Philip Gröning

The Profile

Philip Gröning (born 1959) is a German film director best known for the documentary Into Great Silence (Die Große Stille / Il Grande Silenzio).

Into Great Silence (Die Große Stille / Il Grande Silenzio) is a feature-length documentary filmed at the Grande Chartreuse monastery. Reviews note a long wait for permission to film (reported in the reviews as about 16–20 years), shooting periods of several months inside the monastery, and a final film length reported around 160 minutes (~3 hours).

Two DeBaser reviews discuss Philip Gröning's long-term, patient documentary practice exemplified by Into Great Silence (Die Große Stille / Il Grande Silenzio). The film is presented as a demanding, meditative work filmed inside the Grande Chartreuse that foregrounds silence and ritual. Reviewers note the film's length and its capacity to transform viewers' perception of time.