In art, there are satires that use the needle or the scalpel ; "Ein Guru kommt" is more likely to use the hammer. There's a lot of force, enthusiasm and energy here, but not a lot of depth or subtlety. "Ein Guru kommt" is also overlong, since it could easily lose a quarter of an hour. Still, it's kept its ferocious bite intact through the decades. Consequently it can still be watched with pleasure in the year 2024.
So what's it all about ? During the second half of the twentieth century there was a time period when two groups met and mingled. (I'd say this was mainly the time period between 1960 and 1990, but experts should feel free to correct me.) The first group consisted of young people from the affluent Western world who felt dissatisfied with the religions and philosophies on offer and who turned to India for spiritual nourishment. The second group consisted of Indian gurus of the more mercenary type who realized that a new and prosperous flock was asking to be fleeced. The results were striking and, for the most part, unlovely.
Enter this German comedy about - you've guessed it - Western devotees worshipping Indian (or, as the case may be, pseudo-Indian) teachers of doubtful wisdom and benevolence. The satire is mostly aimed at cults, indoctrination and propaganda, but there are a lot of minor targets too, such as opera, Mozart, macrobiotic food, snake charmers, lawyers, bankers, groupies and nude models.
The story starts with a chance encounter between two jobless brothers (one of them an opera singer, the other a musician) and a dozen of shaven-headed devotees trying to spread a message of love and peace. Since the missionary work involves flattening members of the public who don't drop enough coins into the begging bowl, the whole crowd ends up in a police station. There the opera singer has an epiphany : what if he could somehow use these aggressive weirdos to his advantage ? Thus a great idea is born. Before long the man is telling a spell-bound audience that he is the representative and disciple of the great Sarastro, a spiritual powerhouse beyond compare.
But I don't want to give away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that the ending is particularly cynical. It turns out that, since the dawn of time, people have preferred leaders who told them three things : a) you are on the right side, to wit the side of truth, goodness and beauty, b) obedience is bliss and c) I want you to kill all of my enemies. It also turns out that the recipe still works, witness the besotted crowds running after the Guide's luxury limousine.
Highlight : the choice between a number of portraits supposed to represent the ineffable Sarastro, divine teacher and sage. Look at the portraits and then tell me that they don't remind you of actual propaganda posters used, anno Domini 2024, in various parts of the globe...
So what's it all about ? During the second half of the twentieth century there was a time period when two groups met and mingled. (I'd say this was mainly the time period between 1960 and 1990, but experts should feel free to correct me.) The first group consisted of young people from the affluent Western world who felt dissatisfied with the religions and philosophies on offer and who turned to India for spiritual nourishment. The second group consisted of Indian gurus of the more mercenary type who realized that a new and prosperous flock was asking to be fleeced. The results were striking and, for the most part, unlovely.
Enter this German comedy about - you've guessed it - Western devotees worshipping Indian (or, as the case may be, pseudo-Indian) teachers of doubtful wisdom and benevolence. The satire is mostly aimed at cults, indoctrination and propaganda, but there are a lot of minor targets too, such as opera, Mozart, macrobiotic food, snake charmers, lawyers, bankers, groupies and nude models.
The story starts with a chance encounter between two jobless brothers (one of them an opera singer, the other a musician) and a dozen of shaven-headed devotees trying to spread a message of love and peace. Since the missionary work involves flattening members of the public who don't drop enough coins into the begging bowl, the whole crowd ends up in a police station. There the opera singer has an epiphany : what if he could somehow use these aggressive weirdos to his advantage ? Thus a great idea is born. Before long the man is telling a spell-bound audience that he is the representative and disciple of the great Sarastro, a spiritual powerhouse beyond compare.
But I don't want to give away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that the ending is particularly cynical. It turns out that, since the dawn of time, people have preferred leaders who told them three things : a) you are on the right side, to wit the side of truth, goodness and beauty, b) obedience is bliss and c) I want you to kill all of my enemies. It also turns out that the recipe still works, witness the besotted crowds running after the Guide's luxury limousine.
Highlight : the choice between a number of portraits supposed to represent the ineffable Sarastro, divine teacher and sage. Look at the portraits and then tell me that they don't remind you of actual propaganda posters used, anno Domini 2024, in various parts of the globe...
