The film has footage from the 60s, which is great fun, as well as present day coverage of rds challenge to live with a debilitating stroke, while continuing to inspire, write, and teach. He includes scenes in the film that clearly demonstrate ram dass caring style as a counselor. Dass, author of the lauded be here now, was felled so severely by the illness that he became paralyzed but in true ram dass fashion, he saw it as a reason to. What are some of the ways that i can deal with suffering and then start taking it to a place of grace. Owen bush, included in the be here now enhanced edition ebook. We all have our struggles in life and this film shows others struggling through things. I origionally had a strong resistance to reading books by ram dass so the last thing i wanted to do was to watch a dvd on how god can let down, with a stroke of all things, someone who teaches nonviolence and the true path to god, enlightenment. Spiritual guru ram dass attempts to recover from a stroke, which he dubs fierce grace, in this documentary produced and directed by mickey lemle, a close friend of dass for decades. If you are a spiritual person you will be glued to the screen, and if you are not a. The film fierce grace chronicles ram dass experience of the stroke, and the personal growth work he has done around that experience. This extraordinary documentary focuses ram dass, bestselling author and respected spiritual teacher, who is slowly recovering from a stroke, which he calls a fierce grace. Others seen in fierce grace include timothy leary, who tossed a monkey wrench and a fistful of mindexpanding drugs into ram dasss life when both were teachers of psychology at harvard.
Derek asked himself, what would ram dass teaching be now that he is in the last chapter of his life. It received the audience choice award at the hamptons international film festival and a special jury prize at the nashville independent film festival. The largest segment of ram dass fierce grace deals with the teachers arduous recovery from a massive stroke in 1997 which left his arm and leg paralyzed and put him in a wheelchair. Ram dass, going home official trailer hd netflix youtube. Ram dass fierce grace kino lorber edu kino classics. Derek wanted to know more specifically whether ram dass stroke more than 20 years ago has changed his outlook or path. Feb 27, 2002 others seen in fierce grace include timothy leary, who tossed a monkey wrench and a fistful of mindexpanding drugs into ram dass s life when both were teachers of psychology at harvard. In 1997, he suffered a debilitating stroke that left him with partial paralysis. Ram dass, going home trailer available to download. Named by newsweek as one of the top five nonfiction films of 2002, ram dass fierce grace offers an engrossing, poignant meditation on consciousness. Cultivating loving awareness film with ram dass, sharon.
Once a symbol of 60s counterculture and psychedelic drug use, ram dass has since become a renowned speaker and author on the topics of aging, spirituality, and overcoming the mistakes of the past. Ram dass, fierce grace, a 2001 biographical documentary directed by micky lemle. Named by newsweek as one of the top five nonfiction films of 2002, ram dass fierce grace is an engrossing, poignant meditation on spirituality, consciousness, healing. From his home on maui, pioneering researcher, author and spiritual teacher ram dass reflects on love, life and death as his own days draw to a close. Dealing with suffering and seeing it as grace ram dass. The film opens with ram dass, now in his eighth decade, discussing the night he was stroked by a fierce grace.
Tracing the life and teachings of dass, a new age mystic and author of 1971s be here now. Named by newsweek as one of the top five nonfiction films of 2002, ram dass fierce grace is an engrossing, poignant meditation on spirituality. Ram dass fierce grace dvd, 2003 for sale online ebay. Seminal new age consciousness guru ram dass is captured with appropriate gentle insight in mickey lemles ram dass. Soon, ram dass became a spiritual inspiration to people across the globe. Fierce grace will open this march at the film forum in new york city and at the rafael film center in san rafael, california.
The film has footage from the 60s, which is great fun, as well as present day coverage of rds challenge to live with a debilitating stroke, while continuing to. Ram dass is a modern day holy man, teaching us how to deal with our bodies breaking down yet embracing all of the things we fear, even death, with humor, grace, and a rich soul life. Named by newsweek as one of the top five nonfiction films of 2002, ram dass fierce grace offers an engrossing, poignant meditation on consciousness, healing and the unexpected grace of aging. Parts of the film feel a bit too much like an infomercial for ram dasss latest book aimed at the boomer demographic. Watch ram dass fierce grace online vimeo on demand on. Mar 29, 2018 a poetic meditation on life, death, and the souls journey home. After suffering a massive stroke in 1997, ram dass was given the ultimate test. Sep 04, 2019 there have been other cinematic profiles, including the 2001 feature doc ram dass, fierce grace and the 2017 short ram dass, going home for those in search of companion pieces.
Ram dass fierce grace documentary film funding itvs. This film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are. A poetic meditation on life, death, and the souls journey home. The film affords us intriguing glimpses of the insights gleaned from a lifetime of spiritual inquiry, but ram dass. Fierce grace doesnt organize it with any particular insight. After richard alpert was fired from harvard in 1963 for conducting psychedelic drug research, he journeyed to india, found a guru and was renamed ram dass servant of god. No matter what comes before or after we shed our physical beings, all we can know is the here and now, a point that dass had slammed home in no uncertain terms after his stroke. Ram dass, while not inspiring to everybody, does teach a lesson even to those who dont believe in spiritualism. Give up what you think your life is its not about the mortgage, paying taxes, winning a game, getting a promotion, or what your neighbor thinks of you, and then you shall truly live. This documentary chronicles his journey from his affiliations with lsd advocate timothy leary to his endeavor to continue remaking himself after his stroke in 1997.
Dass interprets this trauma as a calling to help others come to terms with death and the debilitations of old age. We are bereft of ram dasss physical form, and at the same time his presence is so. Ram dass love serve remember, a 2010 short film directed by v. Im not all therebut i cried through a lot of this which i needed to do. Dismissed from harvard due to the controversial nature of his research with lsd and other phychedelics, he continued with his exploration of human consciousness, which later evolved and transformed upon meeting. Named by newsweek as one of the top five nonfiction films of 2002, ram dass. Named by newsweek as one of the top five nonfiction films of 2002, ram dass fierce grace is an engrossing, poignant meditation on spirituality, consciousness, healing and the unexpected grace of aging. Ram dass helped me understand what christ was saying in mark 8. Ram dass fierce grace building on his past as a harvard professor, lsd pioneer and spiritual leader, ram dass works to transform his recent experience as a stroke survivor into words of show more wisdom for baby boomers facing aging, death, and dying. As lemle arcs between past and present, the feeling conveyed is one of steady reassurance. Less a full investigation of the subjects life than an. Since suffering a lifechanging stroke twenty years ago, beloved spiritual teacher ram dass. Jun 26, 2019 ram dass fierce grace ram dass aka richard alpert has been at the forefront of studies in consciousness for over 55 years. Documentary films, biographical documentaries, faith.
Interspersing archival footage with intimate glimpses of ram dass today, ram dass fierce grace is a poignant meditation on hippiedom and spirituality. Born richard alpert, ram dass is the son of a wealthy jewish attorney and president of the new yorknew haven railroad. This moving film tells the story of using his own practices to deal with his stroke, his. Mark matousek with ram dass in fierce grace youtube.
This extraordinary documentary focuses ram dass, bestselling author and respected spiritual teacher, who is slowly recovering from a stroke, which he calls a. Named by newsweek as one of the five best nonfiction films of 2002. I think this movie is excellent for those that are reflective and have questions of life and its challenges and sufferings. For most people, when you say that suffering is grace it seems off the wall to them. It is a remarkable movie for what it moves us as viewers to. I cannot say enough good things about this movie and about its subject, ram dass. Ram dass fierce grace kino lorber digital kino now. At film forum, houston street, between sixth avenue and varick street. Ram dass fierce grace focuses on how ram dass deals with the effects of his own stroke, suffering, and alleviation of suffering. The fierce grace ram dass begins to put into an understanding of him being stroke by god. Mickey lemles documentary ram dass, fierce grace is a portrait of ram dass richard alpert, author, 60s guru, spiritual teacher, cohort of timothy leary, and author of be here now, one of the most influential books of the 1970s. Author mark matousek works with ram dass on his book still here in the movie fierce grace. There are other noteworthy films exploring ram dasss life such as fierce grace and dying to know. There have been other cinematic profiles, including the 2001 feature doc ram dass, fierce grace and the 2017 short ram dass, going home for those in search of companion pieces.
Audience choice award at the hamptons international film festival and a. Ram dass april 6, 1931 december 22, 2019 it is with a wide array of emotions that we write this letter to you, our loving and supportive community, following ram dasss death on december 22, 2019. Fierce grace is an engrossing, poignant meditation on spirituality, consciousness, healing and the unexpected grace of aging. Ram dass fierce grace is a featurelength documentary that.
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