Into Great Silence (Two-Disc Set)

Product Description

Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Gröning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks quarters for six months filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. 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. More meditation than documentary, it s a rare, transformative experience for all.

DISC ONE, THE FILM:
Breathtaking 16:9 anamorphic transfer, created from Hi-Def elements
U.S. theatrical trailer
Optional English subtitles

DISC TWO, THE EXTRAS:
The Making of Into Great Silence : With behind-the-scenes footage,
location photos and handwritten notes from the monks
Additional scenes, including a segment on the preparation of the
Carthusian s world-famous Chartreuse liqueur
Night Mass
The Carthusian Order : An informative guide to the rules, architecture, and
daily schedules of the monks and the monasteries
Extensive photo, poster, and press kit galleries
And more!

Customer Reviews:

Awesome film!..........2007-09-09

I watched this film 5 times. Beautiful life, and one KNOWS when he is caled to live it.
LOTS of Spiritual wisdom to meditate on.

Into Great Silence.......2007-08-21

This is the most moving and beautiful film I have ever had the pleasure of viewing! It is an encouragement to anyone who understand the need for lives dedicated to prayer for the soul and salvation of the world. Thanks be to God for holy men and women who love and support the people of the world through prayer and fasting!

Filming the imageless life.......2007-08-09

The last year or so has seen a virtual revolution in our understanding of the human aspect of Carthusian life. First there was the revealing study of several former Carthusian monks by Nancy McGuire, An Infinity of Mirrors, and now the documentary Into Great Silence. The reversal of Carthusian anonymity might be well symbolized by the haunting close-ups of the faces of Carthusian monks in the film. Previously, all that one would ever see of Carthusians in pictures was their backs. Even then, their cowls were raised to conceal any suggestion of individuality.
There is, nonetheless, in this revealing film, a fundamental flaw that leaves the Carthusians as mysterious (and perhaps open to misunderstanding) as they have ever been. The film is essentially a work of art, a sensitive rendering of a beautiful monastic environment. Yet anyone who approaches the Carthusian experience as essentially aesthetic is missing the point: and this error is likely the reason why so many attempt this vocation and soon depart (the retention rate holds steady at about 10% of all who enter). It is a life of unending sameness, intentionally tedious in its repetition, forcing the Carthusian to slowly minimize his submersion in the physical world with its seductions and beauties. It is certainly true that one paradoxical consequence of such routine is intense attention to physical details: the beautiful setting, the subtle nuances of the liturgy, the fly returning to a dinner pear. But in this film, such physical details seem to form the core of the life. In reality such attention to the beautiful small details of natural life soon becomes tedious (both for the Carthusian and the viewer of the film); and the monk must move beyond images to the spiritual core of the vocation: the imageless contemplation of God.
The film does attempt to suggest this core in the repeated images of monks engaged in meditative prayer. But watching someone meditate is a far cry from the experience itself. The latter is endlessly eventful and increasingly profound. The observation of it is unbearably tedious. I give the filmmaker credit for attempting to represent the Imageless,but the images of film are, finally, the antithesis of contemplation. Restless Americans seem to have particular difficulty with such uneventful living. Witness the change from of the original German title: "Die grosse Stille" to the English "Into Great Silence", the latter promising us action and movement rather than just Being, to put it philosophically.
On the other hand, in its attempt to present the Unchanging, the film is excessively silent. Although its structure suggests the flow of Carthusian days and seasons, the lack of explication leaves an uninitiated viewer with little understanding of the intentional balancing of this essentially eremitic life with community living: the alternation between solitary liturgical prayer and the choir liturgy is suggested, but not explained. The conversation for maintaining human relations in an otherwise intensely solitary life, is recorded here, the talk both erudite and amusing, another little known characteristic of Carthusian life.But its weekly occurance is not pointed out. The sleeping arrangements, the daily interruption of sleep at midnight for the night office, and the rigorous fasts (bread and water at least once a week) are significant elements of the life that are not featured here.
As other reviewers have noted, with one dramatic exception, the monks do not speak about their lives. I suspect that since Carthusians Have left "the world" this was a condition of filming. At first, I did not appreciate this, but on reflecting, their silence conveys the core of this life more powerfully than interviews which would likely have been mundane and pietistic. The Carthusian life, as the film makes clear, leaves speech far behind.
So, for a number of reasons, I was unhappy with the film. On the other hand, many weeks later, the images of these silent white figures in their echoing cloisters keep coming back at odd moments during my busy days in the world...theologically that is one purpose of this mysterious life.

A Prayerful Experience.......2007-08-04

5 stars for what it is - a meditative look into the sacred lives of these men, cloistered away from the world, but a community of believers who come together daily for prayer, and sometimes even for a bit of fun. If you watch this film, do so in a quiet place, and commit yourself to remaining in silence, without distraction, for the entire film, so you can experience the solitude and stillness of the monastery. The first hour may be excruciating, as you wait for something to happen, but as you relax into the quiet and feel the presence of God in the faces of the monks, you will get a taste of why people live in this way. What a gift this was - a gift from the monks to us.

Appropriately named.......2007-07-27

The movie is an unique experience. I'm glad I saw it in a small theater. I'm not sure how it would play at home on a DVD. The movie is slow and meditative. Any distraction would tend to remove one from the experience. In the theater, people eating their popcorn, shuffling their feet, or even moving around, were major distractions. The audience wasn't intentionally rude, but the meditative silence of the movie pulls one into the movie and other sounds bring you back into reality.

It doesn't really cover the lives of the monks, but rather gives glimpses into certain aspects of their lives. You have a far better idea of the rhythm of their lives, but not really a better idea of how they live or why they live that way. I see the attraction of the focused lifestyle, but year after year. Wow. The movie is hard to describe. The movie consists of a collection of different snapshots of the lives of the monks, I think using the rhythm of the prayer times and the seasons to pull the snapshots all together. There isn't a narrative thread. The director interviews a blind monk at the end and that does help to put into perspective the lives of the monks. They are pursuing happiness in God through disciplining their lives in silence and solitude. A good scene is the monks horsing around in the snow. Another good scene is the good-hearted debate about the hand washing. The scenes made them more human, more accessible to me.

I'm not sure if I can recommend the movie. I don't know if I would call it a enjoyable experience. I'm glad I watched it and it is a movie I'll remember. However, it is a very beautiful, very long, and very slow movie. Only a few, motivated people would like the movie. The movie made me reflect on my own life and my pursuit of God so it has very good results.

Average customer rating:

Dark brooding Italian western
Corbucci Spaghetti western masterpiece
Well worth it...
The greatest non-Leone Italian western
Sssssshhhhhhh!

The Great Silence
Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant , Klaus Kinski , Frank Wolff , Luigi Pistilli , and Vonetta McGee
Director: Sergio Corbucci
Manufacturer: Fantoma
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00012L77W
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Amazon.com

One of the best and most unusual spaghetti Westerns ever made, Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence is set in the beautiful desolation of the snow-covered high plains. Jean-Louis Trintignant, the romantic French star of My Night at Maud's and A Man and a Woman, hardens his blue eyes into a steely stare to play the mute mercenary gunslinger "Silence." Klaus Kinski (star of Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God and Nosferatu the Vampyre) is his target, a grinning, amiable bounty killer whose deadly logic leaves a trail of corpses in his wake, all murdered "according to the law." Corbucci, whose Django is a genre classics, complicates his trademark cynicism with the compelling contradictions of his hero and villain, and the chilly atmosphere of the frozen mountain community brings a new twist to the phrase cold-blooded murder.

Cult director Alex Cox (Repo Man) calls The Great Silence "the greatest spaghetti Western ever made" in a six-minute video interview, in which he explains his love for the film in an insightful monologue. Cox also provides optional commentary on the alternate happy ending (which otherwise plays without sound), an unusual find that was likely shot for Asian territories. --Sean Axmaker

Description

On an unforgiving, snow swept frontier, a group of bloodthirsty bounty hunters, led by the vicious Loco (Klaus Kinski Nosferatu, For a Few Dollars More) prey on a band of persecuted outlaws who have taken to the hills. As the price on each head is collected one-by-one, only a mute gunslinger named Silence (Jean-Louis Trintignant The Conformist) stands between the innocent refuges and the greed and corruption that the bounty hunters represent. But, in this harsh, brutal world, the lines between right and wrong aren't always clear and good doesn't always triumph. Featuring superb photography and a haunting score from maestro Ennio Morricone, director Sergio Corbucci's (Django, Compa=F1eros) bleak, brilliant and violent vision of an immoral, honorless west is widely considered to be among the very best and most influential Euro-Westerns ever made.

Customer Reviews:

Dark brooding Italian western.......2007-09-14

Director Sergio Corbucci's "The Great Silence", a spaghetti western that stands at a level only slightly below Sergio Leone's classic trilogy featuring Clint Eastwood chronicles a lawless era in the American west. Set in the snowy environs of Snowhill, Utah in a blizzard of 1898 the movie was filmed amid the craggy alpine peaks of Cortina, Italy.

A group of marginally outlawed Mormons on the verge of amnesty from the territorial governor had sought refuge hiding in the mountains surrounding Snowhill. They were systematically being picked off one by one by a ruthless band of bounty hunters led by the aptly named Loco played by Klaus Kinski. This renegade group however was championed by a mute gunslinger named Silence played by Jean Louis Trintignant who despised bounty hunters. In a scheme of murder for reward Kinski and his group were on a killing spree, which was apparently legal.

Silence, toting an odd looking automatic pistol was proving to be a formidible opponent being aided by local sheriff Burnett played by Frank Wolff. Hired by recently widowed Vonetta McGee to kill Loco, Silence was proving to be up to the task, in several bloody displays of gunfighting.

"The Great Silence" was stunning in its gorgeous cinematography, beautifully capturing the frigid blizzard conditions. The movie featured an excellent and haunting musical score composed by Ennio Morricone. The cast contained spaghetti western regulars Luigi Pistilli and a shorn Mario Brega. The totally unexpected violent ending helped make this both a disturbing and memorable flick.

Corbucci Spaghetti western masterpiece.......2007-08-28

This film is so stark. It has a cold feeling. A feeling of sadness. Great atmosphere for a spaghetti western. The setting of the story feels like a horror movie in some ways. The cinematography is just wonderful. The hand held camera gives it a great feel. The long shots of mountains and snow are beautiful. The story's a very fascinating one. It is kind of an anti-western. The direction, the acting , and the score are just so perfect. Everything is just set right in this picture. This film is nothing like Corbucci's other work. His other work is wonderful and great but nothing like this. It's actually kind of a heart breaking picture, very sad and bleak. Pretty Dark.
If your a fan of westerns , especially spaghetti westerns then please see this.

Well worth it..........2007-06-15

This is a great example of a Euro-Western that delivers on the hype and/or reputation that surrounds it.
I heard and read about it and was curious despite knowing the outcome. [People can't seem to help giving it away.]
Most Westerns suffer from being saddled (pun!) with repetitious plot elements. If you watch enough of these you can get a little bored with almost endless variations on revenge and money grubbing along with characters who can shoot six flies out of midair.
All that is overcome here by all of the various things that make certain Spaghetti Westerns stand out.
An excellent hero by Trintignant who delivers despite being given a tough task by not having any lines. Kinski's amoral villian I liked mostly because you understood him to a degree. Nasty, yes, but having decent bounty money waiting to be had is just asking for men of his caliber to come calling.
[Note: If you recall, this was Gene Hackman's Sheriff Daggett's prime fear in "Unforgiven".]
One his best Western roles and he did many.
Need I mention the Morricone score? Did he ever do a bad one?
But ultimately what did it for me on this movie were the spectacular snow-bound settings. Breathtaking...worth viewing for this alone.

The greatest non-Leone Italian western.......2007-06-08

I saw this film about ten years ago on British TV, after having heard a lot about it in various articles and books on the Italian Western phenomenon. The version I saw was slightly trimmed for violence (The Great Silence had not been released in the UK for many years for this reason) but even so, I was blown away by it.

For those of you who are familiar with Corbucci's work, all his trademark techniques are present- outlandish violence, a few too many zooms etc. but they all come together to present a story that is relatively simple but engrossing. The performances are brilliant all round, especially from Jean Louis Trintingant, Vonetta McGee and Klaus Kinski as a villain who is refreshingly not over the top. It is one of his most effective performances.. And the ending is legendary.

Also on the disc is an great introduction by director Alex Cox (in fact, one minor flaw is that there is no commentary on the film, by him or anyone else), a trailer and an alternative ending.

As if THAT ending could be topped!

Sssssshhhhhhh!.......2007-03-18

Yeah, you've heard lots of different viewpoints on The Great Silence, but it's best for you to check it out yourself and see if you feel it's a big deal or not. Though not my favorite spaghetti western, I do enjoy it quite a bit. It does differ from most spaghetti westerns, that's for sure. The whole film is set in the snow, making it seem-I don't know-Yuckier or darker or something. Alot of snow! Just check out the poor horses who are having a helluva time trying to walk in it. Silence is a mute hunter of bounty hunters who's got his sights set on Klaus Kinski. Kinski's a slimy lunatic(naturally), very cowardly and weasely. In fact, he knows that Silence is a better gunfighter than he is, which leads to his cowardly tactics at the end of the film. I guess I should say "spoiler alert", but reading all of these reviews talking about the controversial ending, I think you've probably guessed that the hero doesn't win this time out, and Kinski doesn't end up at the end of a rope. Yeah, the ending is a downer for sure, but that's part of what seperates this western from the norm. It's directed by "the other Sergio", and quite well if you ask me. The dubbing makes it seem a bit cornier than it should, but many Italian films suffer from this. You may find this to be a fantastic western or overrated piece of crap, but you won't know till you watch it, will ya?

Average customer rating:

Into Great Silence/Le Grand Silence
Starring: Into Great Silence , and Le Grand Silence
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Into Great Silence (Two-Disc Set)

ASIN: B000MX7UE4
Release Date: 2007-04-17

The Angry Silence [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]

Average customer rating:

The Angry Silence [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
Director: Guy Green
Manufacturer: StudioCanal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Great Britain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), WIDESCREEN (1.66:1), SYNOPSIS: Richard Attenborough stars in this British drama as Tom Curtis, an ordinary man with a job in a factory. A new employee, Travers (Alfred Burke), begins complaining about conditions at the plant and stirs up disharmony among his fellow workers. Tom thinks that there's something fishy about Travers and his methods, and when Travers decides to call a wildcat strike, Tom refuses to participate and makes a point of standing his ground. However, Travers and his ideas have attracted a groundswell of support in the factory, and Tom soon finds himself on the outs with his fellow employees as Travers drifts off to make trouble at another factory. Tom, however, still has to deal with the angry reprisals of the men, and his wife Anna (Pier Angeli) doesn't understand why he continues to hold so unpopular an opinion at the expense of his safety and well-being. SPECIAL FEATURES: Collectors Edition, Interactive Menu,

Average customer rating:

Dark brooding Italian western
Corbucci Spaghetti western masterpiece
Well worth it...
The greatest non-Leone Italian western
Sssssshhhhhhh!

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Spaghetti Western | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005NG0N
Release Date: 2001-09-04

Amazon.com

Description

In an unforgiving, snow-swept frontier, a group of bloodthirsty bounty hunters, led by the vicious Loco (Klaus Kinski), prey on a band of persecuted outlaws who have taken to the hills. As the price on each head is collected one-by-one, only a mute gunslinger named Silence (Jean-Louis Trintignant) stands between the innocent refuges and the greed and corruption that the bounty hunters represent. But, in this harsh, brutal world, the lines between right and wrong aren't always clear and good doesn't always triumph. Featuring superb photography and a haunting score from maestro Ennio Morricone, director Sergio Corbucci's (Django, Companeros) bleak, brilliant and violent vision of an immoral, honorless west is widely considered to be among the very best and most influential Euro-Westerns ever made.

Customer Reviews:

Dark brooding Italian western.......2007-09-14

Corbucci Spaghetti western masterpiece.......2007-08-28

Well worth it..........2007-06-15

The greatest non-Leone Italian western.......2007-06-08

Sssssshhhhhhh!.......2007-03-18

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