The Divine Light Mission Trilogy
In 1971 a young Swiss, Reto Andrea Savoldelli, arranged to make a quest film called "Stella Da Falla" with funding from national Swiss Television SF. He hired Jacques Sandoz as the cameraman and as they had "received Knowledge" they filmed in Prem Nagar Ashram (Hardwar), in the Rawat's family home with MataJi in Dehra Dun, and at festivals in Delhi and Patna instead. Rawat, Gurucharanand and Ashokanand stayed for some days at Savoldelli's film commune in Hemberg, Switzerland in September 1971 before leaving Switzerland. Naturally Rawat went on a shopping trip to Zürich where he bought sunglasses and opened a Swiss Bank Account. Sandoz then took the freshly developed 16mm film to begin making movies for Shri Hans Productions.
Without these films its difficult to believe Rawat's career would have got off the ground. The provided a vision of an exotic Mystic India with thousands of Indian worshippers and crowds of hippie devotees who appeared beaming and blissed out, perfect role models for the doped out, bored and aimless wannabes back home who were looking a for a quick and cheap entrance into "spirituality."
The films had degraded quite badly by the time they came out of an attic somewhere but maybe in a humidity controlled underground nuclear shelter Prem Rawat has stored everything he ever starred in and the young Westerners and their Indian milieu will be seen sparkling and fresh again. The excerpts of Rawat speaking in English are difficult to understand because of the poor audio quality and because they do not make much sense. The callow Western devotees' satsangs are positively Churchillian by comparison.
Lord of the Universe 1971
Voiceover: Six months ago several hundred followers welcomed 13 year old Guru Maharaj Ji in the West for the first time. He arrived in London on the first stage of his "Peace Tour" which was to take him to France, Germany, Switzerland, the United States of America and Canada. Everywhere that he went, thousands of people came to hear his discourses. Many of them received the practical Knowledge of Truth from him
Satguru Has Come 1972 SH 002 1972
16mm. colour, 25 min., 830 feet; produced and directed by Jacques Sandoz;
edited by Peter Lile, music by the Anand Band
Satguru is the remover of darkness and the revealer of Light. This film is the brief history of a child Satguru from his birth to his coming to the West. Through his holy discourses and by the grace of the perfect Knowledge he gives, his devotees recognize Guru Maharaj Ji as the saviour of mankind.
This film tells the childhood of Guru Maharaj Ji in India, and shows the Peace Bomb in Delhi, 1970. It includes satsangs in New York, London, Swiss Alps festival, Los Angeles and finishes at the Guru Puja festival in Colorado.
Price
English original version: $160 Foreign version: $160
Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji? SH 004 1973
16mm. colour. 70 min. 2.400 feet; produced by Jacques Sandoz: with segments by Jordan Belson. Louie Schwartzberg, Donna Villicich, edited by Peter Lile: music by Blue Aquarius
While investigating the question WHO IS GURU MAHARAJ JI?, we have discovered a world of beauty and perfection. We have discovered that there is a soul and by knowing that soul, by having the direct experience of that soul, we can realize our aim as human beings.
Follow with this film the creation, the cycles of life, the world today and man's search for truth. Enter with us into the world of Guru Maharaj Ji and his holy family. And if you can just let your mind go and let your life be …
Gold medal and special jury award at the 1974 International Atlanta Film Festival.
Price English original version: $350. Foreign version: $350
