AWAKE—The Life of Yogananda—
Compelling…Enough to make a modern soul look inwards. New York Times movie review.
It was an evening spent with many from our Spiritual Group, dinner at a delightful Asian restaurant and then on to a much anticipated movie, Awake—The Life of Yogananda, a newly released movie to a limited number of theaters and in the case of Bellingham, for one night only (although they have now scheduled another night in November after a sold out performance last night).
In a word, a wonderfully made film about our beloved param-guru.
With astounding vintage still pictures and moving pictures of Master, Sri Yukteswarji, Anandamayi Ma and others, the movie makers worked magic with older photos and film to make us feel that we were there. There were a few voice recordings of Master and quotes from Master read by an actor as a voice over, many interviews from some who knew Master and some who were placed in the movie because they are well-known today.
The movie was respectfully and lovingly done; the copyright at the end indicated that it is an SRF production and they own the rights. There are some things I would have preferred, for instance there was little or none of Master’s music performed by him or others, and there were noticeable absences of known recordings and videos by disciples of Master, such as Roy Eugene Davis, Bob Raymer, Yogacharya Black or Yogacharya Mother Hamilton.
The stories told did, somewhat surprisingly, bring out some the more difficult times in Master’s life. The painful separation between Master and Dhirananda, and the “yellow journalism” attacks on Master (at least in part due to racism), and his experiences in Washington D.C. where he was received by the President and his lectures were attended by congressmen and senators, but people of color were not allowed to attend his lectures; Master conducted classes for people of color separately.
The movie told Master’s story in such a way that you felt you could actually meet him and know what he would be like, not an “ivory tower” version of him. Overall, excellent effort in bringing out the life and teachings of Master that is informative and entertaining for all audiences, not just ardent disciples and followers of Master’s teachings.