Die große Stille
Into Great Silence
(Germany/Switzerland, 2005, 162 minutes)
The daily lives of the monks at the Grande Chartreuse monastery in Grenoble, France, who have made a vow of silence and devote their days to prayer and reflection. Austere but fascinating documentary that presents its subject without voiceover, comment, music soundtrack or in fact any sort of explanation, prefering to envelop the viewer in a sensory equivalent of the monks' lives; its emphasis on silence and quiet helped turn it into an unlikely worldwide success. Director Philip Gröning had first requested permission to shoot inside the Grande Chartreuse in 1984, but was refused at the time and it took 16 years for the order to invite him into the monastery to start filming.
A Bavaria Film International release. An X Verleih/Frenetic Films release of a Philip Gröning Filmproduktion/Bavaria Film/Ventura Film/Cine Plus/Bayerischer Rundfunk/ZDF—ARTE/TSI Televisione Svizzera co-production, supported by Filmstiftung NRW and FFA. Directed, written, photographed (high-definition digital video and super-8) and edited by Philip Gröning; producers, Philip Gröning, Michael Weber, Andreas Pfaffli, Elda Guidinetti; sound, Philip Gröning, Michael Busch.
(Germany/Switzerland, 2005, 162 minutes)
The daily lives of the monks at the Grande Chartreuse monastery in Grenoble, France, who have made a vow of silence and devote their days to prayer and reflection. Austere but fascinating documentary that presents its subject without voiceover, comment, music soundtrack or in fact any sort of explanation, prefering to envelop the viewer in a sensory equivalent of the monks' lives; its emphasis on silence and quiet helped turn it into an unlikely worldwide success. Director Philip Gröning had first requested permission to shoot inside the Grande Chartreuse in 1984, but was refused at the time and it took 16 years for the order to invite him into the monastery to start filming.
A Bavaria Film International release. An X Verleih/Frenetic Films release of a Philip Gröning Filmproduktion/Bavaria Film/Ventura Film/Cine Plus/Bayerischer Rundfunk/ZDF—ARTE/TSI Televisione Svizzera co-production, supported by Filmstiftung NRW and FFA. Directed, written, photographed (high-definition digital video and super-8) and edited by Philip Gröning; producers, Philip Gröning, Michael Weber, Andreas Pfaffli, Elda Guidinetti; sound, Philip Gröning, Michael Busch.
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