Product Review

In his lifetime, Thomas Merton was hailed as a prophet and censured for his outspoken social criticism. For nearly 27 years he was a monk of the austere Trappist order, where he became an eloquent spiritual writer and mystic as well as an anti-war advocate and witness to peace.

Merton: A Film Biography offers an engaging profile of this 20th century religious philosopher who wrote more than 60 books about some of the most pressing social issues of our time, including his immensely popular autobiography 'The Seven Storey Mountain'. The film weaves together Merton's writing and scenes from significant places in his life--including his birthplace in Prades, France; his monastery in Kentucky; and his final journey through the East to Bangkok, Thailand, where he died. Insightful interviews with his friends and colleagues including the Dalai Lama, poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, publisher Robert Giroux, and musician Joan Baez, bring us the most comprehensive portrait of this man whose presence in the world touched millions of people and whose words and thoughts still have profound impact and relevance today.