FEYNMAN: THE QUEST FOR TANNU TUVA (1988) 

I really can’t explain why this man has such an appeal to my heart and emotions...Even as a complete stranger, I would have loved to have visited with him for just 5 min.

I don't cry. But as I saw Ralph Leighton nearly break down at the end, I was overcome with sadness and I'm sitting here on the couch at 8am with tears running down my face. I'm so glad Richard Feynman, whose lecture videos my brother and I love to watch, retained his clarity, acuity and sense of fun and adventure til the end. May the memory of this great, mischievous genius never be forgotten. If there is an afterlife, surely he is poking and prodding at the boundaries of it right now.

One of my best friends I've never met.

"The whole idea is to have adventure". Thank you Dr. Feynman. I agree.

This documentary is a treasure. It makes me feel better to know that his daughter Michelle Feynman visited Tuva in 2009.

He had friendship, love, respect and adventure. I cannot imagine a more fulfilling life for anybody. A man to be admired.

I can’t believe this was two weeks prior to his death.

I have had this nut to crack in my brain for nearly three decades. Richard Feynman's name was planted there with my own discovery of Tuva through its' music and remoteness... when Tuvan music hit my ears for the first time here in the USA in 1994, I was enthralled by wonder. I was transported to the Asian steppes full of wanderlust as Feynman explains beautifully here. It was in the liner notes of the recordings I was listening to that I first discovered the name Richard Feynman. That name has been a brain worm ever since. His unorthodox keeps popping up more and more now in 2023 in these times of "Trust the Science" & Fauci spewing "I am the science"...I can relax in remembrance of Richard saying something like (I will murder this quote), Science is the belief that the experts are wrong Thank You for this video. It reveals a better window into Richard's character than any of the other "biographies" I have found. Who knew how much he liked orange juice Again, Thank You!

This brought a tear to my eye - such a nice man - I love hearing him talk

This man is pure love to the Universe

This guy, Dr. Richard Feynman, with his passion for all things, and simple explanations for the average person, inspired me to return to school and finish a degree in electrical engineering. It's not easy, all the math and formulas, but Feynman always made me feel , that if he could do it , anyone could do it. He had that effect on people. I am still very passionate about electrodynamics and physics and all that it entails..

I was born 8 months and 6 days after Feynman died. I had a love for Physics since early childhood and majored in Physics in college where I learned about him. Such an amazing scientist.

This is more Profound than you think. Thank you. Beautiful

i had such a crush on him. He was an example of how scientists often are among the most beautiful thinkers in the world. Physicists seem extra special among their field's peers. Happy bday, Mr. Feyman, wherever you are. I'm guessing the orange juice is excellent there.

Just one of the more worthwhile things I’ve ever watched

What a wonderfully Human human...Thank you Christopher Sykes, for sharing this story.. Thank you! Kind regards Keith.

There have been many physics geniuses down the years, even such intellectual heavy-weights as Feynman, but what sets him apart is his humanity, his relatable motivations and humility, his empathy.

The long awaited, yearned for permission and invitation to finally visit Tuva arrived a couple of days after his death. That is so indescribably ironic and tragic.

Always loved this doc, so damn sad though. I wish Feynman could have lived forever - at least we have these videos.

It is glorious of Mother Nature to give us such a wonder.

A week ago I didn't even know who Richard Feynman was. I came across his lectures on quantum physics and know this... what a great, inspirational and amazing person, thank you for sharing. TUVA OR BURST!

And today is the anniversary of Tannu Tuva's independence. Happy Birthday Tuva!

I saw this when it was first released and I’ve never forgotten it. It shaped my university studies and my career path, so I owe a debt to the producer and to Mr. Feynman. Thank you for stressing that there’s great joy in intellectual discovery.

Miraculous mind; stunning showman; endearing human.

Fantastic video because since 1974 I am as a theoretical physicist fascinated by Feynman. Thank you very much, indeed

What a beautiful way to see and live life! Thank you!

What a smile! And he shows the importance of libraries!

Just when I thought I couldn't love the man any more

Richard Feynman seemed to be not only a century genius but also so full of love

Richard Feynman died when I was only 9 or 10 years old. I didn't learn about him until later. But I feel a deep love for the man and miss him terribly.

The Mongolian throats singers are truly wondrous. Several years back I attended a concert with The Chieftains, from Ireland. The show was at Symphony Hall, in Boston, and included the throat singers. It was ethereal, a spiritual experience that remains in the memory. ❤

How sweet and amazing that these little snippets survive!

An absurdly wonderful and insightful look into the other side of a somewhat unknown yet highly regarded and under rated genius. Plain spoken and providing explanations of everyday physics, which was his everyday job to his students, this film provides and shows the fun and driven side of adventure for a guy that hated to be bored. Imagine him as a practical joker during the Manhattan Project of which he was part of, yet he solved so many simple problems that others could not see even when those problems were in front of their very noses. His escape from that same secret base to marry his beloved...It was always about adventure with him............. As a life long fan of Professor Feynman, I regret to say, but I will, his book,' Tuva or Bust' sits in plain sight ready to be read in my library. I think this film says it all. With only a few minutes to go here, the tears flowed. But from me, no spoilers. This film is special and a must see. 100 years old. Now that's a goal. I wish he could of achieved that one...He said as his last words, "I wouldn't want to die twice, it's so boring" ~Richard Feynman

so glad to watch this quest of Feynman!

I am so pleased that I have found this video, I watched it on TV about 30 odd years ago and have never forgotten it. Thank you.

To anyone who has come back to rematch this video: Read the book 'Tuva or Bust' about this adventure written by Ralph Leighton himself. It has so much depth and intrigue that couldn't be included in this short TV doc. It's such a wonderful story and makes me grateful for Ralph's extensive efforts to preserve Feynman's legacy.

Truly one of the greatest documentaries I’ve ever seen, and a great companion piece to Genghis Blues (1999)

Great video! Thank you for posting. Feynman is such a wonderful person! He will be forever missed!

This man changed my way of thinking. Thank you professor Feynman

This wonderful man has stayed with me from the first day I found him.

Extraordinary man. I love his sense of playfulness, his outlook on life. So sad he didn't reach Tuva. Thanks for the upload.

I cried at the end, I never met you Feynman but you've changed my life in so many ways. Thank you for your dedication to your work.

Feynmann was fascinated by the music from Tuva. It is indeed fantastic and interesting what their singers do with their throats. Call it harmonic, overtone or throat singing. Their country music, sung or instrumental, is very beautiful. Nice posting for celebrating his 100 years from birth.

Absolute Gem.

Amazing man! What a joy is to watch him talk about Nobel Prize, Washington, being playful. Thanks for this jewel.

I find it interesting how the sections of this last interview are all linked philosophically, from QED, the space shuttle disaster, onto Tuva. Exploration.

Thanks so much for producing this and sharing it, it's a precious thing

this is class, Feyman was one of a kind! what a guy!

He had such a great heart...to see things in his own way..

Thanks for the Upload 👍 .. i gotta have my orange juice ..

It's so sad he died just a few months before the trip he wanted to do for years.

40:10-.. A great fan of RPF, and feel great sympathy for Ralph Leighton, always working in the shadow for his friend and 'chief'. Ever since I got the Lectures in '86, I've always realized that he and Matthew Sands must have done tons of work to get them published in their final form.

Such an incredibly gifted man. I discovered his physics lectures 30 years too late. Could have used those in college!

Thanks so much sharing this great video on his 100th birthyear. Wonderful production about life and its pursuits for me

Wonderful man.

What a great positive curious and adventurous spirit. He is my hero, my model. I always admired his ways. So unfortunate that he left us so soon. When I pass over I would love you to be amongst the spirits who will welcome me up there.

Amazing man!

He always spoke with a smile

....his best claim to fame were the the interactive 'feynman' drawings which connected the mass and boson exchanges while keeping the conservation laws intact....breathtaking

Amazing watched every single second. He was sick amazing individual. Simple yet complex.

Thank you for uploading your touching film of this true scientific icon who had the ability to analyse esoteric and abstruse ideas about the world without preconceptions, then explain it to others in a simplified form. Hope you do the same with your film Claus Ogerman: Time Present and Time Past who sadly left us on 8th March 2016.

wow i didnt except such an ending to this light hearted story - it caught me right in the feels

Such pure curiosity, this was refreshing to watch. Thanks so much for uploading!

Well that was a total pleasure. Thanks so much.

Love this guy.

Beautiful film. Thank you for sharing it, Christopher. (And producing it!) How wonderful it must have been to meet Dick Feynman!

I just noticed that the article they're showing at 0:22 was written by James Gleik (who also wrote one of my favorite books "Chaos: Making a New Science", which was very influential in Michael Crichton's book "Jurassic Park").

Thank you Christopher!

A story, probably mere anecdote, was relayed to me by friends at Princeton. When offered a position on the senior faculty, he requested to teach some Fresman math. The first day of class. Feynman walks in and begins to write a one paragaph formulae on the blackboard. Feynman rurned to the class and said,"OK. you saw what I wrote so you how I got the proof. Pleas write your proof down. You have 30 minutes. Theree is a subtle but perceptible disquiet among the under graduates. They were in this classroom because they were chosen for the honor and opportunity to be there. A student, bolder than most raises his hand and says, "Dr. I'm baffled. Could you please go through that again to help us understand?. "Sure," says Feynman. Heturns and faces the blackboard, puts his hand under his chin and no one hears speaks or moves for 3 minutes and Turns to face the class and says, "There, is that better.? After some muttering, A student asks again and Feynman happily answers"sure." This senareo is repeated once more until Feynman turs to the class and says"C'mon, guys. I have done it three different ways. You should d get it by now.

Thanks for the upload, highest quality of any on RU-vid.

Dick Feynman and I shared many things only beginning with 2/3s of our names and a great curiosity of all things. On his last office day at Caltech I called his office and missed him by 5 minutes. His secretary was very kind to me and even sent me a complimentary Caltech shirt, which I still have from 1988! I was crushed when I learned that he would never return to his office to retrieve my message and call me back. He was the most original physicist of the 20th century, surpassing Einstein for his work on Quantum Electrodynamucs and particularly for developing his revolutionary FEYNMAN DIAGRAMS, which are used daily. His line will not be seen again.

To see some residual effects of what Feynman did in Tannu Tuva as well as more throat singing, watch "Genghis Blues"- you won't be disappointed.

Dr. Feynman-- one normal funny dude who happen to be a great World renown Physicist and a superb teacher! He makes me laugh!

Thank you for the movie

Another facet of this man, who was/is an inspiration .. thanks for posting..

It was nice to watch this again. I picked up on several things I don't think I remembered from an earlier viewing. Actually the quality of the audio and video seems even nicer than I remember and could be a contributing factor in this. I should take to heart this theme of seeking adventure. The older I become the less variety I find in living and there's little excuse for being so closed.

I gotta have my orange juice.

Great video, reminds me of Siddhartha by H.H. (I have always felt life is about the journey not the destination) RIP adventurer...

Such a great man. There will never be another. :-(

This is gold

"Kyzyl " means the color red in both Tuvan and Turkish, which are related languages .

This was an awesome experience. Thank you. : )

What a beautiful film!

The 20th century was an amazing time to live. Now i have adventure by means of the internet. Not that the internet is not amazing but i miss the 20th century in so many ways. I feel it was healthier to live then.

he still lives and teaches as all good humane people do

God damn this was sad. I love Mongolia, Tuva, and Feynman; So this hit pretty hard.

In the early 70s my postage stamp album mentioned Tannu Tuva.

i never knew i could love someone so much altho I didn't know him. ;(

Happy birthday Feynman!

great man

omgggg :'( such a sweet story. I'm here crying.

Legend

Really a great place to be obsessed by a great man. A marvelous documentary.

I always liked Richard. I like him even more now. If you want to know another siide of him read the letter he wrote to his 1st wife after her death. You can find it online. It's worth it.

I love science since I was a kid, especially chemistry and biology, but as a teenager I did not think physics was very interesting. It was only when I was studying chemical engineering in the 1970's and a friend recommended the book Feynman's Lectures on Physics that this changed radically. My love for chemistry is unchanged, but I developed a passion also for physics and math that also shaped my professional career. It was only decades after my graduation when internet became a thing that I would finally have the opportunity to see and listen to Feynman, and my admiration and gratitude only grew since then. A great teacher, mentor and human being.

see the documentary "Ghengis Blues" for the rest of the story

"for nature can not be fooled..."

Great video, great man.

Why am I crying

Thank you