"The Buddha" is an interesting, PBS documentary tracing the life story of the Buddha. It is good for an introduction to Buddhist mythology, but could benefit from a bit more depth.

Through the use of animation and interviews with figures such as the Dalai Lama, the documentary explains what Buddhists believe the Buddha went through, and what his significance to them is.

The film itself is well done, with some good animation. However, I was left wanting more. It would have been better if they had provided more information about the development of Buddhism after the Buddha's death. Even if they did not have time to discuss all the different schools of Buddhism, it would have been beneficial to have more in depth commentary from representatives of the various schools. Most of the people they talk to seem to be adherents of Tibetan Buddhism, leaving one to wonder what a Zen or Shinto perspective would be.

This starts off with a lot of mystical talk which associates Buddhism more with religion then philosophy. I think this weakens the lesson and makes this a very bad introduction to Buddhism. It's more about cute stories than the importance of the philosophy. At this point the movie I'm listening two people talk about his experience as a young man but because they've already turned it into common mythology it's a waste to talk about the more real human story. It's sad to see something so well-intentioned that I just would have to recommend people do not watch. Buddha is not Santa Claus. Next they summarize Hindus in the most minimalist way and explain that because people are wealthy they need a better religion. This movie seems to be lost. Now more mystical stories. It's a little bit of history. It's a messy exploration of different philosophies. Now it is introducing "it is said" as the source of material. I will admit at this point having a bias towards zen practice which has some association with Buddhism. So in a way I have a bias towards the useful part over the common stories that men make up to be less than useful. I think if they were to take away the weak opening and the muddling of common myth stories with the historical story it would be more useful.

This is a very informative documentary, and one that doesn't try to shove anything down your throat. Nor does it try to use guilt or fear in an attempt to sell some sort of moral message to the viewer. It simply just gives you as much info that is known about the life of the Buddha. It also explains some of the teachings and beliefs that the Buddha went on to develop and share. This film gives a general overview of the Buddhist way of life and thought. The pace of this documentary is also very good, this aspect makes it very easy to pay attention. Richard Gere with his smooth voice also suits the film perfectly as the narrator. And of course he is also a Buddhist himself. The visuals are great here as well. I highly recommend this to everyone. Whether you consider yourself a spiritual person or not, this is certainly worth a look. It is very interesting stuff, and this is well crafted material. Check it out!

9/10