Into Great Silence
Grosse Stille Die
Philip Gröning
France, Switzerland, Germany | 2005 | 164mins | 35mm | Colour
Reputed as one of the strictest brotherhoods among the Roman Catholic Church, this film on the Grande Chartreuse is a voyage into a different world. Sixteen years after his first encounter with the present General Prior of the order, the director Philip Gröning was granted permission to shoot a film on the life of the monks.
By becoming part of the ritual and daily life the director has experienced the life of a recluse himself and thus travelled into the world of the monks and novices who lead a life between old rites and modern achievements.
The film is an austere, next to silent meditation on monastic life in a very pure form. No music except the chants in the monastery, no interviews, no commentaries. A film about awareness, absolute presence, and the life of men who devoted their lifetimes to God.
Grand Jury Prize – Sundance Film Festival, 2006 |
