Category Archives: Movies/Movie Reviews

THE ULTIMATE GRACE OF GRATITUDE

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GRATITUDE

Introduction to a Short Film

by

Jamie Dedes

I am so charmed by this six-minute moving-image film – you will be too – that I had to post it on Into the Bardo. I first shared it some time ago on at my primary playground, (Musing by Moonlight), where it was well received. If you can’t access YouTube or this specific video from your country, this film and The Hidden Beauty of Pollination are both on the TED talks site.

THE WISE AND GRACE-FILLED NARRATIVE

THE HEART OF THE FILM

The heart of this little gem is the gift of the very dear Br. David Steindl-Rast. If you are familiar with Br. David’s philosophy, writing, and voice, you will have immediately recognized who wrote and delivered the narrative.

BROTHER DAVID STEINDL-RAST (b. 1926)

Viennese, Catholic Benedictine Monk

Br. David is notable for his work fostering dialogue among the faiths and for exploring the congruence between science and spirituality. Early in his career he was officially designated by his abbot to pursue Catholic-Buddhist dialogue. He studied with several well-known Zen masters. He is the author of feature articles, chapter contributions to collections, and books. Among the most notable are Belonging to the Universe (with Frijof Capra) and The Music of Silence: A Sacred Journey Through the Hours of the Day (with Sharon Lebell). Br. David is the co-founder of A Network for Grateful Living, dedicated to the life-transforming character of gratitude.

THE FILMMAKER

Louie Schwartzberg, the film-maker, is an American and well-known for his time-lapse photography. The short-film here is one of several – each with a different theme – which you can find on YouTube.

THE MUSIC

The mood music background is by composer Gary Malkin. “He is founder of Musaic and Wisdom of the World™, a media production company and web site. He is also the co-founder of Care for the Journey, a care-for-the-caregiver initiative for healthcare professionals.” MORE

© 2011, Jamie Dedes All rights reserved

Video uploaded to YouTube by 

Photo credit ~ Br. David Steindl-Rast, courtesy of Verena Kessler. She has released the photograph into the public domain.

A MESSAGE FOR THE AGES

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CHARLIE CHAPLIN AS THE GREAT DICTATOR 

Editorial note: Released in 1940, The Great Dictator stared Charlie Chaplin who wrote and directed the film as well as starring in it. He was the author of the speech referred to in Rob’s piece below. To put the film and the speech in context: World War II had commenced, Japan was already at war with China, Germany had invaded Poland, and France and most of the countries of the British Commonwealth had declared war on Germany.The film satirized Adolf Hitler and Nazism. Chaplin condemned fascism and antisemitism even as the United States maintained a formal peace with Germany. Chaplin was so serious in his contempt for Hitler’s values that he invested $1.5 million to make this film. There’s a twist in the screenplay’s story-line and at the end of the film a look-alike Jewish barber delivers this soliloquy, not the dictator. As Rob points out, the speech is as relevant today as it was in 1940. The video included here provides views of more current wars and unrest, human and animal rights abuses, and environmental exploitation as backdrops to Chaplin’s speech, shapping it around more recent events.

A MESSAGE FOR THE AGES

by

Robert D. Rossel, Ph.D.

Thanks to YouTube and Charlie Chaplin, I share with you a message for the ages, a modern adaptation of his final speech in the classic movie, The Great Dictator.

Never were these lines from Chaplin’s impassioned speech in that great movie more relevant. This contemporary adaptation of his speech shows how timeless his words were and how relevant to our current situation. We need more than ever to follow his exhortation to build institutions that promote peace, international cooperation, and unity among the peoples of the earth. As Chaplin says ~

“Soldiers, put down your weapons! Unite! Build peace! Learn to honor, not destroy life.”

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© 2012, Robert D. Rossel, All rights reserved

Photo credit ~  a screen shot from The Great Dictator and it is in the public domain

Video was upload to YouTube by .