Customer Reviews

Kumbh Mela: Songs of the River (Institutional Use - Library/High School/Non-Profit)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Who knew? We hear about the Haj at Mecca which draws a couple of million pilgrims, but who knew that the Kumbh Mela in India drew 70 million?!! Seventy million Hindu pilgrims! Not to mention thousands of naked holymen doing all sorts of bizarre penances to God! The film is a visual journey and a feast for the imagination. Brilliant, colorful cinematography depicting a strange gathering in a strange land. A must have for anyone interested in cultural anthropology, India, or spirituality. Might have been made better with more documentary information (for example I found out this religious gathering has been going on--its held every 12 years-- since 3464 BC!) and possibly the integration of some still images on which to linger a bit in mid-marvel. All in all a wonderful and fascinating experience. (By the way I found a wonderfully informative and funny story about the Kumbh on a web mag called theArtichoke.org.)

Travel with filmmaker Nadeem Uddin to Mother India on his journey to Allahabad located at the confluence of two sacred rivers, the Ganges and Jamuna. You are on a spiritual pilgrimage to the final mela in a series of festivals that occurs only once every 144 years. Walk amongst the estimated 70 million pilgrims in the sweltering heat as they descend upon their appointed destination.

Open your mind and heart and take a deep breath before you dare enter into a realm of the spirit quite foreign to Occidental sensibilities. It's here amidst the noise and smoke, the pungent fragrances and endless chanting that the visual and olfactory assault will soon begin. Nude ascetics will surround you on all sides and strange, exotic smells will confront your nostrils. In some quarters of the festival bizarre and disturbing exhibitions of self-mutilation will be exhibited while a female avatar dances with cobras and a prospective guru is buried underground for three days in a state of samadi as an offering for universal harmony. Situations very unnerving for the uninitiated traveler.

Congratulations you have arrived at the largest gathering of humanity in the history of the world! It's the 2001 'Maha Kumbh Mela' let the purification begin!

This is an amazing and beautiful spiritual documentary and an essential addition to the DVD library of anyone fascinated by the diverse and sometimes unfathomable nature of faith in all its various modes of expression. Definitely not for the closed minded.

This wonderful film immerses the viewer in the experience of Kumbh Mela. There is no unnecessary narrative telling you what you are seeing or what you are supposed to think about the incredible events occurring here. I appreciated that the viewer is allowed to form their own thoughts and ideas as the documentary unfolds. I am also delighted that this film will bring this ancient festival into the homes and hearts of people around the world who can now share in the wonder of this tradition. It is especially encouraging to know that the largest gathering of people in recorded history, visible from space, was inspired by a deep and abiding love and spiritual belief.

Our local spiritual movie group had the wonderful opportunity to screen this film at one of our gatherings. It was captivating! Kumbh Mela: Songs of The River takes you on a personal journey that allows the viewer to become a part of the experience, first hand. Through brilliant cinematography you are there, breathing in the essence of the spirit in which this film was created - an invitation to experience the human spirit with unflinching honesty. Though the 2001 gathering was the final Kumbh Mela in a 12-year cycle of festivals, this film will forever allow you to take your own pilgrimage to the Festival of The Urn, and return again and again.

For such an age-old festival, only the purest of documentary art will do it justice. Commentary would spoil the images, and Nadeem Uddin instead provides us a mix of music and sounds that strengthen the already powerful and beautiful images he recorded of millions of devout Hindus on their way to salvation.

This is Direct Cinema at its best, empowering viewers to make their own judgments, or just to enjoy a montage of filmic images that defines a unique congregation and community of mankind.

Would that we could all share such an experience. Now we can.

It is sort of like a "spiritual Woodstock" with all sorts of spiritual leaders and not so spiritual people. There was everything from the Dalai Lama, to the "side-show" woman in a cage full of cobras, to a guy with a knife sticking through his arm, to Yogamata Keiko who was buried in samadhi for 72 hours, to "bike Baba" the tour guide on a motor scooter. I just wish there were some way I could have smelled the smells through the DVD. It is a cultural experience that is rather startling to those of us in the West.

This film is a masterpiece of visual, emotional and spiritual elements which beautifully conveys the true essence of the largest gathering of humanity in the world. The cinematography is alive with the sights and sounds of a world festival of epic proportions. You feel all the emotion of one who was actually present in India at this most special gathering. Many religions and philosophies made their presence felt, as they all came together in a spirit of oneness and peace.

This movie is a rich trip to another culture taken without leaving home. Viewing this film was like opening a window to a part of India that would never be seen by the average traveller. I recommend this movie for anyone interested in creative film making and India.

From time immemorial to the present day, devotees have gathered with unwavering faith to receive the blessings of holy saints and bathe in the holiest of holy bathing spots in India--Allahabad. As tour guide for Kumbh Mela tours, I recommend you get a copy of this film, which propels you into the magic that is Kumbh Mela. After seeing this film, you may feel called to come to the Ardh Kumbh Mela in 2007.

This documentary is beautiful expession of millions of people coming together on the River Ganges. A beautiful expression of love and harmony among all of us. A reason to join humanity again in case you started to fill disconnected. Highly recommended!