It's almost universal in human cultures to see the abandonment of material possessions as a route to some form of spiritual or mental enlightenment: from the Buddhists presented in Siddhartha to Christian monks and a great many cultures in between. And there's a reason for this belief: material possessions, though they provide comfort and security, also demand our attention and conformity to certain behavior (like having a full-time job). Giving up one's possessions means becoming free to pay full attention to the body, the mind, and relationships with other human beings; it's far too drastic a step for most people, but the appeal of complete freedom through complete abandonment of material desires persists at some level. Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha, and its filmed version by director Conrad Rooks, sets out to explore the this path to enlightenment by following one character, the eponymous Siddhartha, as he attempts to find fulfillment first in asceticism and then in luxury before finding it on his own terms.

There's certainly an element in Siddhartha that I found intriguing, which is the focus on the spiritual journey of the protagonist. The opposite of a "rags to riches" story, Siddhartha starts out with him in a position of security, the son of an educated, high-caste father. Why would he choose to throw all this away, and what does he hope to gain?

The problem is that Siddhartha doesn't really develop the potential of this theme. The film opens hastily, with Siddhartha's decision to become a "sadhu"; other than the fact that this displeases his father, we don't even know what this is at first, though it later becomes clear that it's a wandering mystic in search of enlightenment. This abrupt jump into Siddhartha's search gives us no basis for understanding his reasons for abandoning his life; why is he unhappy? What does he find unsatisfying about his life?

Once the journey is underway, it's composed in about equal measure of psychedelic visual images and monologues in which Siddhartha debates philosophical ideas or analyzes his own situation. Siddhartha remains an archetypal figure inside an unreal world, a world of stylized people and actions in which he seems to be the only one possessed of self-will. In resolutely forcing him to be Everyman instead of just an individual character, the film actually makes it harder to identify with the common human aspirations that Siddhartha embodies.

The lack of a coherent plot is not necessarily a problem: the story of a person's journey (physical or spiritual) is a time-honored narrative in itself. But Siddhartha's focus on the visual and the symbolic elements of the story, to the exclusion of naturalistic story or character development, saps the film of some of its effectiveness. Those who are fond of poetry may appreciate Siddhartha as a filmed poem; I'm more of a prose person myself, and I found it uncompelling.

The DVD

Video

Siddhartha is presented in an anamorphically-enhanced widescreen transfer, preserving the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Especially considering that the film was made in 1972, the transfer is quite good; it shows none of the faded colors or brownish tint that I've seen so often in transfers of films from the seventies.

The colors are natural and vibrant, essential for this film that is primarily about the visual image rather than story. One problem that appears occasionally is a momentary distortion of the image: a shimmering, wavering effect that looks like something you'd see in a worn videotape. There is a moderate amount of edge enhancement and some noise in the print, but it's free of scratches or other flaws. All in all, it's a good-quality transfer that should please fans of the film.

Audio

The soundtrack for Siddhartha is presented in Dolby mono. Not surprisingly, it is very center-focused. The dialogue actually sounds a bit odd on occasion because there's no spatial separation at all; the soundtrack carries the voice in the same way whether the speaker is on the side of the scene, in the middle, or in the distance. As for the actual sound quality, it's satisfactory: at times I heard a slight hiss in the background, but for the most part the sound was clean and clear. The music comes across as the best part of the soundtrack, being full and vibrant.

Optional German and Spanish soundtracks are also provided.

Extras

I have to comment that the menu structure in Siddhartha is rather peculiar. Trying to skip the FBI warning (and who doesn't at least try?) lands the viewer smack in the middle of the stills gallery. Backtracking does lead to the special features menu and then to the main menu, but it's a bit weird.

The most substantial special feature is a 27-minute interview with director Conrad Rooks, in which he discusses his experience with the original novel as well as the process of creating the film. It should be interesting for those who like the film, especially for viewers who have read the book as well.

The other special features are two trailers for the film (one in English and one in Spanish), a gallery of still photographs and lobby cards, and a set of storyboards and script selections. The storyboards as well as the stills gallery are set to progress through the images at a fixed rate, which can be annoying in the case of the script excerpts, as the image doesn't pause long enough to read the text properly.

Final thoughts

Siddhartha will probably be an enjoyable viewing experience for those who are fascinated by the original novel; from excerpts I've read from the Herman Hesse novel, the film appears to be quite faithful to its origins. For those viewers, the solid DVD transfer and moderate amount of special features will make it worth a buy. For more casual viewers, though, the psychedelic approach and lack of a compelling narrative makes Siddhartha a better choice for a rental if the theme of striving for spiritual enlightenment is of interest.