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Novels and other media about reincarnation

L

Lia1992

Senior Member
Hi there.
I recently came across this thread (Cloud Atlas | Reincarnation Forum) which interested me immediately because I have seen this film many times and I love it. I also saw a very good analysis of the film that touched on the theme of reincarnation (Cloud Atlas | In-Depth Film Analysis: The Misunderstood Revolutionary Masterpiece - YouTube). After watching the film I read the book the film is based on and I wonder whether there are other novels, short stories, films, TV series or even video games that have reincarnation as a main theme. Do you have any examples? :)
 
Hi, Lia.

I have a cuoriosity, what can be the reason for your interest in films like that. Almost sure it's not to make more solid your belief in reincarnation, as you look firmly convinced in its existence, already.

I've come upon several films with this theme, but I didn't like them, just because I didn't like those concrete human stories - they didn't interest me as stories.

I already put in another thread a link to the film "La Frontiera" (a trailer) that I like very much - I repeat this link below here.

Nobody talks directly of reincarnation in that film, but it looks to me that it might be the case. A young wounded Italian military man comes to an island in Dalmacia, just occupied by Italy (we're in the beginning of WW2). He had been born on that island when it was still under Austro-Hungarian rule, and wants to pass his recovery from the wounds he got in Africa, there. He comes to know about another young military man, a Dalmatian like him, who had served in the Austro-Hungarian army in the WW1, and passed some time on that very island. Later, he's sent to the war to Galitia (western Ukraine), where he attempts to run away to the Russian troops - he knew that the Russians readily accepted all such Italians runaways from the Austrian army, and sent them to Italy, where they could fight against their true enemies and on the right side.

To me it's a clear case of reincarnation - one of them is another one reincarnated.

It's a sad and beautiful film from the very beginning, and it lets you feel the atmosphere of those two epochs, similar, I think to the atmosphere in which Gavrilo Princip lived and died.

I hope you like this film and can find it in a language that best suits you.

Best regards.

 
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Cyrus said:
Hi, Sandra.

I have a cuoriosity, what can be the reason for your interest in films like that. Almost sure it's not to make more solid your belief in reincarnation, as you look firmly convinced in its existence, already.

I've come upon several films with this theme, but I didn't like them, just because I didn't like those concrete human stories - they didn't interest me as stories.

I already put in another thread a link to the film "La Frontiera" (a trailer) that I like very much - I repeat this link below here.

Nobody talks directly of reincarnation in that film, but it looks to me that it might be the case. A young wounded Italian military man comes to an island in Dalmacia, just occupied by Italy (we're in the beginning of WW2). He had been born on that island when it was still under Austro-Hungarian rule, and wants to pass his recovery from the wounds he got in Africa, there. He comes to know about another young military man, a Dalmatian like him, who had served in the Austro-Hungarian army in the WW1, and passed some time on that very island. Later, he's sent to the war to Galitia (western Ukraine), were he attempts to run away to the Russian troops - he knew that the Russians readily accepted all such Italians runaways from the Austrian army, and sent them to Italy, where they could fight against their true enemies and on the right side.

To me it's a clear case of reincarnation - one of them is another one reincarnated.

It's a sad and beautiful film from the very beginning, and it lets you feel the atmosphere of those two epochs, similar, I think to the atmosphere in which Gavrilo Princip lived and died.

I hope you like this film and can find it in a language that best suits you.

Best regards.

Click to expand...

Hi Cyrus,
oh, I'm convinced of reincarnation. I just wondered whether there were any stories outside of case reports and documentaries. It's just a curiosity really because as far as I'm aware, Cloud Atlas is the first major film in the West that deals with reincarnation.
Also, I want to become a writer one day and I had this idea of a fantasy or science fantasy story that deals with lost knowledge such as witches as well as reincarnation, maybe parallel words, maybe something from prehistorical times. Not sure yet. But the core message is that there is more to the universe beyond life, like it's concious, sort of like in His Dark Materials where Dust is synonymous with consciousness as well.
 
As for other media about reincarnation, You Tube has some valuable talks by Carol Bowman, Raymond Moody, and I believe Dr. Ian Stevenson, as well as interviews with individuals who have had vivid past life memories.

Yesterday I watched a video of Jenny Cockell sharing her story of finding her children from a past life and connecting with them. I believe there was a movie made about her experiences. I have also watched Carol’s talks on you Tube,which are fascinating.
 
Movies
- Little Buddha (you also learn a lot about the lilfe of Buddha)
- What Dreams May Come (Mainly about afterlife, but reincarnation is mentioned/hinted at shortly)
- The Fountain (personally, I found it too kitschy, but people do reincarnate in the movie)

Books
- Barbara Erskine - Lady of Hay (people in the 1980's find out they had a life in late 12th/early 13th century, story goes back and forth between 1980s "present" and the past)
- David Safier - Suddenly Shakespeare (humorous story, but with a very nice conclusion)
 
SeekerOfKnowledge said:
Movies
- Little Buddha (you also learn a lot about the lilfe of Buddha)
- What Dreams May Come (Mainly about afterlife, but reincarnation is mentioned/hinted at shortly)
- The Fountain (personally, I found it too kitschy, but people do reincarnate in the movie)

Books
- Barbara Erskine - Lady of Hay (people in the 1980's find out they had a life in late 12th/early 13th century, story goes back and forth between 1980s "present" and the past)
- David Safier - Suddenly Shakespeare (humorous story, but with a very nice conclusion)
Click to expand...

Oh, I love David Safier's books Mieses Karma (Bad Karma) and Mieses Karma Hoch 2 (Bad Karma to the Power of Two) which are also about reincarnation but into animals.
The films and the novels you mentioned sound interesting, thank you! :D
 
helz_belz said:
Films:
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975)
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
Dean Spanley (2008)

Books:
The Years of Rice and Salt (Kim Stanley Robinson, 2002)

Wikipedia has a few lists that might help:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Reincarnation_in_novels
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Reincarnation_in_fiction
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Reincarnation_in_television
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_reincarnation
Click to expand...

Thank you! :D
 
Lia1992 said:
Hi there.
I recently came across this thread (Cloud Atlas | Reincarnation Forum) which interested me immediately because I have seen this film many times and I love it. I also saw a very good analysis of the film that touched on the theme of reincarnation (Cloud Atlas | In-Depth Film Analysis: The Misunderstood Revolutionary Masterpiece - YouTube). After watching the film I read the book the film is based on and I wonder whether there are other novels, short stories, films, TV series or even video games that have reincarnation as a main theme. Do you have any examples? :)
Click to expand...

thank you sharing that link- it´s really interesting!
 
Lia1992 said:
You're welcome! What do you think about the analysis? :)
Click to expand...

I didn't realize certain things by watching it, so now I feel like I need to watch it again.:) My husband didn't like it at all, guess he just didn't understand it and it wasn't funny enough either ;). But what was said in the analysis rings true to me.
Btw there are really few movies with the topic of reincarnation that make sense to me. I recall one, a british film from the late 80s or 90s where a man was meeting a woman who had memory loss and with the help of hypnosis they discover a pl as a couple. Back then he was a pianist and he was accused to have killed her. Turns out in reality the murderer wasn't the husband but a boy (Peter?) Who now happened to be the hypnotherapist. They also both switched gender. Can't remember the title of the film...
 
There's an old film (1947) I just saw, called "While I live", which has the idea of reincarnation as a theme, though not in a straightforward way. There is a piece of piano music, "The Dream of Olwen" which became popular in its own right, central to the film. As a film it reminds me of the 1940 film Rebecca and housekeeper Mrs. Danvers.

"The Dream Of Olwen" in the MOVIE - "While I Live" - '47
 
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