The Silent Life Is a Hit in Germany

BONN, Germany, JAN. 29, 2006 (Zenit.org).- A three-hour documentary about the silent life of Carthusian monks is making a splash at the German box office.

"Into Great Silence" is the brainchild of director Philip Gröning, who waited 17 years for the permission to film inside La Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps, reported Deutsche Welle.

In 2002 he joined the cloistered monks for several months to capture unprecedented images of life inside the monastery.

The documentary, which the director says gives you the experience of living in the monastery, is currently playing to packed cinemas in Germany.