Beyond Words

Infobox Film
name = Beyond Words


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caption = Screenshot from "Beyond Words"
director = Louis van Gasteren
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narrator =
starring = Meher Baba
music =
cinematography = Jan de Bont
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distributor = Sheriar Foundation
released = 1997
runtime = 30 min
country = flagicon|Netherlands Netherlands
language = English
budget =
gross =
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"Beyond Words" is a 1997 documentary film directed by Louis van Gasteren.

Shot in India partly in 1967 in 35mm film and partly thirty years later in 1997 in video, "Beyond Words" is one of only three films ever shot of the silent master Meher Baba that include synchronized sound and the only film shot of him in 35mm color. In the film van Gasteren deftly interviews Meher Baba on finding God within the self, drugs, and cinema. [Kalchuri, Bhau: "Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba", "Manifestation, Inc." 1986. p. 6531] Meher Baba's silent gestures are interpreted in English by disciple Eruch Jessawala. [ [http://www.meherbaba.co.uk/videos.htm Meher Baba Association - UK] ] It was one of the last films and by far the most professional ever shot of Baba, with cinematography by the well known Jan de Bont. [Kalchuri, Bhau: "Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba", "Manifestation, Inc." 1986. p. 6528]

The Meher Baba footage in "Beyond Words" was originally planned by van Gasteren to be included in a longer film titled "Nema Aviona Za Zagreb" (There is No Plane for Zagreb) which was never completed. ["Ibid"] After a long period of consideration van Gasteren finally released the unseen footage in "Beyond Words" in 1997. Although Gasteren did not show the 1967 footage of the film publicly for 30 years, he allowed Pete Townshend of The Who to include two still frames inside the gatefold cover of his 1972 Meher Baba tribute album "Who Came First". [ [http://rockofages.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/peter-townshend-who-came-first/ Peter Townshend - Who Came First « Rock Of Ages ] ] Van Gasteren also interviewed and filmed Timothy Leary in Millbrook, New York for the film "No Plane for Zagreb". [Kalchuri, Bhau: "Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba", "Manifestation, Inc." 1986. p. 6529] The footage of Leary does not appear in "Beyond Words".

Plot

The film begins in 1967 with extremely exotic and unusual scenes of a mast (a kind of Sufi God-intoxicated person that Baba worked with), followed by a scene of Baba washing the feet of lepers, and then an interview of Meher Baba by van Gasteren. The film ends with a much older van Gasteren returning to India three decades later in a reunion with Eruch Jessawala who originally interpreted Baba's gestures. Meher Baba has long died as the now more mature men exchange words and photos. Also in the final scenes, Louis van Gasteren dons a red turban that Meher Baba had given him during their meeting in 1967 and which he had not worn for 30 years.

References

External links

* [http://www.louisvangasteren.nl/english/index.html Official website of Louis van Gasteren]