We told you the other day about filmmaker Harold Ramis’s playful deflection of the Buddhist angle on his work. But that angle is legit—even if Ramis goes out of his way to play down his connection to the dharma.
And it seems that more than a couple people are interested anyway. To wit:
Perry Garfinkel, author of the profile of Ramis that appears in our current issue, has published a further look at Ramis’s dharma-confluent work at Huffington Post. You can read that piece, “Releasing My Inner Ramis: Buddhist Subtext of Year One” (Year One being Ramis’s new film), here.
And Ramis himself talks a bit more about his connection to Buddhism in the July issue of GQ, which just hit newsstands. Here are excerpts from the exchange between Ramis and GQ correspondent Brett Martin:
Do you buy the idea that Groundhog Day is your masterpiece?
I buy that it’s the most meaningful film. […]
It’s become a kind of spiritual touchstone for many people.
That was intentional. […] It’s really been embraced by the Buddhist community.
You’ve spent some time with the Dalai Lama. What’s he like?
He’s cool. He’s jolly. The funny thing is that when I first met him, the Tibetans were all familiar with Groundhog Day, but they didn’t understand the Dalai Lama speech in Caddyshack. They’re like, “The Dalai Lama does not play golf.” I said, “I know, I know. But if he did…”
So, is the Ramis/Buddhist connection hype? Again, we say: judge for yourself!
So funny – and a great movie – one of Bill Murray's best for sure. I enjoyed this movie long before I had any inkling into Buddhism or began my practice. I guess (in hindsight), seeing and loving the movie is probably representative of a point of my own spiritual reflection in my young life….But since I began practicing, I love the movie even more. Loved the article in Shambhala Sun – and follow-up here! Thanks much.
Not saying Ramis' Buddhist angle ISN'T legit. But I thought the point of Jesse's little piece was that Year One is a terrible film but Ramis gets hype/celeb attention because of the underlying Buddhist tendencies in his work. Like a Buddhist Britney Spears or something. hee hee.