INTO GREAT SILENCE is more a sleep aid than a documentary. I think a more appropriate title would've been Into Great Boredom. Not for the men that chose to go to the Grand Chartreuse Monastery, but for how long, how slow, and how incredibly uninteresting this film was.<br /><br />The only positives are some beautiful shots of the monastery with the French Alps as a backdrop, and how completely immersed the camera gets the viewer into the life of solitude and silence that these men purposely confine themselves. <br /><br />But that's it.<br /><br />Running well over two-and-a-half hours, the film could've easily been cut by half and still held the same level of immersion. Too many lingering shots on monks kneeling in prayer, monks praying in the dark (with the red candle of God ever-present), monks walking through hallways, monks sitting near windows, and just an otherwise tremendous amount of overly indulgent quiet (from the production standpoint). I know that the title has the word "silence" in it, and that these men take a vow as such when they enter the monastery, but I think a bit of interaction, explanation, or some sort of definitive purpose would've made the film much more enjoyable.<br /><br />Before I get plowed asunder by those that enjoyed this film, let me make it clear that I understood the nature of it. The silence. The length of the film in order to show the dedication one must have to go into the monastery. The unquestioning loyalty you must have in "the divine spirit." <br /><br />I get it. <br /><br />It's just that it's not that interesting on film.