Allison Keiser 

A Movie Review of The Buddha:

Featuring Animations That Depict His Life

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Transport your mind to India, where in David Grubin’s Emmy nominated documentary, The Buddha, you can find Buddhists practicing their religion, as seen in Figure 1, and see the story of the Buddha’s life and teachings transform. Grubin, who won four Emmy’s, is known for his documentaries about presidents, but for this religious documentary that premiered on April 17, 2010, he took a different turn. Comparable to the mini-series Jesus of Nazareth, the film is centered around the religion’s leader and explains the life of the Buddha. Through beautiful Buddhist artwork that can be found in temples around the world, insightful animations, and commentary from current, real life Buddhists, there is much to be learned about the Buddha and his religion during this near two-hour film.

 

Right off the bat, James Callanan, the cinematographer, captures a panoramic view of mountains with a breathtaking sunset in the background, and as New York Times critic Mike Hale states in his movie review, “We…get a lot of pretty footage of the Indian countryside.” The remarkable scenery, portrayed in Figure 2, is accompanied with the smooth voice of the main narrator, Richard Gere, whose calming tone fits the peaceful mood of Buddhism perfectly. A few minutes later, we see the first of many animations, and a variety of Buddhist paintings and sculptures. The beautiful animations and artwork are partnered with commentary from scholars and poets, such as Jane Hirshfield, W.S. Merwin, and most notably the Dalai Lama, who all combine to analyze various aspects of the Buddha’s life.

 

The Buddha was destined to become something special, as his mother had a dream he would become an enlightened leader before he was born. Protected from the real world as a child, he went outside one day to discover a world full of suffering. After being enraged by this suffering and thus leaving his family, even more meaningful animations, artwork, and commentary illustrate the multiple year journey of how he was able to become enlightened under a fig tree. In addition, live footage of Buddhists practicing chants and meditations are shown throughout, and in Figure 3, to allow the teachings of the Buddha to be seen in action. However, the documentary’s main takeaway is that everyone of us have the same traits as the Buddha. We can channel our own inner peace and as the Dalai Lama says, “Every sentient being, even insect, have Buddha nature…there’s no reason to believe some sentient beings cannot become Buddha” (The Buddha). Even if you could never imagine, you yourself could become just like Buddha himself, as we all have the same exact traits as he did. 

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Throughout the film, there are a myriad of animations, and they add to the understanding of different parts of the documentary. Movie critic Charles Greenberg comments on them by saying, “Another component of the film’s successful continuity are animated illustrated sequences that visualize some of the supernatural beliefs and stories associated with the Buddha.” It is no wonder they are so glorious, as Asterisk Animation, who came up with these designs, have also created animations for Disney and Cartoon Network. The most important animation, illustrated in Figure 4, is when the Buddha refuses to move from under the fig tree until he attains enlightenment. Blair Brown, one of the narrators, comments after this animation is portrayed by saying, “He roared like a lion…he had become the Awakened One, the Buddha” (The Buddha).  As pointed out by the narrator, this is when the Buddha officially becomes the Buddha, which is arguably the most important part of his life and this movie. The fact that they chose to depict the most essential part with animations instead of something else, demonstrates how the animations enhance understanding. Without seeing it explained visually, the details of the most meaningful aspect of the Buddha’s life might not be fully understood, thus making the animations vital and like Greenberg said, successful part of the film.

 

This particular animation of the Buddha acquiring enlightenment also provides humor that is not found anywhere else in the film. When the Buddha is under the fig tree, the Lord of Desire challenges him in order to try to prevent him from attaining enlightenment. The Lord uses demons as a way of temptation, and these funny looking creatures (Figure 5) supply a much-needed laugh. Two other animations that stand out are when the ‘middle way’ is being represented, and when the miracles the Buddha performed are being described. With there being an abundant amount to tell about the ‘middle way’ and the Buddha’s miracles, the perceptive animations might be the only way to comprehend the details.

 

Despite the ongoing footage of Buddhists’ practicing their religion, along with all the commentary, artwork (Figure 6), and animations, the documentary is a bit drawn out. It seems as if some of the simple things ran on too long, while the more complex items, such as when The Buddha went outside and saw suffering for the first time, could benefit from more clarification. The Buddha is definitely not action filled, but the ample amount of information learned, along with the captivating footage, seem to outweigh the few boring spots. If you are having family movie night, you might want to skip past this title, but if you are looking to learn more about Buddhism and can sit tight for a couple hours, this one is for you.