Siddhartha (1973) 86m.
This adaptation of Herman Hesse's novel was obviously a personal project for producer-director-screenwriter Conrad Rook. Those who have embraced the book should be relieved that it was placed in good hands. Simple tale recounts the life of young Brahmin Siddhartha who leaves his village to become a sadhu (a wandering holy man who lives on the charity of others) in order to achieve enlightenment. Story appeals because it brings large philosophical ideas down to a basic human level that we are able to relate to. Siddharta's journey takes him from Brahmin to ascetic to lover to laborer to father. He undergoes a spiritual rebirth with each new step, until he becomes his own teacher. What is most interesting about this film is that we never feel in any position to judge Siddhartha as he shifts from one lifestyle to another - we simply accept it as part of a learning curve he must put himself through. This, of course, is what Hesse is propounding all along. But there is certainly no cause for us to feel smug: Siddhartha voices his thoughts and revelations so eloquently that we are always respectful of him (I particularly like his speech at the end of the film about the stone). Even though the characters sum up enlightenment in a few words ("Everything returns"; "I can think, I can wait, I can fast"), it doesn't come across as axiomatic or trite: these simple expressions reassure us that such discoveries are not exclusive to holy men.
Rook uses images (gorgeously photographed by Sven Nykvist in Northern India) and music to bring the book to life without sacrificing any of its gentleness. The dialogue, as spoken by Shashi Kapoor (as Siddharta) and his companions, has a gentle rhythm of its own. Even the name 'Siddharta' alone is pronounced with a relaxing, peaceful lilt. It's almost as if Rook knows just how far to go before making his audience nod off into sleep. Hesse's slim novel translates to the screen more comfortably than his other voyage-of-discovery story STEPPENWOLF.
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