Today I am watching "Treasure: In Search of the Golden Horse (1984)," again, for the first time in many, many years, and would like some way to let Sheldon Renan know how much I loved and still love his movie.
To me, it is one of the most beautiful and meaningful films ever produced.
The story is so bright and alive; the cinematography is gorgeous (worthy of a Boorman film) and it has every element a film should have: it is exotic and mysterious, inspiring, romantic (in an unusually chaste and gentle way) and it is utterly heart-and-mind-filling. The music and sounds are also perfect and help envelop and carry the beautiful images.
And I feel that what I got from this film is worth many times the value of the prize people were seeking when they watched this film for clues to a buried treasure.
It so captured my mind and imagination, that it brought on a host of the most vivid lucid dreams anyone can imagine.
Because of the film I had what I'd call an accidental vision quest, as it was not something I was seeking, but just happened due to story presented in the film, it was an amazingly meaningful and I want to say precious experience, more valuable to me than gold.
The thing about the film is it encouraged the viewers to use their minds, to study a bit and research in order to find the treasure, and doing that awakens the mind to so many things, opens it up to the whole world and some wonderful things are able to come in.
And when they do, the treasure is already received.
It's like finding the Holy Grail. Those who have found it, have that glowing treasure in their minds and know that they do not have to have the physical Grail in their hands, because they already have it to hold in their hearts and minds.
In this way -- and I am not being hyperbolic but quite happily serious - - the Golden Horse was very much like the Holy Grail.
Now, true, I would have loved to have found the physical Golden Horse and the "loot" that went with it. Yes, it might have improved my life and circumstances, BUT in the end only one person or group could find it, and yet that is okay with me because I feel that I got something that goes beyond mortal riches by seeing this movie.
As I'm watching it today it brings tears to my eyes and makes my heart well up with the flood of thoughts and feelings I experienced when watching it for the very first time back in 1984.
So Thank You, Sheldon Renan, my life would not have been as rich as it is, had it not been for your fantastic movie.
