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Movies / On DVD / Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?
Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?

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Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989)

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Reviews Counted:6

Fresh:6

Rotten:0

Average Rating:7.6/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 25 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: This unique Korean film explores the relationship between an elderly Zen master, an orphaned boy, and a young monk named Ki Bong. With little time left before his impending death, Master Hyegok... This unique Korean film explores the relationship between an elderly Zen master, an orphaned boy, and a young monk named Ki Bong. With little time left before his impending death, Master Hyegok teaches his two students all he knows about Zen Buddhism, which he has devoted his life to. In order to learn, both Ki Bong and the orphan Hae Jin must face and overcome their feelings of guilt for past deeds. Ki Bong left behind his blind mother and family when he came to the monastery; Hae Jin accidentally caused the death of a bird. After the old man's death, the monk and the orphan attempt to use their master's teachings to achieve spiritual enlightenment. [More]

Starring: Yi Pan-Yong, Hae-Jin Huang, Sin Won-Sop

Starring: Yi Pan-Yong, Hae-Jin Huang, Sin Won-Sop

Director: Bae Yong-kyun

Director: Bae Yong-kyun

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Release:

Nov 16, 1999

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Bae Yong-kyun's Zen masterpiece. Acclaimed by critics and audiences throughout the world, "Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?" is simply one of the most ravishing films ever made. In a remote monastery high up in the mountains, an old master, a young monk and an orphaned boy devote themselves to their Buddhist teachings. As the master faces death, he becomes more desperate to lead his disciples away from the outside world and point them toward their quest for enlightenment. This magnificent film, astonishingly rich in its formal beauty and affirmation of life, is not only a cinematic gem but a transcendent evocation of the mystery and humanity of Zen Buddhism. Selected by three international film critics as "One of the Ten Best Films of All Time" in the 1993 Sight & Sound Critics Poll.
  • Source: Image Entertainment, Inc.
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    Reviews for Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?

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    I occasionally found myself lost in thought and found the film an overall worthwhile experience.

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    01/10/08
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    a difficult movie of unorthodox pacing and presentation

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    11/06/07
    Norm Schrager
    Norm Schrager
    Filmcritic.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    11/01/07
    Time Out

    ... amazingly beautiful, as every frame puts you in mind of a painting by Rousseau or Joseph Turner.

    Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
    10/21/07
    Philip Martin
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    Attempts to express what is inexpressible and does it better than any previous film of this type.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    12/30/05
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    09/03/04
    Thomas Delapa
    Thomas Delapa
    Boulder Weekly
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    08/30/04
    Stephen Holden
    Stephen Holden
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    05/24/03
    Channel 4 Film
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Robert Faires
    Robert Faires
    Austin Chronicle
     
     
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