Into Great Silence (2007)
87%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Into Great Silence is a cinematic masterpiece that takes the viewer on a journey of introspection and contemplation. The film’s slow pace and lack of dialogue may be challenging for some, but for those willing to immerse themselves in the world of the Grande Chartreuse monastery, it is a deeply rewarding experience. Director Philip Gröning’s attention to detail and his ability to capture the beauty of the natural world and the austere life of the monks is truly remarkable. The film is a meditation on faith, devotion, and the search for meaning in a world that often seems chaotic and overwhelming. It is a must-see for anyone interested in the intersection of spirituality and cinema, and a testament to the power of silence and stillness in a noisy and frenetic world.
Into Great Silence is a movie that will leave you speechless, literally. It’s so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, or in this case, a monk’s robe rustling. But don’t let the lack of sound fool you, this documentary is a masterpiece. It takes you inside the Grande Chartreuse monastery and shows you the daily life of the Carthusian monks. You’ll witness their devotion, their routines, and their silence. It’s a unique experience that will make you appreciate the power of stillness. Just make sure you don’t watch it when you’re feeling sleepy, or you might end up taking a nap with the monks.
Production Company(ies)
The Directors Company, Saticoy Productions, Paramount Pictures,
Distributor
Zeitgeist
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Grande Chartreuse, Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, Isère, France
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 44m
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Language(s):French, Latin
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 28, 2007 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 3, 2007
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, French Alps, monastery, Carthusian monks, Philip Gröning, directed by Philip Gröning, written by Philip Gröning, produced by Philip Gröning, Elda Guidinetti, Andres Pfäffli, Michael Weber, genre, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nick Schager, J.R Jones, Steven Rea, Marc Savlov, Noel Murray, MPAA rating, Philip Gröning starring, Jörg Schulze starring, Michael Stricker starring, documentary dream, Los Angeles Plays Itself, Iron Island, The Devil’s Miner, Our Daily Bread, Man Push Cart, critic reviews, audience score, runtime, Dolby SRD, Zeitgeist, distributor, sound mix, 16 years, initial request, rituals, prayers, tasks, ascetic, limited release, streaming release, gross USA, photos, cast and crew, critic consensus, transcendental, pulse-slowing rhythms, peace, eerie, picaresque, evocative, alien, daring, breathtakingly constructed, deeply intimate, innocent, vulnerable, experience, silence, Before Bach, complexity, passive reflection, creative conception, organic, musical formulation, space between sounds, fascinate, Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze, cynical atheist, convinced, God, envy, resolute commitment, utter faith, secular influences, material comforts, electrical appliance, electric razor, Seoul, initiation ceremony, patterns, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV premiere dates, worst horror movies, Fandango
Worldwide gross: $4,886,163
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $7,446,431
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,052
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 812,043
US/Canada gross: $790,452
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,204,636
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,145
US/Canada opening weekend: $11,355
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,305
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,563
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jörg Schulze – Executive Producer
Michael Stricker – Executive Producer
Director(s)
Philip Gröning
Writer(s)
Philip Gröning
Producer(s)
Philip Gröning, Elda Guidinetti, Andres Pfäffli, Michael Weber
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (66) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (8)
Something to behold.
January 15, 2008 | Rating: B+
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
This 2005 feature is demanding to say the least, but its pulse-slowing rhythms leave a real sense of peace.
May 4, 2007
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A transcendental piece of filmmaking.
April 27, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
At once eerie, picaresque, evocative, and utterly alien to the reality most viewers inhabit, Into Great Silence is a daring and breathtakingly constructed documentary dream.
April 27, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
As a place to enter and meditate, Into Great Silence is imminently worthy, but as a documentary, it doesn’t do enough to probe the meaning of the quotation Grning returns to repeatedly: “Oh Lord, you have seduced me, and I was seduced.”
April 5, 2007 | Rating: B
Noel Murray
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
On a philosophical level, Into Great Silence emphasizes the virtues of the ascetic life, returning again and again to the idea of giving away all possessions in order to become a true disciple.
March 30, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
It is among the most deeply intimate, innocent, and vulnerable films ever created.
September 12, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
This is an experience it’s hard to say much about.
October 22, 2018
Eve Tushnet
Patheos
. . .if you’d like no sound at all then enter Into Great Silence, a look inside the beautifully austere monastery of the Grande Chartreuse and simply rest your ears.
August 23, 2017
Dorothy Woodend
The Tyee (British Columbia)
Despite his restrictions, Groning finds light and shade, contrasting the natural – more chaotic world – with the regimented life within the cloister.
June 13, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Amber Wilkinson
Eye for Film
The Silence Before Bach: Illuminates a complexity of ideas, including the passive reflection prior to creative conception and organic to musical formulation and the space between sounds, that fascinate the filmmaker, both musically and cinematically.
January 7, 2008
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze
By the final third of the documentary, we evolve to a state of envy – envious at their resolute commitment and their utter faith – and even the most cynical atheist might find himself convinced that if anyone will find God, it is these men.
June 27, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies…
Plot
An examination of life inside the Grande Chartreuse, the head monastery of the reclusive Carthusian Order in France.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t provide any goofy or funny comments about Into Great Silence, but one critic did describe it as “a nearly wordless documentary about the Grande Chartreuse Monastery in France (Instead of talking heads, there are silent heads.)”
Philip-Gröning.jpg
