Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?

1989
Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?
7.4| 2h24m| en| More Info
Released: 29 September 1989 Released
Producted By: Bae Yong-kyun Productions
Country: South Korea
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

About three monks in a remote monastery; an aging master, a small orphan and a young man who left his city life to seek Enlightenment.

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Bae Yong-kyun Productions

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Reviews

runamokprods While I still don't see it as the masterpiece that many do, I enjoyed it much more on 2nd viewing. I do find much of it slow. Maybe because of my long interest in Buddhism, many of the ideas are familiar enough to me that in some cases it felt like an illustrated lesson on things I've read. However, a other times, it makes some central Buddhist ideas really come to life in a very meaningful, moving way. It earned a few votes on Sight and Sounds '10 Greatest Films Ever Made' list. A few noting that the film improves on repeat viewings, once the expectation of plot, etc has been removed. It's really more a meditation than a 'film' in the usual sense. The image (the photography is universally highly praised) looks less than great on my television (grayed-out blacks, etc.), but the DVD got good reviews, so I'm confused...
alberich68 The first time I rented this movie, I saw it with a friend. We quit halfway through after groaning with boredom, then spent the rest of the evening making fun of it. A year later I tried it again, and have seen it five times since. It is extraordinary and is more gripping and absorbing each time I watch it.There is of course no plot, only a loose story which illustrates, both in its whole and many fragmentary parts, core questions and ideas of Buddhism regarding the impermanence of all things and the corrupting nature of human desire. I know only a little about Buddhism, but what little I had read since the first unsuccessful viewing was probably what helped me see it subsequent times. Like Buddhism, it employs profound calm to upset some fundamental attitudes about the world and makes these disturbances fascinating: suffering, loss, the desire to hold on to things, and the vanity of intellectual growth.This is however not by any stretch an "ideas" movie. It was made by a painter and remains very much a kind of tone-poem for the screen. I recommend it highly.
Razzbar A strange thing happened to me while watching this movie for the first time: About halfway thru, I lost the desire to pay attention to it. It's not that I lost interest, just that I lost the feeling of need or obligation to pay attention in order to get the most out of it.Cinematic enlightenment? Or just fatigue?Hmmm... probably a little of both, combined with the knowledge that it I can always watch it again.Cinematic reincarnation!This really is a different movie, and I can see it being played on my VCR time and time again, at times when I want to "watch something", but don't...There's just so much to it, so much to think about, so much to see, that one time thru will only give a little sip. And I'm afraid that there are times when it does help to read the subtitles -- although much of the time there are no subtitles.The thing about it is, rather than "teach" Buddhist philosophy, it "gives the experience". It follows its three characters on the path, and gives lessons on letting go.There is a scene where a young boy returns to the grave of a bird he'd buried a few days before: Unable to let go of the bird, unable to accept death, he finds that yes, life goes on, but in ways that he was not ready to accept or understand! In an instant, he's startled by the cry of another bird, and falls from a ledge into a pool of water (there's a lot of water in this movie), where he thrashes about like he's drowning -- and then he stops trying to swim, and simply allows himself to float. Get it?Lots of eye candy, lots of mind candy. If you're a Buddhist, or in any way interested in Buddhism, you must not miss it for anything! If however you're not interested in the least about Buddhist philosophy, but ARE interested in cinematic excellence, see it. It's a masterpiece!
hrager I had the good fortune to see this movie as part of a campus movie series (UNLV) several years ago. The integration of the Ox-herding pictures from Ch'an/Zen lore into the fabric of the story was exquisite. Truly a beautiful film for Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike. I would love to own a copy of this film.