The Giant Buddhas ( Im Tal der grossen Buddhas ) ( Oi gigantiaioi voudes )

The Giant Buddhas (DVD) (*)

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Original Title: Im Tal der grossen Buddhas
Alternate Title: Oi gigantiaioi voudes
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Sundance Film Festival
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
English ( Subtitles )
French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
French ( Subtitles )
German ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
German ( Subtitles )
Italian ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Italian ( Subtitles )
Spanish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Switzerland ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
95 min + 35 min extras

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 2005 and produced in:
Switzerland ( Germany, Central Europe )

Directed By:
Christian Frei

Written By:
Christian Frei

Actors:
Taysir Alony ..... Himself - Journalist
Sayeed Mirza Hussain ..... Himself - Bamiyan Cave Dweller
Peter Mettler ..... Narrator - English version
Nelofer Pazira ..... Herself - Journalist
Zémaryalaï Tarzi ..... Himself - Archaeologist
Xuanzang

Synopsis:

With the destruction of the giant Buddhas as his springboard, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Christian Frei (War Photographer) has crafted a luminous cinematic tapestry that entwines multiple narrative threads. Stunningly photographed by Peter Indergand, this thought-provoking documentary reveals the consequences of religious fanaticism as it exposes the hypocrisy of global indignation. With pulsing immediacy, Frei essentially collapses time. He retraces the steps of a Chinese monk who visited the Buddhas centuries ago, juxtaposing that journey with his own trip to Afghanistan and that of a modern-day woman from Toronto, who fulfills a lifelong dream to visit Bamiyan, important place for her father. The Giant Buddhas is a stirring example of the power of cinema to enlighten as it defies the boundaries of culture and time.

Combining several narrative lines, Frei's beautifully crafted film uses the Bamiyan statues as a starting point on a fascinating journey exploring the boundaries between spirituality and religious fanaticism, the ancient and the modern and the local and the global. Frei weaves together a colourful and moving tapestry that ultimately reflects the Buddhist saying: "Everything changes, nothing is permanent." With some excellent photography by Peter Indergand, this monumental, yet quietly contemplative - and at times very funny - film is as much a quest for questions, as a search for answers.

A film about the destruction of the famous Buddha statues in Afghanistan.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 03 May, 2012.

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