Product Details

• Actors: Narrated by Debra Winger
• Directors: Haydn Reiss
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Magnolia Films
• DVD Release Date: April 1, 2004
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002DVA22
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,967 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic Love As An Astounding Lucid Confusion, November 29, 2005

By	Nicholas Croft (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Rumi - Poet of the Heart" is a fifty-five minute documentary that introduces us to the work of Persian poet Jelaluddin Rumi. This is accomplished through an intimate dialog with Coleman Barks, his English language translator. The work also features the narration of actress Debra Winger and sensitive observations by scholars such as Huston Smith, Robert Bly, Simone Fattal, Deepak Chopra and the Sufi mystic Sheik Jelaluddin Loras.

The first fifteen minutes of the video relate the biography of Rumi, who was born in Afghanistan during the year 1207. Rumi's family moved to Turkey, where his father became the head of an Islamic Sufi learning community. Upon his father's death, Rumi took his place as the head of this ancient community of prayer.

Rumi eventually met with a desert mystic named Shams of Tabriz and mentored under him for a number of years. The grief that Rumi felt, upon the death of Shams, led to the birth of his poetry of longing and also to the creation of the Whirling Dervish dance tradition.

The story of how Coleman Barks came to his decades-long project as translator of Rumi's Persian texts is then revealed. We witness recording sessions where Mr. Barks reads from his acclaimed translations of the poet. These sessions are often accompanied with musical instrumentation such as the oud, harmonium, dotar, tabla, violin, ney and sarod. Video talks by the various scholars, which were often shot within beautiful natural settings, are interspersed among the studio sessions. All of these elements combine to suggest both the tone and the meaning of Rumi's poetry.

"Rumi - Poet of the Heart" is a devotional work that gently guides viewers through an introduction to the life and spirit of one of America's most widely read poets. Join with Coleman Barks and company to explore Rumi's compelling inner secret world. You will be transformed through their intoxicating spirit of contagious enthusiasm.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite poetry and photography, April 6, 2005

By	Michael Kotski "Michel Kotski" (Mill Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A wonderful DVD for lovers of Rumi's poetry. The photography is exquisite, the interviews very educational, and the superb poetry readings, enlightening! Highly recommended for inquisitive spiritual souls as well as for all poetry lovers. Visit my web site: http://thirdeyephotocreations.com/

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RUMI: Poet of the Heart, April 6, 2005

By	Poet lover - See all my reviews

For lovers of the poet Rumi, this film is wonderful collection of live readings, music and history. Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Deepak Chopra and others all contribute to a moving and beautifully made film. Great music, too, from oud master Hamza El Din and world music musician Jai Uttal.