The Buddha (2010 TV Movie) User Reviews

Excellent Documentary!

[TheAnimalMother · 9/10 · 8 June 2010]

This is a very informative documentary, and one that doesn't try to shove anything down your throat. Nor does it try to use guilt or fear in an attempt to sell some sort of moral message to the viewer. It simply just gives you as much info that is known about the life of the Buddha. It also explains some of the teachings and beliefs that the Buddha went on to develop and share. This film gives a general overview of the Buddhist way of life and thought. The pace of this documentary is also very good, this aspect makes it very easy to pay attention. Richard Gere with his smooth voice also suits the film perfectly as the narrator. And of course he is also a Buddhist himself. The visuals are great here as well. I highly recommend this to everyone. Whether you consider yourself a spiritual person or not, this is certainly worth a look. It is very interesting stuff, and this is well crafted material. Check it out!

9/10

Simple, with powerful moments.

[Jampa71 · 7/10 · 12 July 2010]

Just as the core of Buddhism is centered on very simple principals,this documentary attempts to convey the life of the founder of this mindset,way of life;(religion)in an unobtrusive way, much as the man himself may have wanted it portrayed, I should think.

The story is portrayed simply as a fable, but since it is about a real man with real ideas that have helped billions, it is treated with dignity and restraint because of the sensitive nature of modern society when it comes to the nature of our existence,and personal religious beliefs.

The glowing faces and tone of the monks and HHS Dalai Lama are vivid reminders of a simple monk with a simple recipe for a higher existence on this earth that is still available for all.

Light on info, but visually beautiful

[Tomus7 · 8/10 · 20 February 2018]

This documentary was quite light on information and expertise - one of the main speakers had a byline that just said 'poet' - but I guess this is meant as a first introduction to Buddhism so that is understandable.

On the other hand, the visual background consists of beautiful art and well chosen images that made this an enjoyable watch even if the viewer doesn't learn very much.

A worthy addition to a documentary collection

[unlovbl · 3 May 2010]

In great contrast to the previous review shredding this documentary apart, I (as a Buddhist) feel that this documentary was profound in its execution and content for both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. Considering the vast complexity of a faith that has evolved and differentiated itself many times over the centuries, this documentary made a valiant and successful effort in presenting the core story and principles of the life and teachings of the Buddha. It is presented with animations and interviews that are easily identifiable without going deeper into more complex principles of Buddhism that would alienate the viewing audience of lay Buddhists and non-Buddhists. I highly recommend watching it and respectfully disagree with the previous reviewers points of contention about the documentary.

Marvelous

[buggsi · 10/10 · 22 May 2010]

I found this documentary very instructive. I saw it on PBS, which is very well known for its high quality documentaries. And this one just follows that tradition. Buddhism is a beautiful religion/philosophy and was portrayed in the documentary in a simple and easy to understand manner. The music adequately accompanies the narration and the beautiful animations.

The Buddha's story is very touching and reflects the endless quest of humanity for peace. Peace starts with one's self, to be able to reflect it on the outside world.

Personnaly, it opened my eyes and heart at life. Will definitely meditate more often now. Highly recommended.

Gentle and Serene

[scottgilesmusic-1 · 10/10 · 22 April 2019]

This is a beautiful and poetic production covering who the Buddha was and why we should care. In particular, I love the tone of this documentary, which avoids the flash and quick pacing of so many productions and instead opts for the qualities that may be ascribed to the Buddha himself.

Not neutral but OK introduction to Buddhism

[Jonas1969 · 6/10 · 28 March 2020]

You may not be surprised when you learn that Buddhist actor Richard Gere is the narrator that this is not an entirely neutral documentary. For me that lessened my enjoyment somewhat, but the repetitions are the biggest flaw.

It starts of well. We learn about the stories of Buddha's early life and what is taught about his path to become the Buddha. Whether they impress you or not they are tales of a flawed man searching for meaning and are all about searching within up until the point when he "finds himself" - then you get a load of religious mojo or perhaps it should just be seen as allegory but it is told without any indication it should be taken allegorically.

Once we have reached the point when he is supposedly the Buddha it becomes propaganda - and not compelling propaganda. I am an atheist, so it is possible that people who are believers will see this differently but I think they will agree that the second half has little insight to offer that the first half didn't cover except some miracles that are very contradictory with the earlier part of the Buddhas teachings and feel like things that the religious added later to compete with other religious claims.

After watching I still think that Buddha - if he existed - was a man who tried to help people live in the moment but who's teachings have been usurped by a religion that has distorted and embellished so much that we can not know anything about who the man may ever have been.

If you know little of Buddhism this is still an OK primer that is worth watching - if you do know the basics about Siddhartha Gautama I would recommend you look elsewhere for further enlightenment on the subject.

Good documentary

[mitrasg · 10/10 · 11 June 2021]

I was glad to watch this documentary about the life of Lord Buddha. It gives a good introduction. However, the focus is given to later developed Mahayana Tradition instead of authentic Theravada Buddhism. Some useful content is omitted. But overall it gives a good idea about Buddhism. If you want deep details read "In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Save on electricity by getting your own enlightenment

[Bernie4444 · 10/10 · 17 October 2023]

This is a well-designed and paced documentary on the life of the Buddha (I have read a few and this is a great synopsis.) It is presented through soundbites from artists, poets, monks, and others. We also get the stories augmented with drawings or watercolors. The narration is by Richard Gere. This is a short review but it is not easy to include the details of the presentation without giving a presentation. Besides the different insights into Buddhism, the thing that I took away was the different locations where Buda was born, died, and received enlightenment.

I only saw the Blu-ray version so I cannot compare. However, there is a small documentary on the making of the documentary. You will need to rewatch the presentation as it is packed with information and ideas that do not give you too much time to think in-between.

Interesting, but Not Great

[TheExpatriate700 · 5/10 · 2 January 2011]

"The Buddha" is an interesting, PBS documentary tracing the life story of the Buddha. It is good for an introduction to Buddhist mythology, but could benefit from a bit more depth.

Through the use of animation and interviews with figures such as the Dalai Lama, the documentary explains what Buddhists believe the Buddha went through, and what his significance to them is.

The film itself is well done, with some good animation. However, I was left wanting more. It would have been better if they had provided more information about the development of Buddhism after the Buddha's death. Even if they did not have time to discuss all the different schools of Buddhism, it would have been beneficial to have more in depth commentary from representatives of the various schools. Most of the people they talk to seem to be adherents of Tibetan Buddhism, leaving one to wonder what a Zen or Shinto perspective would be.

Good, but uninteresting

[user-700-731467 · 31 May 2013]

I just finished watching the movie titled "The Buddha" a two hour documentary about the life of Siddhartha Gautama who was also known as The Buddha. To be honest, this movie really didn't appeal to me whatsoever, and I found myself falling asleep at parts. I would suggest this movie to people who really want to learn more about Buddhism in depth, for someone like me who just needs the basics this was a little too much. It didn't go into extreme depth but it just took a long time to say the basic fundamentals of the Buddhist teachings and the Buddha's life. However, the artistic style of the movie was quite interesting and very well done. It was told a lot in paintings, and the music in the background really fit the mood of the movie. There were also multiple interviews with different people including the Dalai Lama which made the movie slightly more engaging. I didn't feel like the movie was really trying to force the Buddhism beliefs on you which I really liked, because I find that sometimes movies like this will try and do that. It wasn't an awful movie, and I really appreciated the artistic side of it, but I won't be watching it again.

A story of Siddhartha's path to becoming the Buddha

[JacBur · 5/10 · 26 May 2013]

I watched this great documentary about the Siddhartha life titled "The Buddha". This movie wasn't terrible, however it wasn't fit for me. The pictures and real paintings they showed really helped narrate the story of the Buddha's life and the explanation of the people who were being interviewed too. As well the music fit perfectly and really set the mood. I really think the overall production of the movie was fantastic. The disadvantages were the story went into so too much depth for me, because I just needed a basic understanding. I recommend this movie to people who really want to have a deep understanding and a thorough history of his life.

Not a good primer because it lacks clear focus

[smiledaydream · 4/10 · 21 July 2021]

This starts off with a lot of mystical talk which associates Buddhism more with religion then philosophy. I think this weakens the lesson and makes this a very bad introduction to Buddhism. It's more about cute stories than the importance of the philosophy. At this point the movie I'm listening two people talk about his experience as a young man but because they've already turned it into common mythology it's a waste to talk about the more real human story. It's sad to see something so well-intentioned that I just would have to recommend people do not watch. Buddha is not Santa Claus. Next they summarize Hindus in the most minimalist way and explain that because people are wealthy they need a better religion. This movie seems to be lost. Now more mystical stories. It's a little bit of history. It's a messy exploration of different philosophies. Now it is introducing "it is said" as the source of material. I will admit at this point having a bias towards zen practice which has some association with Buddhism. So in a way I have a bias towards the useful part over the common stories that men make up to be less than useful. I think if they were to take away the weak opening and the muddling of common myth stories with the historical story it would be more useful.