Into Great Silence
Directed by Philip Groning
(Zeitgeist DVD)

Made by German documentary film maker Philip Groning, “Into Great Silence” is a beautifully shot, not to mention intensely respectful journey into the lives of the monks that live in the Carthusian Charterhouse/Monastery in the French Alps (the place that produces the Chartreuse liqueur).

Into Great Silence is a study of one of the most intense demonstrations of faith. The monks at this Catholic Charterhouse live in absolute silence and this documentary, which clocks in at 162 minutes, apart from one or two moments, is conducted in silence. It may be almost three hours long, but it seems timeless and maybe that’s the effect Groning wanted this documentary to have.

The brothers of the order are discreetly observed and we are allowed join them in their lives of quiet contemplation. While they worship God, the cameras observe the daily routines and rituals. From something as simple as picking vegetables, to getting a haircut, to the nightly observance of prayer called the “Night Office,” and the initiation of two novices, although we are not offered any names or given a reason as to why they joined.

Indeed, that is how this entire film works. It is hardly a conventional documentary as it offers no history or theology of the order, nor does it give out any information on the background of any of the individual monks that are filmed and neither does it have any narration.

Yet that seems to be the point here. Groning, who had to wait sixteen years to get permission to film at the Charterhouse, gives just enriching glimpses of the lives of the monks, which is barely a blink of an eye when you consider the order has been around since 1084. With that in mind a narration would be intrusive and unnecessary.

Near the end of the film though, an elderly blind monk, does speaks to the camera, albeit briefly, of his vocation and religious devotion. He muses that past and present are human inventions, but “for God there is no past, only present.” It is a point well made. The monks live in a world where time is not of the essence and only faith, prayer and God are meaningful.

Groning has created a piece of cinema history with Into Great Silence. It is a huge achievement and, among many remarkable facts surrounding this documentary, with the subject matter being what it is, Groning manages to film within a sacred building, surrounded by monks, yet not give the feel of wanting conversions or sudden bursts of faith. It observes. In silence. That is powerful enough.

Put away all preconceptions and reservations and see this film. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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Technorati Tags: Into Great Silence, DVD, Movie Review, DVD Reviews, Philip Groning, Carthusian Charterhouse, Monastery, French Alps

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