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WHEEL OF TIME
This film may be one of Herzog's lesser pictures, as Howard Schumann mentioned. But I found enough in it to marvel at.
It documents Buddhist rituals in Bodh Gaya. The most impressive thing in the film is the centrepiece sand mandala that the monks create to symbolize the impermanence of all things. The mandala is Magnificent. The craft that goes into creating it is astounding. It requires serious patience and a steady hand to make it. I'd love to see it in person. Herzog's film is a fine substitute if you never make it there...
His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama makes a special appearance. He lays out the first line of sand on the mandala. The area where the mandala (the "WHEEL OF TIME") will be created must be sanctified, cleansed and blessed. Interesting rituals.
Herzog himself is the cameraman for some scenes, but the bulk of the amazing hand-held camerawork is by Peter Zeitlinger, a trusted DP of Herzog's. Zeitlinger gets right in there, among the monks and pilgrims. Some smile, wave, curiously look at the camera. I love this kind of cinematography where you get the feeling that the cameraman is trying to record everything, all at once, the Insatiable Eye, if you will.
Trying not to miss anything interesting, looking for the magic. (filming took place in January 2002)
My favorite scene hands down was the raising of the mast. Something really poetic and good about that scene.
These Monks are quite unique people.
They hike up a 17-18,000 foot mountain in 3 days!
I was in the Infantry, and back in the day on Canadian Forces base Gagetown New Brunswick (our 2nd largest base) there is a 62 kilometre training area, and the Royal Canadian Regiment used to do a "DEATH MARCH", the whole 62 km, with full kit (150 pounds of gear) with combat boots.
They would only stop for a meagre 4 hours, which was just enough time for your boots to start filling up with blood when "prepare to move" was given.
The upside was you'd get extra leave to heal your tender tootsies, because you'd just done an inhuman feat: 62 km without stopping (just for 4 agonizing, tortuous hours). I don't know if the Regiment still does the Death March, but I heard out West they still do the Mountain Man competition, which is even MORE brutal...
And here these Monks are, trekking up the mountain fearlessly, with little support and eating nothing but rancid yak butter.
I'd say that's hardcore. Hardcore spirituality.
And then there's that man in the film who spent 37 years in prison for shouting "FREE TIBET!" twice.
Aren't you glad you don't live in a place where saying two words gets you 37 years?
I am.
Amazingly, the man is incredibly happy. I'm mystified.
I'd be the most bitter, crochety old geezer EVER if that happened to me. LOL
I'd have been executed in my cell before too long..ha ha
But no, this man is one happy cat, no real hard feelings. He has Buddha.
And he can barely walk! Because the floors in the jail were all flat, one flat surface. Being outside with all kinds of terrain was difficult for him to fathom. All he'd known for 37 years was a flat floor.
Watch this film. It's great. It might not be as captivating as say, Grizzly Man or Lessons of Darkness, but it's got lots to teach us, and in only 80 minutes. (relatively short)
Herzog narrates.
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Interesting description., Johanm. I like what you said about the camerawork. I wasn't even aware of this title. They have it at Netflix and their description of it is is this:
Tracing the foundation of a lifelong spiritual journey, German filmmaker Werner Herzog captures the faith of thousands on an annual pilgrimage to Bhod Gaya, the Indian village in which Buddha is thought to have attained enlightenment. Herzog structures his documentary around the Kalachakra initiation -- a fascinating 12-day ordainment process for Buddhist monks involving the creation of a large "wheel of time" out of sand.
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That's an accurate description.
Add it to your list of "to-see's" on Netflix.
The rituals are very interesting. The monks and pilgrims work together marvelously: they are united in their beliefs.
500,000 monks in one place!
The DVD sleeve described it "A Spiritual Woodstock"
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Cave of Forgotten Dreams
This Magnificent work of Cinematic Art was the film Werner Herzog was promoting at TIFF in 2010, where I met him on the street in front of the Royal York hotel (Fairmont). If you thought Avatar was the best 3-D film ever, then take a look at this movie.
It's miraculous.
Herzog takes us back in time, about 28-35,000 years ago. You have to see this to believe it.
The Chauvet cave in France was discovered perfectly preserved in 1994.
It is a labryinth of stalactites, cave bear bones/jaws, charcoal from when primitive man rubbed his torch against the cave walls to stoke fire, and all manner of gorgeous primitive cave wall art, perfectly preserved, almost "new" or "fresh", as Herzog tells us in his very educational narration.
Only a handlful of scientists and art historians are allowed into the cave, which has a steel walkway built within that rises 2 feet off the cave floor- no one is allowed to touch anything in the cave, and Herzog's film crew is only allowed a limited time in the cave, with handheld cameras, portable light sources and minimum exposure to the living historical artifacts that are contained in it.
The 3-D technology that's employed is Astonishing. From the opening shots of a camera flying through a vineyard that soars up and above toward the mountain where the cave resides, this is AMAZING CINEMA.
The showcase is the ART that adorns the walls of this fascinating and humbling cave.
It was applied to the walls of the caves using the contours of the rock formations- a bison running, horses in determined speed, lions, panthers, buffalo, rhinos, all manner of prehistoric animal. Herzog intones that this may be the origins of cinema- cave paintings that seem to move, and he inserts a piece of Hollywood: Fred Astaire dancing to his shadow- something that early cave dwellers may very well have done.
Herzog has various scholars and historians and researchers who speak at length about the mysteries and enigmas and historical facts about this time in European history. No one talks down to the viewer- it's all in reverence and respect for this Chauvet cave, which touches everyone very profoundly. Indeed, Herzog says that he felt like they were being watched by the former living things that were in the cave. Like they were intruders. My favorite part was when the head of a team asks everyone in the cave to be silent and just listen.
He suggests they may be able to hear their own heartbeats.
Herzog inserts a heartbeat on the soundtrack, and the music he drapes over this film is very very eerie.
This is the kind of cinema that moves your soul.
Avatar was and is Awesome. A 3-D groundbreaker.
But this is something else.
This is REAL.
Your eyes should pop out of your head.
See it on a big screen as soon as you can.
Herzog dedicated this to the three who discovered the cave and was made for History channel films.
Astonishing poetic camerwork by Master D.P. Peter Zeitlinger, Herzog's trusted EYE...
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A rockslide eons ago sealed off the cave, preserving everything that was in it.
Water seepage over the centuries has coated everything with a beautiful preservative resin.
This film is a document of something we'll never see, unless you find yourself working on some tiny elite team to find out more about this cave and it's treasures.
The immediacy of the 3-D imagery just sears your eyes.
As is noted on the film poster: "almost like watching the re-invention of the cinematic medium".
Herzog has Vision.
I have the film poster (great to have a theatre manager as a friend!) and I just posted a photo of it today on Facebook.
Gonna frame that bad boy...
RUN to a movie theatre to check this one out.
Werner Herzog just keeps out-doing himself.
His next film on death row in the U.S. is highly anticipated.
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My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
This film is a 2009 collaboration between two Kings of Cinema: Werner Herzog and David Lynch. A match made in heaven? Yes.
It's as strange and bizarre as you'd expect from such a team-up. Michael Shannon plays Brad Macallam, a man with serious problems.
The title of the film comes from what his mother says to him after he runs her through with a sword. The plot is mercurial, hard to get a handle on. (Very David Lynch). Willem Dafoe and Michael Pena are detectives assigned to negotiate with Brad, who is holed up in his house- a strange house with cactuses dotting the entire front, and he has pet pink flamingoes. Chloe Sevigny (wonderful actress- I love her) plays his fiance who helps the police.
Michael Shannon is a very fine actor, and he has some intense scenes here- see the scene between him and Chloe as "Ingrid" where he gets angry and repeats "So What?!"...wowza. Udo Kier also plays a role, assisting the police as he taught Brad at a theatre group, where he insisted on rehearsing with a real sword for a play. This film is difficult to describe, although it can be described as esoteric, artistic and AWESOME. I loved every minute- even from the gorgeous opening scene. The camerawork is sublime, with nice filters, by Ace cameraman and Herzog partner Peter Zeitlinger. The soundtrack is amazing, and the scene where he plays a Christian country song was sublime to me. See it at all costs. Filmed in San Diego, Los Angeles, China, Mexico and Peru, with STUNNING cinematography- no joke, you cannot complain about the visuals.Two giants of cinema COLLIDE....
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I'll take a look at this. It tanked generally with critics.
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I didn't want to say too much about it, I didn't want to give too much away. There is a lot going on here. The scenes in Peru deal with his river kayaking buddies, and the scenes in Mexico with Ingrid were cool too- I loved the mariachi band.
This can be called a police procedural without any procedure. LOL
Real S.W.A. T. cops from San Diego were used, and be warned- there is not much explained- there are weird scenes where the cast "freezes" or "pauses", while the image holds. Confounding. All characters are trying to help Brad, but they all come up empty.I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this one Chris...
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It's hard keeping up with Herzog and his prolific efforts of late are uneven and a lot different from his early iconic stuff. Have been meaning to watch his Queen of the Desert because the orientalist subject is an interest of mine. I did see Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World to review, and that subject interested me and I wrote a detailed review, but it seemed a bit scattershot compared to Alex Gibney's Zero Days. I actually attended a screening of Into the Inferno at IFC without writing a review because it just didn't grab me.
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I've heard that his recent efforts are not up to his usual high standards. "My Son, My Son" is an odd one, but I loved it.
My thread here puts him on a pedestal, but I know he's not infallible.
A friend of mine was accepted into his "Rogue Film School", and she told me a cool story about Grizzly Man. There was footage being edited on an Avid machine and his editor paused the footage to take a piss break. Werner just walked by the room and saw the image paused onscreen- tall grass blowing in the wind- and he loved it. He used that paused image as a motif. As an integral part of the tone of Grizzly Man. That's how he works!
