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39 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I am the breast cancer patient in the film
Working on this film and having the good fortune to meet Greg and Patrick gave me a voice. I have read the criticisms about filming me in a mausoleum, and I would like to clear this up. I love cemeteries and I am dealing with my own mortality. I asked them to film me in a place where I loved to walk around. If you look at some of the tombstones you learn a great deal...
Published on September 8, 2005 by Toni Riss
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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Not Perfect, but better than nothing
Having been a proponent of Ernest Becker's theories articulated in The Denial of Death since its publication in 1973, and of terror management theory, I came watch the movie with great expectation considering the past reviews. While acceptable as a purely introductory movie, it did not add much to my understanding of the subject of death's impact on human motivation and...
Published on June 21, 2007 by Vance
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Film on a Sobering Topic, January 16, 2012
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This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
This documentary film based on the insightful life work of Dr. Ernest Becker (specifically his 1974 Pulitzer Prize-winning book THE DENIAL OF DEATH) is a very thought-provoking approach to a subject that, let's be frank, many people, especially most Americans, do everything possible to avoid thinking about, and hence the title.The film itself is superb, but I most especially appreciated the extras contained on the DVD (extended interviews, etc.), which were excellent in their own right.
Truly one of the strategies of a well-lived life is to deeply reflect about it's inevitable demise. My understanding is that the Samurai warriors of old meditated on their own deaths every day in order to live life to it's fullest. Many cultures around the world consider death just a natural part of the circle of life, but the wealthy Western nations are terrified of this aspect of reality.
An absolutely wonderful film.
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific documentary,
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April Hughes-Spann (Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
Just watched this and was very impressed start to finish with how well the program was done. Enjoyed it very much. My husband and I had a deep discussion afterwards about how we view death and the fear of it. Humans have an innate fear of death due to our unique ability to forsee our own. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must See...,
This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
This is a great documentary, especially if you have any background in psychology, counseling, etc. It gives several concrete, undeniable examples of how our fear of death is a constant influence. I felt like the movie portrayed religions as a condition of human being, rather than look at individual differences. If you're a very religious person, you may have an issue with some of the ideas and concepts.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!,
This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
This film documents human nature like few others have...Our fears of death and eternal punishment can drive us to do things in life that are hardly life-enhancing. This film helped to free me from some of those fears that were instilled as a child raised in an oppressive, punitive religion...
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Very touching,
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This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
"The Flight From Death: The Quest For Immortality" is a moving documentary and deals with the subject that, indeed, most people spend their lives trying to avoid: mortality--for all that, though, it isn't a very good representation of Ernest Becker's actual ideas.There seems to be a misunderstanding on the part of Greg Bennick and Patrick Shen, the writers of the documentary, that Becker's life changing and devastating sociological/existential tome "The Denial of Death" is a different book than Irvin Yalom's "Existential Psychotherapy". Despite having undeniable similarities, they are two different thinkers. The majority of the documentary is spent politely blaming religion for most of the wars in the world and most human conflicts, though there are a few times when economic strife is mentioned. Professor Sheldon Solomon, a colorful commentator and university teacher, says at one point "My god is better than your god and we'll kick your butt to prove it." Then the film cuts to a series of footage with people beating each other up in mass crowds, including a rally headed by Mao Zedong. Strangely enough it is not mentioned that Mao was a ruthless secularist, or that thousands of people have been martyred in Communist countries for holding religious beliefs.
While I'm not denying that religion has contributed to wars and that "belief" in a God has for some been an "immortality project", Becker himself often put more emphasis on military force and man's lust for power as being an immortality ideology than religion. If I recall correctly, "The Denial of Death" is more informed by the ideas of Soren Kierkegaard and Paul Tillich than it is by any hard line materialists.
The cultural fabrication/collective death denial that Becker wrote about may included some forms of *religion*, but he left a very definite door open to the transcendent, as evidenced by every book he wrote.
After 9/11 a lot of politicans used the word "evil" as a way to describe the events, and this is somehow wrong in the view of the filmmakers? What else do we call it when two buildings full of thousands of people are rammed into by planes? The reaction to September 11th was not religious in nature at all (here I am referring to the invasion of Iraq, not Afghanistan) but a deliberately deceitful series of political maneuvers by men interested in money and power.
On a more positive note, one is not going to leave this documentary unaffected. The ephemeral nature of our material existence is driven home with real poetry and force, and one cannot help but be impressed by the plight of the female cancer survivor who greets death not with horror or depression, but with a graceful acceptance. Commendable also is the depth of thought and the sympathy for the poor demonstrated by Professor Sheldon. If you're interested in an actual elucidation of Ernest Becker's work, though, I'd suggest reading his books.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great film on a very insightful book... MAY CAUSE ABREACTIONS!,
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This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
This movie is truly phenomenal, though I highly recommend reading (before or after watching the film) the book this movie is based on: The Denial of Death (E. Becker).The negative reviews of this film interest me, as most of them come off as rather defensive (i.e., arguing that one does not really fear death)... interestingly, this type of behavior makes sense when viewed from the perspective provided in this film. One of the most difficult things a person can do is ADMIT, or become aware, that at their core, their UNCONSCIOUS fear of death motivates their behavior. When this comes to question, the natural response for people who unconsciously fear it the most is to defend their pre-held beliefs at all costs.
Anyway... keep an open-mind and you will certainly benefit from this film. To feel a bit hopeless after watching it is part of the learning process, as this awareness will open new routes to personal growth.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Not Perfect, but better than nothing,
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This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
Having been a proponent of Ernest Becker's theories articulated in The Denial of Death since its publication in 1973, and of terror management theory, I came watch the movie with great expectation considering the past reviews. While acceptable as a purely introductory movie, it did not add much to my understanding of the subject of death's impact on human motivation and behavior. Still, by confirming the viability of Becker's ideas, my immortality project was enhanced. And that is always good!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS A MUST SEE,
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This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
This documental is one of the best i have seen, it really makes you think about the way human beings behave and how the awareness of death changes our behavior, GREAT DOCUMENTAL, DEFENETLY A MUST SEE FOR ANYONE WHO THINKS SOMETIMES ABOUT DEATH.
5 of 16 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected.,
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This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
This documentary has won a boatload of awards, but I was personally not too happy with it. After I watched the dvd I felt really depressed about everything around me. I felt hopeless. I was at a point in my life where agnosticism seemed to make sense to me. But I seriously felt different after seeing this. The one major flaw in the dvd is the one main professor in it sounds like a total burnout when he talks. I am sure he is well-respected and I know he is intelligent, but when he talks it is like fingernails on a chalkboard. This is just my personal take on it, but I would watch a friend's copy before dropping some cash on this. You can even buy mine if you want to...seriously.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars "Everything Has Been Figured Out Except How To Live" ~ The Eventuality Of Death, December 22, 2006
This review is from: Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality (DVD)
`Flight From Death - The Quest for Immortality' (`03) is a thought provoking journey into the most basic of all mans' fears, the fear of impending death. Using Ernst Becker's classic work `The Denial of Death' as a springboard, this documentary explores the ongoing research by a group of cultural anthropologist and their formulation of what they call, "Terror Management Theory."Overall I found this documentary to be intelligent, informative and at times emotional. Its one weakness in my estimation is its brief meandering into international politics and its convert sermonizing on the evil within. I sincerely doubt that our reaction to the events of 9/11 were based on our quest for immortality. Otherwise a worthwhile watch about a subject that we all must one day come to grips with.
