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A Review of a Remarkable Film by Kenneth Lux from the July/October 2005 issue of The Love Street Lamppost Tim Thelen and his associates have made what I can call for short a film version of God Speaks. Tim's actual title is The Theme of Creation; An Exploration of Meher Baba's God Speaks. God Speaks is Meher Baba's major book and it is famously difficult. But not only is it Baba's major book, it is his only book. All other books by Meher Baba, such as the Discourses and Listen Humanity, are not written as books, as God Speaks is, but are collections of essays and messages. So this task of making a film exposition of it is something that has been calling out to be done, and Tim Thelen has responded to that call. But there are many difficulties and possible booby traps in trying to do something like this, and the question is - has this version surmounted those difficulties and avoided the booby traps? The answer, I'm very happy to say, is yes. The difficulty in God Speaks comes in its dense and repetitive writing style that Baba chose, for his own purposes, as well as the plain challenges to understanding the material itself. One of the achievements of this project, which comes in at 54 minutes, is that it manages to avoid the stylistic difficulties of God Speaks as well as the potential for falling into a highly abstract and intellectually involved account of the theme of the book. Before going further into how this is accomplished, it should be noted that the producers of this film have made a very wise strategic decision in the very title of the film, although they may not have conceived of it as strategy. Besides the style of God Speaks, its very title can be a put off to the general public, who may not and probably don't know that its author is actually God. Otherwise, such a title can be seen as the outrageous wording of some strange brand of 'spiritual who knows what.' I went to my first Baba meeting with just that kind of question in my mind (although I went), having seen the book on the shelf in a library. By stressing that this book is 'The Theme of Creation' a pretty grand sounding claim in its own right, but with the title of the book listed secondarily, it makes a wider and intriguing appeal to that general public. From my point of view, this film exposition of the book achieves its successful surmounting of the God Speaks hurdles through two major approaches. One is that the thematic explanation alternates with a wealth of fairly brief on-camera interviews and commentary by various Baba lovers, which include Mandali, then people who have met Baba, such as Rick Chapman and Bob Dreyfuss, Adele Wolkin, Phyllis Ott, and other long term Baba lovers, such as Kendra Burroughs and Allan Cohen. This gives a personal, down to Earth, and sometimes humorous touch to what has been presented in the philosophical or thematic explanations. The other successful approach is to give this whole exposition while presenting not one chart from God Speaks, including even the colorful chart painted by Rano Gayley on the theme of creation. Not that it would have been detrimental to present some of the charts in the film, and they certainly are a great aid to understanding the book, but to keep to the purely cinematic nature of a project like this, the absence of charts goes a long way to insuring that the film is not overly intellectual and heady. In a way, instead of charts there are a multitude of stills of various figures and persons who represent different stages of the path, such as Ramakrishna, Aurobindo, Kirpal Singh, Gadge Maharaj, as well as quite a number of masts, and it is a fun exercise for the Baba lover to try to identify who each of these persons are. There are also many beautiful natural scenes of animals, plants and the other stages of evolution. Involution is shown by stills of the persons such as those that I just mentioned. There is also what I see as Tim Thelen's trademark touch, having been in evidence in his first film, Meher Baba, The Awakener, of numerous scenes of large crowds of people walking down city streets, both in the West and East. This gives the viewer a vivid impression of the quantitative infinity of souls and the vastness of the evolutionary scheme. There is yet another approach that the film takes which is generally helpful, but with a slight problem that I'll mention. The approach is that the theme of the creation of the manifest universe from the beginning as a shoreless ocean is done in two separated segments. The first, which occurs as the opening framework of the film, is to present creation from the standpoint of the drop-soul emerging from the Oversoul and then going through the stages of evolution, and then involution and then God realization. However, at the latter part of the film, there is another run though of the evolutionary scheme, this time beginning from the Beyond-Beyond state, and then the Om Point, as the original Word of 'Who Am I?' This breaking up of this deep material on the origin and purpose of creation, which after all is the essence of the book and the film, works well to avoid the density that would have come from putting both of these frameworks together. However, the problem that I referred to is that this second run through begins with the narrative voice of Richard Stermer, asking, 'How did it all begin?' My reaction on hearing this was, 'Isn't that what we have been learning about all the way through this film?' But once I put this reaction aside, I was fine with attending to what came next. But this seemingly repetitive question after a good part of the film had already gone by could confuse some viewers, maybe especially those who are not Baba lovers. Speaking of the non-Baba lover or general public, it may be surprising for me to say that I think this would be an excellent film for them, as well as a great introduction to Meher Baba. The depth of the material would not be a barrier, and in fact conveys a strong sense of Baba's authority and mastery. This comes through in the comments from the various Baba lovers in the film and their very correct reaction to God Speaks, amply demonstrated by the film's treatment, that here in this book was something the likes of which they had never encountered before and which truly lived up to its claim of presenting the story of the theme and purpose of the universe. Also, in these comments, among many other gems, is Carl Ernst's insight that the idea of the 'divine whim' is a resolution of the ancient standoff of two alternatives, that the creation operated according to mechanical and compelled processes, or that it was a thing of chance and randomness. And then there is the comment of Tom Riley, almost concluding the film, which gives us the deeper significance of God Speaks that 'rather than a book, it becomes your life.' I will mention one other problem that the film does not resolve, and, in my opinion, is a problem generated by God Speaks itself. When the involutional journey is described in the film, it is done, as it is in God Speaks, in terms of experiences of the inner planes - the sights, the sounds, the powers, etc. For the viewer who is not familiar with the wider scope of Baba's teachings and guidance, this would inevitably seem to mean that that is what we consciously go through and experience as we travel this path, and particularly as we follow and love Meher Baba. But we know that none of this is the case, and that we are taken by Baba though the planes in a blindfold. But it takes more than God Speaks for us to know this. I will conclude by simply saying that this is a DVD that all Baba lovers would want to see, and that many would want to own. The Theme of Creation: An Exploration of Meher Baba's 'God Speaks' Review by Kendra Crossen Burroughs from the August 2005 issue of The Glow "Have you read God Speaks?" "No, but I saw the movie." This imaginary exchange, which might have once been a joke, is now in the realm of possibility, thanks to Tim Thelen, who has dared to summarize in 54 minutes of film what Meher Baba lays out in detail in his magnum opus: the journey of consciousness from the beginningless question "Who am I?" to the endless answer, "I am God." God Speaks is the book that most Baba-lovers feel they ought to read several times, but more than a few have failed to get through it even once. As Robert Dreyfuss dryly points out, it is not light reading for the beach. With the introduction provided by this documentary, hesitators may be encouraged to accept the challenge. In the multimedia age, it is more inviting for many to watch a movie than to pick up a hardcover book, so I think Tim has done an important service in producing this film. Those who have read God Speaks will also enjoy it. The film summarizes the book's content, interspersed with comments by Rick Chapman, Allan Cohen, Robert Dreyfuss, Charmian Duce Knowles, Carl Ernst, Bhau Kalchuri, Pascal Kaplan, Phyllis Ott, Tom Riley, Don Stevens, Adele Wolkin, and myself. Visuals include footage shot in both India and America, simple graphics (not the charts that appear in the book), scenes of nature and animal life, photos of masters, saints, and masts, and images from the world's sacred art, accompanied by music by Richard Peikoff, Tim Thelen, and Larry Thrasher. Richard Stermer is excellent as narrator. What are some of the notable lessons of God Speaks that emerge from this film? The goal of life is to love God and become one with God. We become God because we are God. The Grace of the Avatar or the Perfect Master is necessary for God-Realization. Meher Baba is the Avatar of the Age. "Not your average off-the-street author," says Allan Cohen with a twinkle, but someone who clearly knows what he is talking about. In addition to the precious footage of Meher Baba, it is the interview sound bites that provide charm. Phyllis Ott, who has led countless God Speaks meetings in Myrtle Beach, tells a hilarious story about Baba's questioning her understanding of the book. Don Stevens, co-editor with Murshida Ivy Duce, comments on Meher Baba as author, as does Charmian Duce Knowles. Carl Ernst offers his perspective as an authority on Sufism. Pascal Kaplan and Rick Chapman compare Baba's creation theme with Darwinian evolution. Robert Dreyfuss was one of those whom Baba told to read it again and again-till he felt it "singing in his veins." Adele Wolkin feels that the book's most beautiful message is "God alone is real." Bhau Kalchuri cautions us that we may read it thousands of times, but will not thereby become God. Allan Cohen reassures us: "If you don't understand a word of it, it doesn't matter, because God is to be accessed through love." The observation that struck me the most comes from Tom Riley: "Rather than a book, it becomes your life after a while, and you realize that you're a part of that process, and you are that process." I believe there is a beautiful simplicity to Meher Baba's Divine Theme. Yet it is not simple to absorb on first reading, or even on first hearing of Tim Thelen's accessible script. So the DVD bears viewing a few times. Viewers hopefully will move on or return to the book itself. Here's a study tip (not from the DVD): For a short-short version of Meher Baba's Theme of Creation, see "The Divine Truths (for meditation through reading): The Journey of the Soul to the Oversoul," in Discourses (1987), pp. 222-227 (in the 1967 ed., vol. 2, p. 138ff); see also "The Divine Theme," in the supplement to God Speaks (2nd ed.), pp. 234-239; in the Indian edition, pp. 220-224. from Bill Bodman, Searchlight Books (via email) From bright, clean, clear visual images to seamless transitions the video work is outstanding. Watching it is like listening to a fully trained singer. Knowing that the singer understands the music and can reach all the notes, the listener can relax and enjoy the performance. Noteworthy and historic seem appropriate adjectives. from Pete Townshend (via email) The film is gorgeous, was needed, but the bonus joy for me was seeing all the Western faces giving their ideas. Baba gathered such amazing and eccentric people around him. The film will certainly help people to access the truth and the poetry in GOD SPEAKS, and is an absolute gem of a film. "Meher Baba, The Awakener" by Naosherwan Anzar (The Glow) A superb film on the life and work of Meher Baba. Beautifully narrated. from Meher Baba Association UK A matchless documentary. It will be a standard reference for generations to come, mingling Baba's life with His words and His work. Very highly recommended. New DVD of Documentary, Meher Baba, The Awakener Review by Kendra Crossen Burroughs Tim Thelen's 1994 film on Meher Baba was the first to be made in the classic "objective" style of television documentaries. Only now, thirteen years later, has it become available on DVD, and it is arguably still the only film of its kind: a complete survey of Baba's life and work at a viewing time appropriate for television and other nontheatrical showings (it has aired on U.S. public TV and in Israel), and suitable for introducing Baba to an unconverted audience. Baba's story is presented in a factual, chronological format, complete with a diagram of the moment of creation and professorial comments by Robert Ellwood, a liberal clergyman who taught world religions at USC and authored books such as The Sixties Spiritual Awakening. Despite its "objectivity," Meher Baba, The Awakener presents no opposing views (no "Colonel Irani" was on hand in L.A., I guess); it simply suggests that Meher Baba's claim to being the Avatar is for the viewer to evaluate. An earlier version of this film concluded with a controversial reference to Baba's announcement that "three-quarters of the world" will be destroyed when He breaks His silence. It is absent from the present version, which concludes gently. For the pleasure of Baba-lovers, the film includes some of the most lovely footage of Baba, as well as many beautiful stills, including several shots of Him that are not commonly shown. It is primarily for Baba's image that I personally want to watch a Baba movie. On repeated viewings of this film, my editorial temperament can't help being critical of a few details in the script, but that is inevitable when someone heroically squeezes so much information into a short movie. I am sure that when an audience new to Baba watches this, they are not mentally analyzing each statement; rather, they are taking in impressions of images, feelings, and selected utterances that each viewer will absorb according to his or her own receptivity. This film is therefore valuable for showing to friends and family, or anyone you think would appreciate the familiar documentary approach, which subliminally validates the content, especially with the voice of our authoritative narrator, Dina Snow! It covers an amazing range of historical events, concepts, and people, touching on every major element in Baba's story to give viewers the big picture: creation, evolution, reincarnation, and involution; Gandhi, Hollywood, Australia, and the Paramount Newsreel; miracles, masts, and Mehera; mass darshans and prasad tossing; Universal Work, accidents, seclusion, and silence; the New Life and the New Humanity; and the message of love of God without rituals, dogmas, or drugs. Among the featured speakers-especially Bhau Kalchuri and Don Stevens, but also Rustom and Sohrab Irani (Baba's twin nephews) and Marguerite Poley, who speaks lovingly of meeting and embracing Baba-all look touchingly fresh-faced, now that years have passed and we're all a tad more decrepit. Don is delightfully articulate, and what Bhau lacks in fluency (there are subtitles for him, at least) he makes up in heart radiance. Lyn Ott, present in a voiceover, makes one of the film's most insightful comments, on the inner significance of Meher Baba's silence: "Eventually Baba wants everyone to become aware of God speaking to them in their hearts." Bonus Features exclusive to the DVD include the entire uncut interviews with both Bhau and Don (not quite the Clash of the Titans-more like the Attack of the Huggy Bears). From the press release: "Included is Bhau's explanation of the story of Adam and Eve, and Jesus' life after the crucifixion. Don speaks on a variety of subjects, including the New Life, and the various ways of following Meher Baba." |