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Festivale online magazine, February, 1998 Siddhartha movie review

Siddhartha I knew nothing of this film, assuming that it was about the Buddha because the title bore his name. Instead, it's about a separate character called Siddhartha who lives in India at the time of the Buddha's achievement of Enlightenment. He even meets the great man briefly, though he doesn't choose to follow his philosophy.

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Siddhartha is a movie about philosophy, pure and simple. Filmed in 1972 at spectacular locations in India, it follows a young man's life and his pursuit of meaning. He moves through different stages: asceticism, love, material wealth, self-loathing, each time gaining a new piece of the puzzle that is life. This film, an adaptation of the novel by Herman Hesse, is very stylised and the acting is very "big". Siddhartha, played by Indian movie star Shashi Kapoor, is oh-so-earnest as he deliberates solemnly over the paths of existence. His co-stars all write their characters larger than life and there's something very Seventies about the film... you can imagine the Summer of Love crowd plumbing its mystic deepness for insights. It's a film that shouldn't really work in 1998. And yet... Siddhartha is a joy to watch. Though slow and stylised, it addresses its great questions with honesty and integrity and provokes thought. The beautiful locations, including the ground of palaces which no Western filmmaker had previously been allowed to use, draw us into its introspective flow as calmly as the great Ganges which is featured so effectively in the film. The questions Siddhartha raises are as relevant now as then: questions of time, honesty, balance, love and goals. Enjoy it by letting yourself relax and enjoying the symbolism over its overstated acting. A thinking film for an introspective day. For people seeking a copy of this film: We have tried to source this film, but it has not been released for sell-through in any market we have access to. If you are looking for a copy and have any success, please let us know.

	Tim Richards For credits and official site details, click here. Search Festivale for more
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Enter movie, TV show, or person   Provided by Internet Movie Database.	Just the facts: Title: Siddhartha (1972) Written by: Based on the novel by Herman Hesse, adapted by Conrad Rooks Directed by: Conrad Rooks Produced by: Conrad Rooks Edited by: Director of Photography: Sven Nykvist
	The Players: Shashi Kapoor, Simi Garewal, Romesh Sharma, Pincho Kapoor
	Official website
	For session times of current films, use the cinema listings on the Movie links page. For scheduled release dates, see the coming attractions section.

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