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Buddhist-Themed Movies
What are some good Buddhism themed movies?
By theme I dont necessarily mean it's a Buddhist setting (but that too!)
But that it coinsides with Buddhist teaching/worldview.
Obviously the Matrix is a good one.
Some others I'd name are :
Fight Club
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring..
Groundhog Day
Scarface (I think there is something to learn from it
)
By theme I dont necessarily mean it's a Buddhist setting (but that too!)
But that it coinsides with Buddhist teaching/worldview.
Obviously the Matrix is a good one.
Some others I'd name are :
Fight Club
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring..
Groundhog Day
Scarface (I think there is something to learn from it
) 0
Comments
Well not exactly a movie, but worth a try if u keen.
From a Lostie
Most of what I've seen that was Buddhist in nature were documentaries. I can't think of too many other non-documentary Buddhist or Buddhist-themed movies that I've seen.
Well, actually, now that I think about it...
Do I dare mention The Glimmer Man? :hiding:
YouTube - Doctor Who - A Man Who Never Would
Thats sweet man, I'm into photography too, props on the good work!
Also by the Farrelly Brothers.
Good movie. Interestingly enough, I work with the sister of Lhakpa Tsamchoe, the lady who plays Pema Lhaki. Last I heard, she was finishing a three-year retreat. I also work with a guy who was in the movie himself. He's a short guy playing a traditional Tibetan instrument on the side of the road in one of the scenes.
Wow, small world!
I only saw it once, years and years ago..the only scene I remember clearly now is one with the climber Harrer and the young Dalai Lama, pretending to be all formal and proper while the other monks were around, and switching back to a more casual familiarity as soon as they'd left. ^_^ Very fortunate for them both that they met each other.
Yeah, Oregon has surprisingly large Tibetan population.
Vagabond the manga by Inoue Takehiko is also very rich with Buddhist influence. A few of the main characters are Buddhist monks.
"How is that you can see the grasshopper, old blind man?"
"How is that you cannot, young man?" http://www.amazon.com/Kung-Fu-Complete-First-Season/dp/B00013F38K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290950959&sr=8-1
"The Tibetan Book of the Dead", narrated by Leonard Cohen
I love that film.
Not sure if you could call it Buddhist really, since it's about a hired killer, but Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai. I find the title character to be rather Zen/Buddhist in many ways (though he's never identified as such), and the film has nice little morsels taken from the book Hagakure throughout, many of which I find to contain much wisdom (such as the one in my signature).
"The Knowledge of Healing" (about Tibetan herbal medicine)
I second the vote for "Lion King"
"The House of Sand and Fog" was an excellent movie - the characters struggle with pretense, addiction, life altering changes, attachment. I don't want to give too much away.
"Crash" I think this came out in 2004- excellent story about cause and effect and how people's lives touch others.
"Pay it Forward"- a young boy tries to make the world a better place.
oh what the heck- "Grand Torino" Clint Eastwood was fantastic- Walt Kowalski is one of my heroes. It's a clash of cultures. Walt is alienated from his family and angry at the world. Then he develops a relationship with his Hmong neighbors.
A good Youtube Channel?
i got a little angry watching it, i kept thinking wow, this is what some people think buddhism really is ..
3-Iron (Korean)
Mother (Korean)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring (Korean)
Departures (Japanese)
Red Beard (Japanese)
Cleopatra (Argentinian)
Common Ground (Argentinian)
Valentin (Argentinian)
House of Sand (Brazilian)
Diving Bell and the Butterfly (French)
The Return (Russian)
House of Fools (Russian)
Ivan's Childhood (Russian)
The Cuckoo (Russian)
Papillon
Pieces of April
Forest Gump
The Last Station
Barry Lyndon
Crash
Kung-foo, the series (I'm actually serious
...there's really quite a bit of good stuff out there but nothing else comes to mind right now. A movie may not mention the word "Buddha" per se but may start you thinking in a way that gets you there.
I don't know if this would qualify as a Buddhist themed movie.
"The World's Fastest Indian" was based on a true story. Burt Munro traveled from his home in New Zealand to followed his dream of perfecting his motorcycle and racing it at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The pursuit of his desire led him to interact with many people and challenges in a way that was inspirational. A truly enjoyable movie.
"Doubt"- Fr. Flynn- gave a sermon explaining that doubt, like faith, can be a unifying force. The movie then went on to show how suspicion, speculation, and gossip can affect people's lives. Very well done!
I was working my way through college one summer as a projectionist at a drive in movie. I saw this thing dozens of times. I hated it when martial arts marathons were going, because kids always tore up the bathroom kicking things. Sinks busted and stall doors tore off. But it's a trippy Zen movie written by actual Eastern folks.
From Wiki:
A martial artist rebel named Cord (played by Jeff Cooper) embarks on a quest for the Book of Enlightenment, which is kept by the mysterious Zetan (played by Christopher Lee). He must pass various trials along the way that educate him in Zen philosophy. Among the characters that he runs across are a blind flute-player, a monkey chieftain, a death character, and the leader of a gypsy tribe (all played by David Carradine). The blind flute player becomes a reluctant mentor to Cord.
Some trials involve combat, while others involve riddles or encounters with unusual characters, such as a man (Eli Wallach) who has been sitting in a barrel of oil for 10 years in an attempt to remove the lower half of his body so he is no longer distracted by his genitals. Cord successfully passes all trials and is able to view the Book of Enlightenment. He discovers that each page in the book is a mirror, showing him that the secret to enlightenment and all knowledge is already within himself. He then returns to the outside world, presumably to become a mentor for later seekers.
talk with the buddha
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078975/plotsummary
and just found out its free on google video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-172252482711916925#
-- Tina, New Member
Along the way, a lot of really cool stuff happens to Bodidharma, such as: he "walks on water" by skipping across a river on the leaves of a stalk of reed, he meditates in a cave without moving or eating for several years, he catches on fire but magiclly survives due to his awesomeness, he kicks a lot of ass, and he lives to be 150 years old. Oh and he also resurects from the dead at the end. AND, he teaches people some Buddhist stuff and takes on students to continue the educational lineage of his "wild, wall-gazing, butt-kicking, heart-changing, thought-bending, vegetable-eating" Zen.
If you don't mind subtitles, you will like this movie. It's got everything. And below is the thread that I posted it in. Comment if you watch it! (it's in 7 parts)
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/16195/bodhidharmas-beard-is-sweet#latest