The Impacts Of Transcendental Style In The Film Into Great Silence

Impacts of Transcendental Style in the film Into Great Silence

The use of film in mainstream media tends to encompass genres such as action, comedy, romance, and horror. These films are usually produced with the same goal in mind. To grab the attention of the audience. A film where the viewer is on the edge of their seat, so engulfed in the story that one cannot leave their seat to use the restroom is what most audiences are drawn to. This is the opposite of the film Into Great Silence (Gröning, 2005). The near silent film displays a unique perspective into a monastery in the French Alps, showing 2 hours and 47 minutes of the daily lives of monks. There are no actors, no comedy, no jaw dropping scenes, and no dialogue. Instead, it uses a unique

My mind was racing with questions and frustration as to why anyone would watch this, let alone make something so boring. However, it seemed as though the longer I watched, the deeper my curiosity grew. I began thinking about the practice of these monks, in disbelief of their way of life. Not only was their dedication to their religion incomprehensible, but what truly struck me was the isolation they lived in. They had no clocks or calendars, making them devoid of a sense of time. In many films, a story is told where a lifetime of moments and events are squeezed into roughly two hours. In the film Marley & Me, the 14-year story of a young couple and a dog’s life are shown in an hour and 55 minutes. The viewer loses a sense of time, becoming isolated by what is on screen. Although a yellow lab and a monk have little in common, it is this portrayal of time that makes Into Great Silence so unique. In an interview with Philip Gröning he was asked about how the idea for a film about time turned into a film about silence in which he answered, “I think the most profound experience a viewer can make when watching a film is to get a real feel for time. Usually, this experience is masked by a story. In a film about silence this experience of time is swept up to the surface” Vertigo

The director uses many of these transcendental style strategies to challenge the audience like never before. Not often does someone walk into a movie with very little knowledge of the plot. People see movies for reason such as an actor they love, the next movie in a series, or a story plot they know they will enjoy. Unlike most films, it is nearly impossible to depict a plot or storyline for Into Great Silence. Besides knowing the film is about monks in a monastery, the viewer comes in completely blind. I believe Gröning was using the monk’s lifestyle as a distraction to create a film of this style and bring a greater appreciation towards silent films. This idea resonates much more strongly with me as I sit and reflect on how the film grew on me. If someone asked me the night after the viewing if I would watch a similar film, the answer would be a resounding no. However, after days of contemplation and reflection, the experience opened my eyes to this type of cinema. I believe this was one of the goals of the director, encouraging more people to appreciate silent film and view it as a time for reflection. It pushes the viewer beyond the norm, forcing them to step outside their comfort zone. It was this style and message that not only allowed me to appreciate what was being shown on screen, but more importantly the greater concept of