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Frizzer's Film Review

edited December 2005 in General Banter
I just got a copy of "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring" through the post this morning (good old Amazon, I only ordered it 2 days ago!) and have just sat down and watched it.

I was recommended it by the people that run my meditation group so I thought I'd risk it and order it, even though I'd never heard of it before.

Blimey!!! It's very good indeed !
It's a Korean film based around a monastery that's floating in a lake. In the monastery lives an old Buddhist Master and his young disciple. It's in 5 parts, as per the title of the film. Here's avery quick synopsis of what happens :-

In Spring the disciple is a little boy who likes to tie rocks to animals so the Master attaches one to him and tells him to go and release all the animals he tied up. If any of the animals had died then the boy is told he will carry the shame all his life like a rock in his heart. Sure enough, 2 have died and the little lad is inconsolable.

Summer comes and he is now 17. A sick girl comes to the monastery to be healed and they fall in love. The Master tells him that desire leads to attachment which then leads to killing. The boy doesn't listen and runs off with the girl.

Autumn - The boy returns a bit older having killed his wife after she ran off with someone else. The Master writes a scripture on the floor of the monastery using his cat's tail dipped in ink (no, really he does! Do that with my cat and she'd have your eyes out!!) and gets him to carve them into the floor using the knife he'd used. Police turn up and he gets carted off.

Winter - the Master decides it's time to die. I'll not say what happens but it's very moving. The disciple returns as a middle aged man, a woman arrives and leaves a baby with him. He then goes off across the frozen lake dragging a rock while carrying a statue of Kwan Yin in front of him as a penance for his crimes.

Spring - He is now the Master and he has his own disciple (who likes putting turtles on their backs!).

That is basically the entire story. The filming never leaves the location of the lake and it is so beautifully filmed with almost no background music or dialogue so that the peacefulness of the location really comes through. It's the silent interaction of the characters that really makes it such a moving film.

It gets 5 thumbs up from me!! :uphand: :uphand: :uphand: :uphand: :uphand:

Comments

  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    edited November 2005
    One of my favorite movies!
  • MagwangMagwang Veteran
    edited November 2005
    I saw it last year when it came to theaters, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. After adopting a baby from Korea, I am interested in all things from the "land of the morning calm".

    The hermitage that is the stage for SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING is an artificially constructed set made to float on top of Jusan Pond in North Kyungsang Province in Korea. Created about 200 years ago, Jusan Pond is an artificial lake in which the surrounding mountains are reflected in its waters. It retains the mystical aura of having trees more than hundreds of years old still growing within its water. LJ Film was able to obtain permission to build the set after finally convincing the Ministry of Environment through six months of negotiations.

    You can see images and info at:

    http://www.sonyclassics.com/spring/
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited November 2005
    I'm going to order it on your recommendation!

    -bf
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited November 2005
    I have made a note of it, Frizzer. The pics of the lake are wonderful! So different from the really ugly sacred lake at Rewalsar, where Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava, meditated before taking monastic Buddhism to Tibet. It was a very interesting experience to visit somewhere sacred to three great faiths which is also such a scruffy place.
  • PalzangPalzang Veteran
    edited November 2005
    I didn't find it scruffy at all, Simon, Quite the opposite. It was the only place in all of India where I felt peaceful. Of course, visiting the lake in the company of Mandarava might have had something to do with it...

    Palzang
  • edited December 2005
    Frizzer - my husband and I watched this movie over the weekend. I LOVED it! I told my husband I wanted to see it, and when I came home one day, he had it TiVo'd for me. :) What a guy!! :) I have some questions about the movie, but I don't want to ruin it for anyone....should I send you a pm?
  • edited December 2005
    You can PM away Yogamama!
    I'm really sorry to hear about your puppy as well. Can the police do anything to track down who stole him? Here in the UK there are CCTV cameras all over the place so anything we do is likely to be caught on camera. Anyhow I'm sending happy Reiki thoughts your way !
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