat humble, without lyricism... beautiful..."(See all of Alan Scherstuhl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 807 words, 01/23/13
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "They decidedly don't seem happy. And the movie's decision to skate down the frozen Yenisei without examining their unhappiness more closely leaves a slight chill."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 511 words, 02/22/13
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...very much of a piece with Herzog's other work, examining man's place in the natural world, looking at man's history and man's ability to survive, to endure."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 323 words, 02/15/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "The title is in no sense ironic.... The film looks up to its subjects, not down upon them. You will, too, when you see how intense the cold gets before they put on gloves."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 02/15/13
Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Herzog's longing for the ideological purity in which these lives are lived, free of paperwork and bureaucracy, taxes and technology, drives the film..."(See all of Barbara VanDenburgh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 565 words, 03/01/13
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "What may be best about the movie is its love of tradecraft. Trappers straddle a technological present and timeless tradition."(See all of Mark Feeney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 02/15/13
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "There is intense, harsh beauty in many of the scenes, and it's impossible to watch the film without sharing Herzog's deep, genuine liking for his subjects."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 427 words, 02/22/13
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Herzog's passion for outsize experience has always captured our essential human identity against big backdrops. He captures it again, but this time with a twist."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 02/15/13
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...primitive but fascinating... the movie also features clouds of mosquitoes thick enough to inspire phantom itching in viewers."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 138 words, 02/15/13
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Herzog and co-director Dmitry Vasyukov keep their cinematic noses to the grindstones where the all-important axes are honed."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 362 words, 03/08/13
Tom Long, Detroit News: MODERATE(cg) "...a lot seems to be overlooked... the movie seems to strain toward the notion that harsh nature makes for a pure heart. And perhaps it does for some. But all?"(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 288 words, 03/15/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...remarkable.... It's fitting that this film of people making do with what they have should itself look somewhat humble, without lyricism... beautiful..."(See all of Alan Scherstuhl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 807 words, 01/23/13
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Herzog is turned on by macho-men in the wilderness, so it makes sense that he falls hard for the Russians who fish and trap sable in the most cut-off part of Siberia."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 147 words, 02/14/13
Noel Murray, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "Dmitry Vasyukov and Werner Herzog are united in their fascination with the particulars of how to thrive in some of the harshest conditions on Earth."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 01/24/13
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: EXCELLENT(cg) "...it does raise questions about how documentarians do their work.... the process of making choices to shape any document, any observation, any interpretation."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 854 words, 02/20/13
Drew Hunt, Slant: POOR(cg) "...an unimaginative, formally limp documentary that's disjointed at best and unwatchable at worst... It's tough to watch Herzog indulge in self-parody..."(See all of Drew Hunt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 358 words, 01/21/13
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Instead of a pitiless account of a doomed populace, Werner Herzog brings surprising warmth to his toiling, fur-clad protagonists -- or at least some of them."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 02/13/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Nicolas Rapold, New York Times: GOOD "...a quaint throwback to the illustrated chronicles of television nature documentaries... The documentary stops dead at one point for speechifying about absolute freedom."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 01/25/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...an intimate portrait of the vanishing breed of hunters and fishers still making a life in the isolated heart of Siberia... Herzog has become a master of the understatement..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 02/15/13
Peter Debruge, Variety: VERY GOOD "...mesmerizing.... Scenes of everyday survival constitute most of the film, from pike fishing to building cabins and hand-crafting skis..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 09/27/10
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...consistently compelling... Herzog's 94-minute cut feels just right, fully immersing us in this rarified world without lapsing into tedium."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 322 words, 01/29/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...an intimate portrait of the vanishing breed of hunters and fishers still making a life in the isolated heart of Siberia... Herzog has become a master of the understatement..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 02/15/13
Nicolas Rapold, New York Times: GOOD "...a quaint throwback to the illustrated chronicles of television nature documentaries... The documentary stops dead at one point for speechifying about absolute freedom."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 01/25/13
14.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga's reviews are separated by an average 14.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (29 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Happy People: A Year in the Taiga's reviews cover 27.6% of potential readers (average is 68.0%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,198 words involume (average is 20,200 words). Length:The film's reviews average 490 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga Coverage, Volume & Length (29 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 66.5 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga's reviews on average broke 66.5 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Happy People: A Year in the Taiga's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (29 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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