The Grande Chartreuse, the mother house of the legendary Carthusian Order, is based in the French Alps. "Into Great Silence" will be the first film ever about life inside the Grande Chartreuse.
Silence. Repetition. Rhythm. 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, no extra material.
Changing of time, seasons, and the ever repeated elements of the day, of the prayer. A film to become a monastery, rather than depict one. A film about awareness, absolute presence, and the life of men who devoted their lifetimes to god in the purest form. Contemplation.
An object in time.
Special Agent Matti
In another millennium I might well have been a monk, as long as there was none of that religion and praying going on.
Into great silence (Die große stille) is the perfect title for this film because it encapsulates perfectly the lives of the subjects: the silence is so profound that it's almost deafening. While it's nice to watch a film with no talking for a while, 2 hours and 42 minutes of near-complete silence (all the background noise remains) is too much. Also, the lack of activity in the life of a monk makes for difficult viewing. It's (literally) like watching the grass grow. Still, if you're into god-bothering, you'll find out how the big boys do it, wholesale.
The documentary, religion movie Into great silence (Die große stille) is directed by Philip Gröning and stars Carthusian Order.
G
162 minutes (2:42 hours)
Film: 17 May 2007
