Nestled in the french alps, the monastery of the grande chartreuse near grenoble is considered to be one of the most ascetic in the world. Dec 31, 2006 the result is the 164minute into great silence, a meditation on lives given over to poverty, prayer and solitude. Mother theresa famously said that the greatest famine in the west today is not poverty or famine, but love. It is seasons passing, the sound of snow falling, the buzzing of flies.
Sergio corbucci died in 1990, his movies werent remembered by many, but those that did will never forget the great silence. Into great silence is an amazingly lyrical film that goes some way to recognising the deep inner need within every human heart for acceptance and belonging. The movie captures the feeling of silence, of timelessness, of contemplation, of spiritual discipline, of communion with god and the rejection of the material. Into great silence is an intimate portrayal and examination of the life of the devout monks who live within the grande chartreuse, the head monastery of the reclusive carthusian order situated in the french alps. Werner herzog and ecstatic truth nineteen years after his first encounter with the monks of the legendarily strict and reclusive carthusian order, philip groning was finally granted permission to film their daily life within the grande chartreuse monastery in the french alps. A uniquely dark voyage into the brutal reality of human nature, concealed as a western. If you are the sort who is often in a frame of mind to appreciate sounds of silence and a tenacious simplicity ruggedly adhered to in an alpine monastery, this film should not be neglected. German filmmaker phillip groning first began requested to shoot into great silence in 1984.
Never before have we been given such an authentic look at life inside a monastery, in this case, the grand chartreuse monastery of the catholic carthusian. I cannot recommend a film more highly than i do this one. It is a literal going into great silence yet the lack of dialogue and sound is not. Though theyve taken a vow of silence, the monks are allowed to converse once a week, on sunday walks. Its an experience from within a repetitive, spiritual existence, rather than an. Into great silence is a gentle whisper of a film set inside the grande chartreuse monastery nestled majestically beneath the french alps near grenoble. No matter your religious leanings or belief system, this is a marvelous film to watch. Into great silence 2 disc collectors edition 2006 dvd. Nov 10, 2005 sublime to its very hushed core, into great silence does take some getting used to, specifically because the monks hardly utter a word. I prefer to think of it as the antidote to all of the.
Human beings are practically conditioned to notice such things as skin color or infirmity first and foremostout of these superficial. Rent into great silence 2005 on dvd and bluray dvd. The extras include behindthescenes footage showing how the filmmaker got by for six months with no film crew. The film is structured, appropriately, with attention to the ritualistic and. Carthusian monk, into great silence into great silence is not a film one watches, it is an experience into which one enters. Mar 16, 2007 ultimately, into great silence reveals itself to be about nothing less than the presence of god. Mar 26, 2006 in structuring into great silence around this particular trioindeed, theyre something of the film s holy trinityit is gronings intent, i think, to strip away his audiences prejudices. The result is the 164minute into great silence, a meditation on lives given over to poverty, prayer and solitude. Mar 31, 2020 with no artificial light, no additional music, no commentary and near to no dialogue, into great silence, a film 21 years in the making, achieves the remarkable through its masterful congruence of content and form creating the monastery itself for 160 minutes inside the viewer, and transforming the cinema auditorium into a sacral space.
It is an intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of carthusian monks of the grande chartreuse, high in the french alps chartreuse mountains. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the lord, but the lord was not in the wind. The idea of into great silence is to plunge viewers into the contemplative, solitary state that the monks enjoyor perhaps endure. Into great silence 2005 directed by philip groning. Ultimately, into great silence reveals itself to be about nothing less than the presence of god. Into great silence is an intimate portrayal and examination of the life of the devout monks who live within the grande chartreuse, the head monastery of the. This observational film offers a thorough immersion into transcendental monastic life. All things considered, gronings greatest gift might be illustrating how silence can polarize so many of us yet create solace for a distinct few. A transcendent observation of the grande chartreuse monastery in the french alps and its ascetic carthusian order. Into great silence is such a poetic essay on the sloweddown rhythms of life, that its quiet pleasures carry the viewer along at a pace commensurate.
I hesitate, given the early date and the projects modesty, to call into great silence one of the best films of the year. The silence somehow allowed one to witness the deeply private lives and experiences of these meditators. The tone remains precise and consistent, but these moments navigate into great silence to a state of both enlivened permanence and vibrant grace. Feb 19, 2016 philip groning, into great silence the power of now. Sep 14, 2005 into great silence is such a poetic essay on the sloweddown rhythms of life, that its quiet pleasures carry the viewer along at a pace commensurate with the monks own unhurried sense of time. A tranquil contemplation about the possibility of transcendence for all. Into great silence is a documentary film directed by philip groning that was released in 2005. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a. This film has much to say to everyone, religious, agnostic or atheist, if you have the patience and a quiet evening. And so it is that into great silence, director philip gronings transcendent documentary about austere, cloistered carthusian monks, ends up being a mostly silent film about communication. Into great silence is a documentary directed by philip groning. The lord said, go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the lord, for the lord is about to pass by.
A sublime mix of transcendence and cinema verite, the result, into great silence, is a masterful trip inside the monastery, a 162 minute voyage that spellbinds, entrances, and makes you become one with the film itself. This documentary about an ascetic monastery is one of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of. Goring has subtitled this journey into one spiritual realm a meditation on life, a contemplation of time, silence, repetition, and rhythm. Mar 29, 2007 into great silence, though devoid of narration, musical score or much at all in the way of dialogue, encourages us to listen closely. Like babettes feast, the film is visually rich and engagingthe work of a master. So many spiritually aware films the seventh seal, crimes and misdemeanors are about gods absence or silence. It is an intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of carthusia. There is a film that can help us with this namely, into great silence.
Rent into great silence 2005 on dvd and bluray netflix. As a place to enter and meditate, into great silence is imminently. He lived in the monastery for six months, sleeping in a small cell and doing certain chores in addition to shooting the film, which he did without the assistance of a crew or any artificial light. Into great silence 2007 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Nestled deep in the postcardperfect french alps, the grande chartreuse is considered one of the worlds most ascetic monasteries. Here is a film that dares to explore the possibility of finding god, of a god who is there for those who seek him with their whole hearts. Into great silence, though devoid of narration, musical score or much. Sixteen years after first requesting permission to film within the walls of. Into great silence by philip groning philip groning, the.
Interview with philip groning the director of into great silence discusses life at the grande chartreuse monastery, the presence of god in the world, and his awardwinning film sdg original source. In 1984, filmmaker philip groning had an idea for a film. An italianfrench coproduction, the film stars jeanlouis trintignant, klaus kinski, vonetta mcgee in her film debut and frank wolff, with luigi pistilli, mario brega, marisa merlini and carlo dangelo in supporting roles. A rare, transformative cinematic experience, that embodies rather than represents its subject. The ontology of the man at the center of christian worship is defined through language. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, into great silence dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. Into great silence a film by philip groning nestled deep in the postcardperfect french alps, the grande chartreuse is considered one of the worlds most ascetic monasteries. An exquisite meditative journey inside a carthusian monastery where silence is practiced as a way of honoring the mystery and the majesty of god. It is an intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of carthusian monks of the grande chartreuse, a monastery high in the french alps chartreuse mountains. The great silence is as every bit as good as any of leones films. Il grande silenzio is a 1968 revisionist spaghetti western film directed and cowritten by sergio corbucci. The movie captures the feeling of silence, of timelessness, of contemplation, of spiritual discipline, of communion with god and. Here is a film that dares to explore the possibility of finding god, of a god who is there for those who seek him with their whole. This documentary about an ascetic monastery is one of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created.
1377 91 1130 1166 388 236 1504 1279 565 267 491 1675 1321 1278 353 738 1190 184 1558 1513 100 934 310 630 790 976 760 1630 185 1549 1462 8 1104 303 99 872 546 1108 354 995 828 1112 1492 953