Hare Krishna
Jonas Mekas captures an afternoon in New York as a Hare Krishna group fills the streets with chanting and song. Filmed with his characteristic freewheeling style and later incorporated into Walden, the short stands as an impressionistic sketch of spiritual fervor and Mekas’s participatory approach to cinema.
Insights
Plot Summary
This short documentary offers a glimpse into the Hare Krishna movement during its early days in the United States. It captures the vibrant chanting, dancing, and philosophical discussions of its followers, centered around spiritual leader A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The film showcases the missionaries' efforts to spread their teachings and practices to a Western audience.
Critical Reception
As a short documentary from 1967, 'Hare Krishna' received limited mainstream critical review. However, it is recognized as an important early record of the burgeoning counter-culture spiritual movements of the era.
What Reviewers Say
- An early and direct look at the Hare Krishna movement.
- Captures the energy and devotion of the early followers.
- Provides historical context for the spread of Eastern spirituality in the West.
Google audience: Audience reviews for this early documentary are scarce, but it is generally regarded as an interesting historical document by those who have seen it.
Fun Fact
This film was made very early in the movement's history in the West, shortly after A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada arrived in New York City in 1965 and founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
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