Films Flashcards
Speculation: how does the film’s title engage with this aspect of religion?
“The Long Search” is a type of religious quest which engages with the Big Questions:
Where did we come from?
Where are we going?
What is the purpose of life?
What is the Authority for the “Long Search” film series?
Rather than Eyre’s, the authority belongs to the people he is observing, to whom these beliefs belong
What is the difference between Kali and Ganesh, discussed in the film?
Ganesh is the remover of obstacles; Kali is the wife of Shiva, a justice figure, “not tolerating any wrong”
There follows a discussion of the principle that all the “gods” of Hinduism are aspects of the One, Brahman
Does a clay image really contain divinity?
The image is a symbol of the divine truth, a way of leading one to the divine—but some people may never (in this life) make it past the image to that which it symbolizes
How is the river Ganges portrayed as a goddess in this film?
Her water is pure, cannot go bad, cannot contain pathogens, because it is purified by divine force
Village in south Nepal: How is “this whole village a series of uncles”?
“The whole village is one community”—in this kind of community, everyone knows everyone, everyone helps everyone, people are close—like family, even when not related by blood
What does the goddess Saraswathi represent in the film?
Goddess of art and learning
Rides a swan, has four arms, and carries a musical instrument, pen, book, crystal
Images are frequently brought up in the film, and it is emphasized that the image is not the deity itself; but in this ceremony, the goddess is invited to actually inhabit her image
Why is the boy, not the master, the cent of the ritual performed before the goddess?
“This process is literally trying to breath life into the goddess by certain ritual observation, so by citing certain sorts of verses and doing correct things as prescribed in the tradition, the boy on behalf of the school is inviting the goddess to come and take her seat in this image. And from that point on, for this prescribed time, she actually becomes the seat of the goddess.”
How does the film portray the endless cycle of creation, preservation, destruction? (Pottery wheel)
When the speaker speaks of destroying the spent universe, the potter unmakes and the remoulds the vessel he had been working on: the idea being it is not utter destruction the way the West thinks of it, but a renewing of creation out of the same substance
How is the sannyasi relevant for the film’s exploration of Hinduism?
This is the ultimate expression of “The Long Search”—the search for the divine with all of one’s time, attention, and spirit
How does the film present the idea of the image being only a symbol of divinity?
It is explained that the clay image is just a symbol, the people do not believe that the image is actually the deity
This point is reiterated at least three times
What does the film suggest about the caste phenomenon?
Different people are suited to different kinds of tasks; there is nothing wrong with giving people a place, a category, to which to belong. The problem is when it becomes hereditary, so that people were locked into a category to which, by personality type, they might not belong
In the adulthood ritual, why is this transition important?
It is the advancement to the next stage, a step closer to the destination (the Long Search)
“In India, you don’t marry the woman you love, you love the woman you marry” What is the relevance of this quote?
Distinct from the practice in Western society, the practice of arranged marriage means that one must get to know and learn to love someone through the institution of marriage itself. Marriage is a journey, a “search” in its own right
Combining carnival and religion at the river—how?
Closing the Saraswathi festival, the images of the goddess are take to the river
After the festival, the divinity leave the image and it becomes like a corpse
This is like a parade for the whole village, joyous, but also religious
“Fun and religion are not exclusive”
