Henry Miller and Hinduism: Searching for Ramakrishna and Vivekananda in Chicago | Documentary (2008)
158A short documentary exploring Henry Miller’s relationship to Hinduism, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda.
In 1939, while traveling around the country writing “The Air-Conditioned Nightmare”, Henry Miller was inspired by Hinduism and Romain Rolland's book “The Life of Ramakrishna”. But Miller’s glimpse of enlightenment through Hindu revealed to him a deep spiritual vacancy in the United States, specifically Chicago. This film literally retraces Miller's steps, and examines his mindset.
Director: Austin C. Pruett
Producer: Jack McTigue
Narrator: Dr. James Block
Interviewee: Swami Varadananda
Music: "Govinda" by Radha Krishna Temple
Special thanks to the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago and J.S. "Jim" Fuerst
Created for a DePaul University Digital Cinema documentary course in 2008
This video was trimmed from its original 16min version.