The documentary about the Grande Chartreuse Monastery in the French Alps lived up to reviews. The silence associated with the lives of these monks was captured by the endless silence (2:40 hours) of the film that in itself is a story.
Apparently, the film maker went to the abbot to discuss his idea of a film about the monks. The abbot responded somewhat positively and said that he would get back to him. He did ... 16 years later!
The German filmmaker Philip Gröning apparently spent about six months living as a monk before attempting to capture their lives in film.
Why would anyone want to watch such a film that is long and with little sound (some chant, one dialogue with a senior, blind monk and a few moments of a distant conversation).
One reason would be to get a glimpse of the lives of an order of men (Carthusians
is the most strict order of Catholic men, initiated in 1040). But, the other reason is the actual filming. Gröning captured light and darkness, color and shapes extraordinarily well. It was like watching an infinite number of slides merging one into the next effortlessly.
I close with a comment about the life-style of these monks by sharing my desire to join the Cistercian monastery when I was in my early 20's. Whether I could have survived (most that enter such monasteries never last but a few years) is one question, but the more pertinent question is, could I have survived psychologically. Given the fact that I ultimately found life as a secular priest to be a major problem for many reasons, one could only speculate what would have been my experience as a monk. Having said that, contemplation remains a positive dimension in my life. Silence has never been a problem for me. However, the extremes depicted in this film would more than test my ability!
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