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. It may be in accordance with a monk s formal vow of silence, but can also engage laity who have not taken vows, or novices who are preparing to. Goring has subtitled this journey into one spiritual realm a meditation on life, a contemplation of time, silence, repetition, and rhythm. Into great silence opens in bleak midwinter, amid austerity, frozenness, impenetrability. Filmmaker philip groning spent six months living among the monks of the grand chartreuse charterhouse in the french alps for his documentary. In fact, it is what makes the story so poignant and enlightening. Groning spent six months living with the monks of the eremitical carthusian order at the grand chartreuse charterhouse, or monastery, in the french alps. Time for the monks of grand chartreuse is measured in the prayers that structure their days. In this contemplative documentary from filmmaker philip groning, the grande chartreuse monastery opens its doors to the public for the first time since being founded by st.
Into great silence 2005 directed by philip groning. Dec 31, 2006 the result is the 164minute into great silence, a meditation on lives given over to poverty, prayer and solitude. The idea for the film was proposed to the monks in 1984, but the carthusians said they wanted time to think about it. It is a literal going into great silence yet the lack of dialogue and sound is not a bad thing. Prime members enjoy free twoday delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, tv shows, original audio series, and kindle books. The idea of into great silence is to plunge viewers into the contemplative, solitary state that the monks enjoyor perhaps endure. To the surprise of many, those carthusians may have been silent, but their world was anything but. Into great silence makes no apology for the monks traditional catholic and christian milieu. It is an intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of carthusian monks of the grande chartreuse, high in the french alps chartreuse mountains.
Into great silence is an amazingly lyrical film that goes some way to. The result is the 164minute into great silence, a meditation on lives given over to. This observational film offers a thorough immersion into transcendental monastic life. We meet them as individuals only in a series of live portraits where their eyes stare into the lens, through the camera, and into our souls. The subject matter, chronicling the carthusian monks at the grande chartreuse.
Under threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of trappist monks stationed with. Gronings film achieves a transcendental state of timelessness and suspension. The symbols are not to be questioned we are, says one monk during one of those weekly outings. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery. Groning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks quarters for six monthsfilming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. It is an intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of carthusian monks of the grande chartreuse, a monastery high in the. This silence is great precisely because it quiets the heart before the mystery of god and his presence. To be a monk for three hours in a movie theater may not be your idea of fun, but it is certainly time well spent. This documentary about an ascetic monastery is one of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created. Mar 29, 2007 into great silence unfolds with its own gentle, unforced rhythms, designed, as german filmmaker philip groning has said, to be less a documentary than a meditation. The soundtrack to into great silence includes the touching and amazing chants from the monks that make up the grande chartreuse. Jan 02, 2017 a few years ago the movie into the great silence gave a glimpse into life in a carthusian monastery. Into great silence is a means by which we can glimpse a path less traveled, yet one already taken, and by those we can trust.
Into great silence movie trailer and videos tv guide. Into great silence 2007 sixteen years after making his initial request, filmmaker philip groning travels to the grande chartreuse, a monastery nestled deep in the french alps. This almost silent three hour documentary tracks the daily lives of carthusian monks living at the chartreuse monastery in the french alps, as they live in a way that seems to be in such contrast with the modern world. The movie has no narrator, no added music or effects, only a few hours of the monks, who have taken a vow of silence, going about their daily lives. Into great silence is a documentary film by philip groening. Office of the night by the monks of the grande chartreuse on amazon music. Into great silence unfolds with its own gentle, unforced rhythms, designed, as german filmmaker philip groning has said, to be less a documentary than a meditation. Long periods of silence broken by the occasional creak of floorboards or. Monks, time and the great silence relevant magazine. If nothing else, in these dark days, the joy on the faces of the monks. Into great silence by philip groning philip groning, the.
Mar 30, 2012 into great silence is a documentary on the carthusian monks, one of the most ascetic religious orders in the catholic church, and one of my favorite movies of all time. The silence is so profound you can hear the falling of snowflakes. Groning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks quarters for six months filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. 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. Nov 10, 2005 and while theres beauty in the physical aspects of both the natural world in its changing seasons as well as the cloistered setting, its the tranquil beauty of faces that rivet. This film gives you a rare glimpse into a world of silence, contemplation and prayer that is far removed from the. As the title suggests, the movie has no soundtrack, and simply follows the whiterobed monks through the daily activities of their contemplative lives, which include long stretches of silence. Apr 22, 2007 still, the experience of into great silence is a deeply convicting one, and worshipful and beautiful. Into great silence 2007 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. The monks dont question the silence, it questions them.
A threehour documentary trailing a group of mute carthusian monks living in the french alps wake up. The result is the 164 minute into great silence, a meditation on lives given over to. This short video clip was taken from the documentary movie titled, into great silence by philip groning. Groning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks quarters for six. More meditation than documentary, it s a rare, transformative experience for all. The monks go about their business, but we see them as outsiders. Oct 24, 2007 the life of carthusian monks in the monastery le grande chartreuse, near grenoble, france. 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. During these nearly three hours of film, i felt drawn into the rhythm of the contemplative way of life of the carthusian monks, which is centered on silence. Into great silence is a documentary film directed by philip groning that was released in 2005. It is an intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of carthusian monks of the grande chartreuse, a monastery high in the french alps. One of the few long sustained speeches in the film is a chanted excerpt from a patristic treatise on the holy spirit a catechesis in trinitarian theology.
The opening scene shows a monk kneeling in prayer in his cell. The seasons change in noticeable ways as the year goes. 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. In fact, their silence allowed them to hear the ordinary things that many of us never hear. In this documentary, the lives of the pious monks of grande chartreuse are captured on film as director groening adapts to their ascetic lifestyle. Monks of the desert meet the monks of the desert duration. A pair of postulants are received as novices and take the tonsure. Monastic silence is a spiritual practice recommended in a variety of religious traditions for purposes including facilitation of approaching deity, and achieving elevated states of spiritual purity. Jul 21, 2008 into great silence is a documentary film by philip groening. The result is the 164minute into great silence, a meditation on lives given over to poverty, prayer and solitude. If you begin watching this film expecting to be taken into the monastic way of life.
An awareness of death and mortality hangs over no greater love, something absent in into great silence. Apr 05, 2015 this short video clip was taken from the documentary movie titled, into great silence by philip groning. An examination of life inside the grande chartreuse, the head monastery of the reclusive carthusian order in france. 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. Rent into great silence 2005 on dvd and bluray netflix. Bruno in 1084 to offer an intimate look at a lifestyle rarely experienced by those outside of the brotherhood. Into great silence, without and with words the divine mercy. Its an experience from within a repetitive, spiritual existence, rather than an. In this documentary, the lives of the pious monks of grande chartreuse are captured on film as director groening adapts to their ascetic lifestyle for six months and captures their daily life. Mar 16, 2007 into great silence makes no apology for the monks traditional catholic and christian milieu. But theres nothing else to into great silence, and anyone who comes to it looking for some insights into why a man would choose a life of hard labor and prayer will likely leave disappointed. The subject matter, chronicling the carthusian monks at the grande chartreuse monastery in france, dissolves into a charming and poetic cinema of light, shadows and above all, simplicity. Jun 03, 2008 into great silence is a movie about a monastery in chartreuse, france, in the carthusian order.