Completed:
1979
Running Time:
30 minutes
Producer/Director: Elda Hartley
Requiem for a Faith
Tibetan Buddhism
Renowned world religions scholar Huston Smith (The Religions of Man) travels to Tibet in Requiem for a Faith to provide moving commentary that accompanies filmmaker Elda Hartley's remarkable images of this profoundly mystical Tibetan Buddhist culture.
Hartley preserves the images of spirituality - the fluttering prayer flags, the lavishly colorful artwork and dance, the monks engaged in lively debate. Smith's meditation offers a comprehensive overview of the Tibetan belief system, from its deep compassion and densely populated spirit world, to the role of the Dalai Lama and the many methods used in the journey towards enlightenment.
This award-winning film, now available on DVD as part of our Hartley Classics series on World Religions:Many Paths Part I , provides a rare glimpse of hypnotic chanting ceremonies of the Tibetan Buddhist monks, who use a chanting technique so unusual that modern science has yet to understand it. Requiem for a Faith is a moving portrait of a society "that is so close to the sky, the natural occupation of its people is to pray."
". . . beautiful, well-made film, documents carefully many aspects of Lamaism. Among many interesting sequences the most impressive is the chanting in chords by these monks."
- Educational Screen and A/V Guide
If you would like to explore films with similar themes, please click on Huston Smith, Buddhism or Spirituality.