This is my entry for “I” in the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Throughout April I will be watching and reviewing a documentary movie from A to Z. Some other “I” documentaries I’ve reviewed are I Am Big Bird, I Am Not Your Negro, and Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice.
Title: Into Great Silence
Release Date: 2005
Director: Philip Gröning
Production Company: Zeitgeist Films
Summary/Review:
A German film crew documents the quotidian lives of the Carthusian monks at the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps. If you plan to watch this documentary, buckle up, because it is nearly three hours with limited dialogue, and most of that is chant song (I confess that I watched in pieces over three days). Despite the title, sound is not absent from this movie, but ambient sound is accentuated. Footsteps, creaking boards, raindrops, crackling fire, and movement of a shovel or a brush as the monks go about their daily prayers and chores make a minor cacophony. I found myself cranking up the volume to allow these sounds to roll around me.
The visuals of the movie are also spectacular especially the views of the Alps across the seasons and the architecture of the old monastery. The stillness of the camera during most shots is reminiscent of the films of Yasujirō Ozu (Tokyo Story, Floating Weeds). There is also a lot of repetition in this film, from the biblical verses shown on screen from time to time, as well as in shots (views of the valley, a door ajar, long corridors, a cloth blowing in the wind). All this reflects the rhythms of the monk’s daily routine.
Near the end of the film there’s a scene where the monks go snowshoeing and for once have the opportunity to chat, laugh, and slide downhill in the snow. I expect this movie is not for everyone, but I found it very beautifully done and perfect for Holy Week. And while these monks spend a lot of time in isolation, I also found myself wondering how the monks (and really people in any type of intentional community) are handling the COVID-19 pandemic right now.
Rating: ****
Panorama of the Mountains 
This sounds really interesting. In film school, I remember learning that there are three “languages” of film: spatial, kinetic, and verbal. Verbal is supposed to be the least effective language for storytelling in a movie. So I love seeing films that lean heavily on spatial and kinetic language and keep verbal language to a minimum.
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Very good point. It’s probably why so many movies that rely heavily on narration aren’t very good.
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That’s been my experience. When I see a long scene of people just talking, my expectations for the rest of the movie are pretty low.
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Looks interesting. I wouldn’t think the pandemic would change their lives much. I am thinking they already have minimal contact with the outer world. If the virus did get in, it would probably wipe them out.
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They should add an alternate title, “So you are thinking about becoming a monk?” It should be required viewing for anyone thinking of following the lifestyle.
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🤣
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I don’t know if I would enjoy this one although I’m sure there are some interesting moments. Weekends In Maine
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It takes a lot of patience. And believe me, I was distracted often.
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