The surprising life of Nicholas Vreeland, grandson of renowned fashion tastemaker Diana Vreeland is the subject of this pleasant documentary by filmmakers Guido Santi and Tina Mascara. Combining archival material together with interviews with acquaintances, Monk with a Camera sketches Vreeland's early life as a dapper playboy who initially was interested in photography and was able—through the influence of his grandmother—to study with such renowned artists as Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. In the 1970s, however, Vreeland turned to exploring Tibetan Buddhism, and in 1985 joined a monastery in India, which he helped expand by raising funds through sales of his pictures. In 2012, the Dalai Lama named Vreeland abbot of the now-thriving Rato Dratsang monastery—the first Westerner in the history of Tibetan Buddhism to achieve such an honor. While hardly profound, this is still an agreeable, affectionate portrait of an amiable man, which also includes amusingly homespun views of both the Dalai Lama and Vreeland's mentor Khyongla Rinpoche, as well as (almost inevitable) appearances by Richard Gere, whose assessment of Vreeland is predictably rapturous. A genial tribute to a man whose unusual life path might well serve as an inspiration to others, this is recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a podcast interview with film subject Nicky Vreeland (32 min.), deleted scenes (14 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this engaging biographical portrait.] (F. Swietek)
Monk with a Camera
Alive Mind, 90 min., not rated, DVD: $29.95, Apr. 7 Volume 30, Issue 3
Monk with a Camera
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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