Nobel laureate Erwin Schrodinger's What is Life? is one of the great science classics of the twentieth century. A distinguished physicist's exploration of the question which lies at the heart of biology, it was written for the layman, but proved one of the spurs to the birth of molecular bi...[more]
To view the multimedia version of this review (including video clips, pictures and a link to the soundtrack online), go to: http://www.ihvh.co.uk/myblog.htm?blogentryid=1550337
Based on the best-selling semi-autobiographical novel by Dan Millman, Peaceful Warrior is a film which aims to involve the audience in a real, direct transformative experience.
The essential message is this: learn to become intensely aware of the present moment. Stop dwelling on the past or projecting into the future. Life is here and now. To many people this simple message may appear glib and superficial, but to steal an analogy, it is merely a finger pointing at the moon. Just because a message is basic and essential, and not overly-complicated does not mean that it is not important.
We are used to three main types of films: (i) the action movie with lots of special effects, stream-line dialogue and a fast plot which is very physical in nature, (ii) the emotionally-orientated films of which romance films are a good example. They aim at engaging the audience on an emotional level and (iii) the more intellectual film which analyses a theme/event and aims to provide food for thought.
With Peaceful Warrior and other movies (What the Bleep Do We Know?, The Celestine Prophecy, etc) we are seeing the emergence of a new form of spiritual cinema whose objective is to address the audience's higher, spiritual awareness and not to deal solely with action, the emotions or the intellect. How does a film maker tap into this "higher" level of awareness of the audience? The traditional, age-old method has been to use parables, analogies, archetypal images and the like which point to deep-rooted spiritual needs and experiences common to the whole of the human race irrespective of age, race, culture, gender or even period in history.
An individual's spiritual "quest" is an ancient concept which has been told and retold throughout human history through stories, paintings, poetry, music and now cinema. Experiences such as becoming aware of one's ego, the "dark night of the soul", the sense of duality, the awakening... these are all represented in Peaceful Warrior and will be immediately recognisable to many viewers.
Nick Nolte plays Socrates, the archetypal spiritual teacher/mentor/guide who at one point in the film compares himself to the protagonist's intuition. Nolte portrays the character subtly, throwing in touches of deadpan humour and a childlike quality at times. Scott Mechlowicz plays Dan, the (at first) egotistical and habit-driven young gymnast who finds a wise old man working at a local service station. Through the teachings of the old man (who Dan calls Socrates), and through Dan's own personal experiences and the actions of those around him, we begin to see just how mindless and unconscious so many of our daily actions are. How and what we eat, our relationships, how we deal with suffering and pain, our ambitions, our habit of constantly looking to some future event to bring us happiness (If I can just achieve this, then I will be happy...), these are just some of the things reflected back to us in this movie.
How does the film compare to the book? Well, the director and script writer obviously had some tough decisions to make. The book dealt with a much greater portion of the author's life and had a more epic feel. The film focuses solely on Dan's college years and there is more of an emphasis on the sports element in order to engage a wider audience. The film leaves some loose ends. I was left unsatisfied with the way in which Socrates leaves compared to the much more emotional and uplifting version beautifully depicted in the book. Also, the "relationship" between Dan and Joy, which is a recurring theme over many years in the book is practically non-existent in the movie.
Having said all that, overall I would say that the movie is a good interpretation of the novel and well worth seeing. If you have not yet read the book (and the two other novels in the "series"); read them... unless you don't want to. That's OK too.
Development of the Human Spirit
