**Due to the high volume of emails and feedback, I will no longer update this 'comments page'. We have received thousands of emails already and thank you all for watching the movie**
Kely - 1/23/07
What a beautiful story! I cried for the thoughtfulness of the gift and the gratitude in the faces of the women. What an inspiration to do the same right here at home in America.
"Auntmud" - 1/23/07
My niece has been living in China since August. She writes home about how poor the people are, and how important it is to reach out and find ways to help the Chinese people. This film shows a perfect example of how it can be done.
Jiarby - 1/21/07
Wow! That was inspiring...great job. And I also liked the music, it really fit the mood of the video without being overpowering. When I think of all the money spent on gaming consoles here in the US it makes me a little sad to think that for each one there is a family somewhere dreaming of getting a cow that will wait another day.
Heather - 1/20/07
This is such a beautiful and inspiring video. Thank you so much for doing this. I had tears streaming down my face. Awesome!
Emily in LA - 1/21/07
I've been stuck...sick in bed for days....high fevers...shivers...naturally, a myspace ramble led me to raves about your film. I had to gander. I reached immediate catharsis....like a premenstral woman or a three year old child. Call it fever...call it cabin fever....call it over the counter drugs...I call it water buffalo. Thanks for the best medicine I've had all week.
Frances - 1/21/07
Thank you for the film. It makes us thankful for where we live just by an accident of birth. I am also thankful for the people who had the compassion to donate the buffalo. We don't always appreciate the goodness of ordinary people.
Heather - 1/21/07
My husband is a minister and we are going to show it to the church.
Scott - 1/21/07
I showed the movie to about 75 of my Chinese language students and notified another 70 students in my online classes. The response is fabulous. I do some work with a very small charity that works with students in two villages in northern Shaanxi so I know of the big changes that can occur in such families with little sacrifice by those of us in the west. Keep up the great work.
Delia - 1/22/07
I've started to pass it around. We've moved 7 times in 9 years (thanks to the military) and I've passed it to people all over the US. I'm the third in a line of 4 generations of women in my family. My mother's brother committed suicide and I found a lot of parallels between their story and our own. However, the financial issues are a huge disparity. Makes you stop and be thankful for what you do have.
Ashley - 1/21/07
Vee's whole family still lives in Laos and we too know the significance of a water buffalo and the impact it can truly have on a family's well being....
Maurice - 1/22/07
... the video and was very very moved and touched by it. What a beautiful tribute to the honor of people and their graciousness.
Trish - 1/22/07
Just wanted to thank you for posting that link. In the midst of the usual bad news we get on this listserve, this is a bright spot of sunshine!
Calvin (oh yeah!) 1/20/07
Thank you for sharing the link to your film. I really enjoyed it. The music was beautiful and I thought what you did was very noble. Congratulations to you, and I hope to see more of this kind of work from you (film/music) not to mention the act of kindness you displayed. Continued success to you.
Bhanu - 1/24/07
I just finished watching your brother's heartwarming documentary. It's so enriching to see someone take the initiative to make such a difference is someone else's life, and then be able to share the experience and inspire others. Do congratulate him from my end for his good work!
Diane - 1/22/07
Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. And you're right . . . there are so many lessons to be learned from this...
CLD - 1/22/07
I loved it — fantastic story! The movie was great — and the music was outstanding... You know what else amazed me about this story? The speed with which they were able to make this happen. It started just this past Christmas, and the water buffalo was delivered January 7th or sometime around then. Just shows that without red tape and government intervention, we can all easily get things done that need doing!
Deannie - 1/19/07
I really loved this video and it was so well done... Thanks for the great reminder about what we can each do to bring about an equalizing to our fellow human brothers and sisters
lagesse.org - 1/19/07
I think what the people in this story did is incredible - and the video is very well done. It’s worth 8 minutes of your life to watch it - preferably with your family.
Nedra W - 1/17/07
Robert made an amazing video of the process of finding and purchasing the water buffalo and delivering it to the needy family. The touching scenes of the elderly matriarchs of the family of four generations being overcome with emotion at the gift, the scenery of the Chinese countryside, and Robert's soundtrack (an instrumental version of, fittingly enough, "How to Save a Life") are all reasons to watch this video. See if you can choke back that lump in your throat at the end.
synapsechronicles.com - 1/18/07
I read the story - but watching the video really has a big impact, so I’d recommend checking it out.
seibuone.com - 1/18/07
Now put this all together: A guy writes a post on his blog about how he’d like a more direct way of donating an animal than he’s getting with Heifer. A guy on the other side of the world responds in the comments that he can help. A few weeks later, the deed is done. And a week after that, we’re watching a short film of it online. Wow.
thinkpersonality.com 1/17/07
Whoa. How's that for reaching across the world through the Internet?
Daily Blague - 1/17/07
If only life could always be this simple. Please watch this video. It packs the wallop of a feature film in an eggtimer of minutes.
And, by the way, if violinist Robert Thompson comes to New York to give a recital or a concert, I am there!
Edouard - 1/17/07
Excellent video.
tanglebones.com - 1/17/07
Take 8 minutes out of your day... and watch 4 Generations right now. It's a simple story, but it's beautiful and inspiring.
Diana L. - 1/23/07
It's going to be the start of class tomorrow... can't believe it was only filmed about two weeks ago. These are the stories that need to lead the nightly news, because these are the stories that should far outnumber the negative, pessimistic versions of the world.
My students just had their first attempt at digital storytelling. Some flourished, others struggled. But the vast majority of them had to be kicked out of the lab(becuase they wanted to stay and work), were emailing over the weekend and took a serious amount of pride in the output. We put the finishing touches on tomorrow,the goal was to tell the story of a person that used/uses their life to postively impact other people. The assignment was broad, but allowed for some creativity in the telling and topics for the stories. The water buffalo story is one more example of the type of stories I want my students to be able to tell about their own lives. Thank you for the link! Made my day!
Marilyn T. - 1/18/07
...this is such a moving video. So much stuff on the Internet is ephemeral and not worthy of attention. This is worthy. I want to share it with everyone. Thanks for finding and posting it. Individuals can make a difference.
Dave - 1/17/07
Thanks to you and your wife for your inspiring story of giving, and the reminder that what can be a small effort for us maintains the power to change entire lives. You have truly shown the way.
Gail - 1/16/07
This was a wonderful story that made me weep.
Jeremy - 1/17/07
...loved it, such an awesome and moving story (great music score too!)
Anon - 1/17/07
An amazing video, thank you for sharing.
Carol - 1/17/07
Nice information and heartbreaking video.
Aldo - 1/17/07
I am a cuban born violin jazz player.
I live now in Edmonton, but I lived most of my live in
Cuba, which is also a poor country, so I can probably
understand the magnitud of your gift. I guess you must
feel very good, since the most extraordinary
satisfaction in live is giving.
Anon - 1/16/07
Wow. That's really moving. Bravo.
Anon - 1/16/07
I too was moved by the story, and enjoyed the way he put everything together,. The music accompanies beautifully the images.
Anon - 1/16/07
- The music was excellent
- The voice over was excellent
- I cried before the grandmother did
- The editing was very good (the transitions to black were a bit long for me, but it's not a major thing).
Overall, amazing.
Anon - 1/16/07
dude. you just made me cry at work.
Ben - 1/17/07
G** D***!!! That's heavy s***. First of all,
production wise, great job. As for the story, I had to
wipe my eyes several times before it was over.
Powerful stuff!!!
Anon - 1/16/07
i think the video is great. i could have watched another hour of it. i actually got a little teary at the end. :)
Eugene - 1/17/07
Thanks so much for sending this along. It's beautifully done, and I
was very moved.
Anon - 1/16/07
It was truly amazing. I haven't been able to cry since I started taking anti-depressants about three months ago. The fact that it moved me to tears made me feel human again.
Greg - 1/17/07
...that really blows me away. If you are going to do that again, let me know, because I'd like to buy a water buffalo for a farmer, too.
Andrea - 1/17/07
... [We are] so impressed and moved by your film. I am sharing it with a few friends and family members. Kudos to you!
Anon - 1/16/07
I can't believe you did this in such a short time. I'd say it hits all the right notes: compelling, paced right, nice transitions, excellent music choices
James - 1/18/07
Just saw your '4 Generations' film and loved it. Congratulations! Will the cover of The Fray be available anywhere? I really liked your version. Cheers.
Kaelen - 1/18/07
i watched '4 generations' after clicking through from kottke.org last night; it was incredibly moving. i linked my mom to the short and she now wants to donate a water buffalo to a family as well. is there no other way to do this than to hire someone locally to buy and hand deliver it to a needy family? thanks robert; the movie was truly amazing.
Johnie - 1/18/07
What an inspirational gift and compelling film. Great job to you, Philip and your wife. Oh great score too.
Erik - 1/18/07
Hi Robert-
I arrived here via Kottke's link and was moved by your video of the water buffalo gift. I plan to check out your site(s) - can't wait to see and hear more about all that you do.
I'm writing to inquire about how I, and my community here in the states, can contribute another buffalo (or 20) to the people in the community you visited. Or any other community you recommend.
It seems like such a simple gift - yet it goes so far. We donate to doctors without borders every year - I'd like to do a bit more. Thanks for any insight.
