Filmmaker David Grubin tends to take on big subjects. His films for PBS have included “Napoleon,” “The Secret Life of the Brain” and biographies of American Presidents Johnson, Truman and Franklin Roosevelt. Tonight, he tackles a two-hour biography of “The Buddha” (8 p.m., PBS, check local listings).
Most people are familiar with the name but know next to nothing about the life of Buddha. And unlike practically every other founder of a major religion, Buddha never claimed to have been a god or sent by a god. He offered no creation myth or overarching explanation for human existence.
“The Buddha” uses intriguing animation to wonderful effect, to illustrate both key biographical elements as well as hard-to-explain philosophical concepts. Narrated by Richard Gere, the film also includes interviews with many Western adherents of the religion, including poet W.S Merwin and Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman. Practicing Buddhist monks and the Dalai Lama are also on hand to comment upon the Buddha’s life and teachings.
It’s no stretch to call “The Buddha” a thoughtful, even meditative film about a religious figure and faith unfamiliar to many. Like many religious profiles, “The Buddha” often crosses the line between biography and overt proselytizing. It would be difficult, if not pointless, to try to separate one from the other. At the same time, when PBS presented a film about Muhammad in 2002, it raised more than a few eyebrows.