Production
Elda Hartley
Born 1911-03-06 · Brownwood, Texas, USA
Elda Voelkel Hartley (March 6, 1911 – March 6, 2001) was an American stage and motion picture actress. Following a brief career as a Hollywood actress, which lasted from 1930 to 1932 and during which she accumulated four screen credits, Voelkel married filmmaker Irving Hartley, with whom she produced numerous documentary films on a wide range of subjects. In 1976, she created the Hartley Film Foundation, which was dedicated to promoting greater understanding of religion and spirituality.
Acting credits
Behind the camera
This VHS video includes two short documentaries by Elda Hartley. In the first, THE ART OF MEDITATION, Alan Watts gives us techniques and advice for meditating. Elda Hartley herself narrates the second film, MEDITATION: THE JOURNEY INWARD, which exposes viewers to different cultural approaches to meditation. Hartley then discusses how meditation enriches one's life, and what it can reveal to us.
The Art of Meditation
1971
NRAlan Watts illustrates in this elegant meditation on Buddhism the nature of reality using the paradigm of flowing water. It is one of his best. "The waters before and the waters after, now and forever flowing, follow each other." Watts conveys the essence of Buddhism by focusing on how to develop greater flexibility and sensitivity to the beauty that surrounds us. His inspired narration, enhanced by beautiful photography and a musical score by Iasos, ensures that his message will last.
The Flow of Zen
1969
A memorial anthology of Alan Watt's work. Watts (1915-1973), who held both a master's degree in theology and a doctorate of divinity, is best known as an interpreter of Zen Buddhism in particular, and Indian and Chinese philosophy in general.
Zen: The Best of Alan Watts
1994
Visualizes the mood of Buddhism as the oneness of man and nature. Includes commentary by Alan Watts.
Buddhism, Man and Nature
1968
Gently experimental film introducing Zen concepts, narrated by Alan Watts.
Zen and Now
1969
Huston Smith, professor of philosophy at Syracuse University, has spent years exploring the power of faith and religion. For this fascinating series, Smith teamed up with New Age filmmaker Elda Hartley to discover how people from around the world participate in spiritual traditions. Includes the films "Islamic Mysticism: The Sufi Way," "Requiem for a Faith: Tibetan Buddhism" and "India and the Infinite: The Soul of a People."
Huston Smith: The Mystic's Journey
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NRFocuses on the religious practices of people living in Java and Bali. Describes the function of a horse-trance ritual that combines the basic tenets of Mohammadism with an ancient belief in animism.
Sacred Trances of Java and Bali
1974