A soprano’s soaring voice evokes angels while tantric music and gorgeous cinematography pull us in to a disarming two hours of television. So many questions, such a touchy subject. What is faith? Why are we here? Where was God on 9/11? What does it all mean? And how in the world did they get this on a commercial broadcast network?
Amazingly, two French filmmaking brothers talked their way into the presence of the pope, the Dalai Lama, the grand ayatollah, the chief rabbi of Israel, the archbishop of Canterbury and, not least, his eminence Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS.
Moonves had the grace to approve their collaboration with the network on a classy project that deserves attention: “In God’s Name,” 8-10 tonight locally on KCNC-Channel 4, focuses on 12 of the world’s most influential spiritual leaders, probing their thoughts and following their daily routines.
There’s the pope playing piano; there’s the Dalai Lama meditating; there’s Lutheran Bishop Mark Hanson washing dishes; there’s Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, sitting on his porch; there’s the Hindu leader Amma, “the hugging saint,” embracing each in a long line of believers.
Moonves is betting that there is enough spiritual hunger in America these days to make this project attractive. The film ought to do at least as well in the ratings as the cheesy holiday fluff and commercially oriented “specials” this week.
Jules and Gedeon Naudet won numerous awards for their film ” 9/11,” with Jules shooting inside the lobby of One World Trade Center when the South Tower fell. That experience led them to the big existential questions. This is their first project since then, another collaboration with CBS News’ Susan Zirinsky.
Zirinsky knew the Naudets had been talking about this project for some time. “Quite frankly, I didn’t see it on CBS at first. They’d say, ‘We just saw the archbishop. We just met with the Dali Lama.’ I’d say, ‘Really?’ They take ‘no’ as ‘hello.'” Ultimately, she said, the brothers made a 14-minute trailer that “touched Les Moonves.”
They started seeking the interviews two and a half years ago, Jules Naudet said by phone from New York. “We were very naïve at first,” he said, about how difficult it would be to get these religious leaders on camera. He and his team just kept plugging.
“On Sept. 11, we faced death and thought we had lost each other,” Jules Naudet says on camera. “This harrowing experience was the first step in a journey that would take us around the world searching for answers to the meaning of life.”
The project is not about 9/11, although that was the genesis. The film covers an array of ideas, arranged around the theme of a day in the life of these far-flung leaders — their morning routines, how they pray and what they think and feel through the midday meal, and so on.
“There is an enormous amount of spirituality in this,” Zirinsky said. “These leaders dealing with faith, with life, are each so amazingly articulate, whether you’re a believer or a nonbeliever, you’re carried on this incredible journey.”
Unity in diversity
“We didn’t know what kind of answers we’d get,” Jules Naudet said. “After seeing all these faiths, cultures, great individuals, what I get at the end is, there is much more unity, more similarities than division.”
Nine languages are spoken in the film. The producers worked to match the tone and accent of the translator to the religious leader. (The pope does not sit for formal interviews, but the Vatican was “totally cooperative,” Zirinsky said. CBS supplied a list of areas the film would cover and the Vatican shot exclusive footage for this project.)
“I used to say I trained all my life to work on 9/ll,” Zirinsky said, “but this was a very powerful experience. Those of us on the CBS side, I will say, were nervous.”
According to Naudet, the challenge was not to show the individual leaders as heads of religion and have it play as “a big theology lesson.” Rather, “the key was to try to capture the individual behind it. After an hour, you don’t see the pope or the Grand Ayatollah, you see Benedict and Mohammad.”
Whether kissing their wives, giving Communion or talking about terrorism, these leaders have an undeniable charisma.
“I revere them all,” says the Dalai Lama of all the “faith traditions.” He recalls his escape to Tibet. Alexy II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, talks about the dicators who tried to do away with religion. In a segment titled “Doubting God,” Rowan Williams, head of the Church of England, describes what that uncertainty means.
We’re all just trying to connect with divinity. People need belief, they say in various ways.
The film relates how each found a spiritual vocation, their thoughts on life and death, their theories on whether there is an ongoing clash of civilizations and moments when their faith was tested. Miniprofiles illuminate each individual beyond the robes and pulpits. Naturally, the result is more questions than answers.
What can they say about killing in the name of religion? There are lots of eloquent dodges on that one.
“This is not a tutorial on different religions,” Naudet stressed. It is designed as something much more personal. The Naudets provide minimal narration throughout.
“In America, there is a thirst for programs that are a little bit deeper,” the Frenchman claimed.
“My brother and I were not raised in a spiritual environment, we were raised atheist, but that made us perfect to film these people,” according to Naudet. “We brought a very neutral eye.”
The outcome?
“I did not find God during my trip, but I definitely found hope.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
