When people lived inside of a mythic
universe, their life had a beginning, middle and an end. In other words, it
was a good novel…it meant something, even the dark parts - even the painful
parts. Richard Rohr
introduction
Join our dynamic trio of poet, storyteller and theologian as they unearth the essence of the Western spiritual journey as expressed in Wolfrom Von Eschenbach's Parzifal. While the film addresses issues of the spirit, Quest for the Grail does not tie itself to any one religion. Instead it draws from the immense depth and wisdom found in Parzifal - one in a collection of stories which comprise what is now known as the Grail legends; the most told retold stories in western culture. Quest for the Grail not only attempts to reconnect the viewer to the journey of the spirit, but to reintroduce the most powerful tool utilized throughout human history for that very purpose - the story.
unique style
Quest for the Grail comes to life through a beautiful and unique mosaic of words, music, poetry and art. From the intricate battle scenes chiseled in bronze and captured on film from the immense knights armor collection at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City to the beautiful and warm frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli found in the Medici Chapel in Florence. From ancient castles nestled along the Rhine River in Germany to the ruins of Glastonbury and Bath (fabled site of the Grail legends). All interspersed with a broad palette of colors captured in local New England landscapes and stained glass from old England cathedrals.
The beautiful imagery found in Quest for the Grail acts as a visual backdrop for the poetry of Robert Bly, the story telling skills of Gioia Timponelli and the wit, humor and insights of Richard Rohr. All of this is then wrapped with the hypnotic sounds of Gabrielle Roth & The Mirrors and VAS creating an audio visual experience that sweeps the viewer into the spirit of the story.
relevant topics
The film lays out in eleven sections. Each section begins with a music change and is launched by a short quote from Parzifal. The themes that are addressed in Quest for the Grail are best expressed by quotes contained in the film itself:
The kind of male brutality brought out by the Crusades can only be healed by something as subtle as the story, that is to say, the minister cannot do it in his sermon…you cannot do it by teaching philosophy…they don't touch enough parts of the heart. The story is the only thing that can do this.
Robert Bly
This is not only a story about knights and men and women, it's a story about journeying, failure, all those things that we live and share together in this pot that's larger then the specific… It is a story about the human experience. Gioia Timpanelli
This wonderful quest emerged from the collective unconscious of people who wanted to recognize that the spiritual journey is first of all, a journey that is a process. That you're not born again as we say today, but in fact you're born again and again and again and again. And each one is another letting go.
Richard Rohr
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