Wheel of Time (2003)

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

"Wheel of Time" is an almost 15-year-old, German movie by writer and director Werner Herzog and it was a bit of a return back to his roots as documentaries were how it all started for him several decades ago. This documentary only runs for 80 minutes, but still delivers in terms of content and atmosphere. I have little interest in religion whatsoever, so I was not sure how much I would like it, but even if it did not do too much on an informative level, I still managed to suck in the atmospherically soothing touch of this film during several scenes. And it was sure fun to see Herzog interview the Dalai Lama, how humble both of them seemed and respectful towards the other and the general situation. I cannot deny I am a great Werner Herzog fan and it is always nice to see him narrate his films himself just like this one. His voice is always great to listen to. As a whole, this was not one of my favorite watches from Herzog, but that is really only because I have seen so much from him and because some of his other works are so great and this one is "only" good. I still recommend watching it. Thumbs for "Rad der Zeit". Go see it.

Famed German filmmaker Werner Herzog and his crew travel to a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Bodgaya, India. There they film the believers as they do the many tasks that they feel lead to greater enlightenment. The film's title is about a sand drawing or a 'mandala' that is created for this event.While my summary is pretty much true of all films, it's especially true of "Wheel of Time". If you have no interest in Buddhism or don't like documentaries that are light on narration and thorough explanations, then you'll probably not enjoy this film. This isn't meant pejoratively--it's just that your interests will really have a lot to do with whether I'd recommend it to you. As a retired history teacher who often taught about world religions, I already had a reasonable understanding of many of the tenants of Buddhism as well as an interest in learning more. But I am NOT the typical person. And, I don't mind the vagueness in the narrative of this film very much--though I would have appreciated it if the film had talked about the basic beliefs of the religion. In other words, before attempting a discussion of the confusion topic of 'mandalas' (something which, it appeared, even the Dalai Lama had a hard time explaining in the film), perhaps it would have been best to discuss other aspects of the religion.Things of interest to watch for would include the vat of tea (that's a lotta tea!), the great lengths to which some of the followers go to get there, the anticlimactic aspects of the pilgrimage and the later visit to Graz, Austria. Not for all tastes, but worth seeing if it is yours.

Sure... Buddhism is hip... Sure the Western world has at times fixated on Buddhism in contrast to the violent tendencies of our Abrahamic religions... But let's be honest: Buddhism is boring! Oh, but the thought-provoking Buddhist quips!--as the Dalai Lama says in the film: the center of the universe is within each of us because our consciousness is the source of the idea of universe... now that truly is good stuff! But wait... what's this outside?!? Yes the camera pans through crowds of ascetics and poor people; people mystified by ritual, and desperately trying either to give meaning to or take meaning out of life. In blatant defiance to the tenderizing wisdom of Buddhist teachings stands the masses of followers that are clearly, disturbingly, mindlessly ritualized. No no no, not mindless in the good way, the "Buddhist" way. Mindless in the "I follow a religion way". Those in the West know this behavior very well...So there is no "real" Buddhism. THERE IS NO EXCITING BUDDHISM. There is only the Buddhist RELIGION. This film is in large part about the Buddhist religion...And Werner is the perfect director for such a task: stubborn and self-indulgent; brashly unapologetic about the "right to film-making". THIS is the inspiration for a camera that walks through a mass of people, then slowly fixates on one monk, and then with patience and audacity, sits there 6 inches from his face for 30 seconds! THIS is the background for Werner's classic comment after being told he is the center of the universe: "That feels good hearing that!--I shouldn't tell my wife..." This is as good as Buddhism gets! And all in all, if you can still tolerate the mind-numbing reality of Buddhism, then this film may be alright. Me? I'm waiting for Werner's next documentary: "A Day At Wal-Mart".

This film is an exploration of several Tibetan Buddhist rituals, and centers around an initiation in India attended by hundreds of thousands of Himalayan devotees, many of whom arrive after punishing pilgrimages that, in one case, took up to three and a half years. As Cinema this film excels. Herzog places himself in the midst of the throng. The faces he captures tell a thousand stories. Yet the actual stories are few and far between. There is a cool detachment in this film that gives it an anthropological feel. Herzog admitted in a live discussion after the screening that he had little familiarization with Buddhism, and reluctantly took this assignment after several requests only after the Dalai Lama himself personally asked him to do it. There is little to be learned here about the ritual itself, as the film focuses mostly on the attendees. Herzog seems uninterested in the meaning behind the sometimes strange-seeming actions of the devoted monks, and focuses instead on observation. While this is a smart approach for a film-maker on one hand, since any attempt to explain this complicated philosophical system would undoubtably fall short, I was left wanting more. If I can make a somewhat strange metaphor: it was like seeing a documentary on the Superbowl, which focused on Americans traveling from all over the country, standing in long lines, paying large sums of money to get in, drinking beer, shouting and cheering at the field, or shouting at television screens, waving strange banners around, and possibly braving rain, snow or blizzard to see it--without ever really going into what football is. Long shots of haggard faces and people doing "the wave" would be compelling to watch, but wouldn't give a true picture of the event. If you're interested in seeing a fly-on-the-wall observation of a very interesting and different aspect of the human experience, this film succeeds. But if you are interested in understanding the Kalachakra ritual, or learning more about Buddhism, then, like me, you'll be left unsatisfied. Perhaps the film is mistitled. The title, "Wheel of Time", somehow promised something different to me. A more apt title would be something like, "Naked Devotion".