Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Great Silence

Every so often I make a pilgrimage to the Die Grosse Stille (Into Great Silence) website to see if it has been released on DVD yet. Into Great Silence is a nearly three-hour, nearly silent, award-winning film about the Carthusian monks of La Grande Chartreuse in France. It has won numerous awards, and for Carthusian wannabees (I know you're out there) it is an object of much anticipation.

You can imagine my delight when I read that the distribution rights for Canada have just been sold to Mongrel Media (which has a most interesting catalogue). Unfortunately, the film won't be released theatrically until this fall and on DVD until early next year. Sigh.

I had to laugh when I looked at the promotional stills from the movie. The picture of a Carthusian supper looks strikingly similar to one of my own culinary non-achievements—spuds and greens (though I do go to the trouble of throwing on some olive oil and chili powder). So, I've got the Carthusian diet down. Now I just have to work on my Carthusian patience while I wait for Into Great Silence.

Comments

[Wil Cone]

I recently came across reference to the recent BBC reality show: 'The Monastery' (five men were chosen from hundreds of applicants "to spend six weeks in a monastery, living alongside the monks" of Worth Abbey). Sounds quite interesting. Have you seen it?

http://www.worthabbey.net/bbc/index.html

[Sylvia]

Yes, I heard about that. I'd love to see it but it hasn't been aired in Canada (at least not on cable and I don't get the BBC). Maybe I should bug PBS about it.