Into Great Silence

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suaso

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#1
I guess that maybe I should have posted this in the miscellaneous forum, but that forum is a little too random for this sort of thing...so.....

Into Great Silence is a 2005 documentary on the life of the Carthusians at Grand Chartreuse, France. The filming took over a year after 16 years of waiting for a reply from the Charterhouse for permission to film! The whole film is about 3 hours long, and since the monks have taken a vow of silence, the only sounds you hear are ambient noises and the occasional bit of chanting and bells ringing every so often. There isn't much talking at all, aside from this interview with a blind monk on his blindness and the need for God in the world:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG662-kKnnc[/video]

And this is the trailer for the film:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgNj2Sf_mgo[/video]

If you have trouble sitting still, this film may take some getting used to. When I was watching it, I couldn't take my eyes away from it. The way these men live is so enthralling for all their simplicity. We get a glimpse into a place where outsiders are generally never given access too.

So, anyone seen it? Any thoughts?
 
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suaso

Guest
#3
Yeah, they sure made me feel pampered.
 
Jan 8, 2009
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#4
I guess it's a bit like discovering what colour underwear Barney the dinosaur wears. Well we're still waiting for that movie to come out.
 
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suaso

Guest
#5
Except Barney's underwear doesn't spend 90% of it's waking hours in prayer.
 
Jan 8, 2009
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#6
I suspect, that is because underwear cannot pray. But it can take a vow of silence.
 
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Jul 17, 2009
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#7
It's odd (not the best word) that silence seems to say much more than what we ramble on about. Thanks for the post. I'll have to see if I can't find a copy of this somewhere.

It reminds me of prayer in that often we view prayer as talking to God, as if He didn't already know what we are about to say. Sometimes, we can just hold our tongue, knowing full well that He knows already. From there, we can attempt (which is super hard) to be still and if we are humble enough, hear what He has to say.

I really like documentaries and movies. Thanks, Suaso :)
 
May 21, 2009
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#8
Thank God we know we are to proclaim God all over the world. We do that with our mouths and actions not hiding out somewhere.
 
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suaso

Guest
#9
There's a common misconception that monks don't do anything useful to the world. In truth, they do the most useful thing for the world: they pray.

Continuously. Some live lives of work and prayer, where they spend time spreading the Gospel, helping the needy, and then devote an above-average time to personal and communal prayer.

Then there are some who devote most of their waking hours to prayer, such as the Carthusians. They pray for a world that no longer prays. They pray for those who don't pray, for those who won't pray, for those who cannot pray. This is quite noble I believe. To devote oneself to a life of prayer, a life of prayer...truly amazing.

Not all are good preachers, so the value of having them go preach the Gospel would be less, especially if their gift was to pray well. Better to have them pray and let those who can preach do so effectively.
 

dscherck

Banned [Reason: persistent, ongoing Catholic heres
Aug 3, 2009
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#10
If anyone's got a Netflix account you can stream it online.
 
Jul 17, 2009
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#11
There's a common misconception that monks don't do anything useful to the world. In truth, they do the most useful thing for the world: they pray.

Continuously. Some live lives of work and prayer, where they spend time spreading the Gospel, helping the needy, and then devote an above-average time to personal and communal prayer.

Then there are some who devote most of their waking hours to prayer, such as the Carthusians. They pray for a world that no longer prays. They pray for those who don't pray, for those who won't pray, for those who cannot pray. This is quite noble I believe. To devote oneself to a life of prayer, a life of prayer...truly amazing.

Not all are good preachers, so the value of having them go preach the Gospel would be less, especially if their gift was to pray well. Better to have them pray and let those who can preach do so effectively.

Ameeeeeeeen. :)


Thanks Dscherk!
 
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