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{{short description|1974 film by Michael Shamberg}}
⚫ {{Infobox Film
{{About|the 1974 film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2016}}
⚫ {{Infobox film
| name = Lord of the Universe | name = Lord of the Universe
| image = Lord of the Universe video cover.jpg | image = Lord of the Universe video cover.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = 1991 ] edition | caption = 1991 ] edition
| director = Top Value Television, <br />] | director = {{plainlist|
* Top Value Television
*]
}}
⚫ | producer = David Loxton, <br>Top Value Television
| writer = | producer = {{plainlist|
* David Loxton
⚫ | narrator =
* Top Value Television
| starring =
}}
| music =
⚫ | writer =
⚫ | cinematography =
| editing = John. J. Godfrey<br>Wendy Appel | music =
⚫ | cinematography =
| distributor = Subtle Communications
⚫ | editing = {{plainlist|
⚫ | released = ], ], ]<br>], ], ] ed.
* John. J. Godfrey
| runtime = 58:27 minutes
* Wendy Appel
⚫ | country = {{USA}}
}}
| language = ]
⚫ | studio = Top Value Television
⚫ | budget = ]30,000<ref name="video history project" />
| preceded_by = | distributor = ]
⚫ | released = {{Film date|1974|02|02|]|1991|11|01|]}}
| followed_by =
| website = | runtime = 58 minutes
| amg_id = 1:48375 | country = United States
| imdb_id = 1087602 | language = English
⚫ | budget = US$30,000<ref name="video history project" />
}} }}


'''''Lord of the Universe''''' is a ] ] ] about Guru Maharaj ji, now known as ], at an event in November 1973 at the ] called "Millennium '73". The documentary chronicles Maharaji Ji, his followers and ] activist ] who was a spokesperson of the ] at the time. A counterpoint is presented by ] who appears as a commentator. It includes interviews with several protagonists, including followers, ex-followers, a ], a ], and a ]. '''''Lord of the Universe''''' is a 1974 American ] about ] (at the time known as Guru Maharaj Ji) at an event in November 1973 at the ] called "]". ''Lord of the Universe'' was first broadcast on ] on February 2, 1974, and released in ] format on November 1, 1991. The documentary chronicles Maharaj Ji, his followers and ] activist ] who was a spokesperson of the ] at the time. A counterpoint is presented by Davis' ] co-defendant ], who appears as a commentator. It includes interviews with several individuals, including followers, ex-followers, a ], a ], and a follower of ].


The production team of ] produced the documentary, using ] video cameras. The TVTV team followed Maharaj Ji across the ] over a period of six weeks, and edited a large amount of tape down to the fifty-eight minute piece. It was the first documentary made on 1/2-inch video tape broadcast nationally, and also the first independent video documentary shown on national public television. ''Lord of the Universe'' was first broadcast on ] on ], ], and released in a ] format on ], ]. The production team of ] produced the documentary, using ] video cameras. The TVTV team followed Maharaj Ji across the United States over a period of six weeks, and edited a large amount of tape down to the fifty-eight-minute piece. It was the first documentary made on {{frac|1|2}}&nbsp;in (13&nbsp;mm) video tape broadcast nationally, and also the first ] video documentary shown on national public television.


The documentary was generally well-received, and garnered its TVTV production team the 1974 ]. The documentary received a negative review in the '']'', and positive reviews in '']'', '']'' and the '']''. The '']'' wrote that the TVTV team had improved since their previous work, but wanted them to move on to more challenging subjects. The documentary was generally well-received, and garnered its TVTV production team the 1974 ]. The documentary received a negative review in the '']'', and positive reviews in '']'', '']'', the '']'', and the '']''. The '']'' wrote that the TVTV team had improved since their previous work but wanted them to move on to more challenging subjects.


== Content == ==Content==
The documentary chronicles Guru Maharaj Ji and the Divine Light Mission, his followers and anti-Vietnam War activist Rennie Davis at "Millennium '73", an event held at the Houston Astrodome in November 1973.<ref>{{cite news | last =Staff | first = | coauthors = | title =Wednesday: Lord of the Universe | work =] | pages = | language = | publisher =The Harvard Crimson, Inc., ] | date =], ] | url =http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=115118 | accessdate = 2007-11-08 }}</ref><ref name="mediaburn" /><ref name="intermix">{{cite web | last =Staff | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The Lord of the Universe | work =Electronic Arts Intermix | publisher =1997-2007 Electronic Arts Intermix | date = | url =http://www.eai.org/eai/tape.jsp?itemID=1391 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-11-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title =Guru Maharaj Ji | work =Biography Resource Center | pages = | language = | publisher =], ] | date =2007 | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> Rennie Davis, a follower of Guru Maharaj Ji, was one of the spokespersons and speakers at the ''Millennium '73'' event. His speech is featured in the documentary.<ref>{{cite book | last =Kent | first =Dr. Stephen A. | authorlink =Stephen A. Kent | coauthors = | title =] | publisher =] | date =2001 | location = | pages =page 52 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = Syracuse University}}</ref> The documentary chronicles Guru Maharaj Ji, the Divine Light Mission, his followers and anti-Vietnam War activist Rennie Davis at "Millennium '73", an event held at the Houston Astrodome in November 1973.<ref>{{cite news | last =Staff | title =Wednesday: Lord of the Universe | work =] | publisher =The Harvard Crimson, Inc., ] | date =July 1, 1974 | url =http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=115118 | access-date = November 8, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="mediaburn">{{cite news | last =Staff | title =Video Preview: Lord Of The Universe | work =MediaBurn Independent Video Archive | publisher =2006 FITV | url =http://www.mediaburn.org/Video-Preview.128.0.html?uid=4247 | access-date =November 7, 2007 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071016121906/http://mediaburn.org/Video-Preview.128.0.html?uid=4247 | archive-date =October 16, 2007 | url-status =dead | df =mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="intermix">{{cite web|last=Staff |title=The Lord of the Universe |work=Electronic Arts Intermix |publisher=1997-2007 Electronic Arts Intermix |url=http://www.eai.org/eai/title.htm?id=1391 |access-date=April 4, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921074206/http://www.eai.org/eai/title.htm?id=1391 |archive-date=September 21, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last =Staff | title =Guru Maharaj Ji | work =Biography Resource Center |publisher =], ] | year =2007 }}</ref> Rennie Davis, a follower of Guru Maharaj Ji, was one of the spokespersons and speakers at the "Millennium '73" event. His speech is featured in the documentary.<ref>{{cite book | last =Kent | first =Dr. Stephen A. | author-link =Stephen A. Kent | title =] | publisher =] | year =2001 |page =52}}</ref>


Abbie Hoffman appears as a commentator in the documentary, and addresses some of the points raised in Davis' speech, stating: "It's rather arrogant of Rennie to say that he has found God and has his Telex number in his wallet."<ref name="adler" /> The TVTV crew interviewed different "premies", or followers of Prem Rawat, throughout the film, and one teen-aged boy was quoted as stating: "Before I came to the Guru I was a freak, smoking dope and dropping out - and my parents were happier then than they are with this."<ref name="adler" /> In a later part of the film, a loudspeaker voice announces: "Those premies who came in private cars can leave now..Those who came in rented buses can stay and meditate until further notice."<ref name="subtle" /><ref name="adler" /> Adherents of other belief systems also have ] appearances in the documentary, including a born again Christian who criticizes devotees for "following the devil," and a Hare Krishna follower.<ref name="boylerevisited">{{cite book | last =Boyle | first =Deirdre | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Subject to Change: Guerrilla Television Revisited | publisher =Oxford University Press US | date =1997 | location = | pages ="Gaga Over Guru", Pages 76-85. | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0195110544}}</ref> Abbie Hoffman appears as a commentator in the documentary and addresses some points raised in Davis's speech, stating: "It's rather arrogant of Rennie to say that he has found God and has his Telex number in his wallet."<ref name="adler" /> The TVTV crew interviewed different "premies", or followers of Prem Rawat, throughout the film, and one teenage boy is shown stating: "Before I came to the Guru I was a freak, smoking dope and dropping out – and my parents were happier then than they are with this."<ref name="adler" /> In a later part of the film, a loudspeaker voice announces: "Those premies who came in private cars can leave now. Those who came in rented buses can stay and meditate until further notice."<ref name="adler" /><ref name="subtle" /> Adherents of other belief systems also appear in the documentary, including a born-again Christian who criticizes devotees for "following the devil", and a Hare Krishna follower.<ref name="boylerevisited">{{cite book | last =Boyle | first =Deirdre | title =Subject to Change: Guerrilla Television Revisited | publisher =Oxford University Press US | year =1997 | pages = | isbn =0-19-511054-4 | url =https://archive.org/details/subjecttochangeg00boyl_0/page/76 }}</ref>


A separate storyline is seen concurrently through the coverage of the "Millenium '73" event, involving a man named Michael who has come to ] to receive ] from Maharaj Ji. Once Michael has received the "Knowledge", he defends the secrecy behind the rituals. Michael's experiences are contrasted in the documentary with interviews with "ex-premies" or former followers of Maharaj Ji, recounting their initiation and later disillusionment with Maharaj Ji's teachings. One of them says after receiving "Knowledge" from Maharaj Ji, he was told that this free gift required lifetime devotion and donations of "worldly goods".<ref name="boylerevisited" /> A separate storyline is seen concurrently through the coverage of the "Millennium '73" event, involving a man named Michael who has come to ], to receive ] from Maharaj Ji. Once Michael has received the "Knowledge", he defends the secrecy behind the rituals. Michael's experiences are contrasted in the documentary with interviews with "ex-premies" or former followers of Maharaj Ji, recounting their initiation and later disillusionment with Maharaj Ji's teachings. One of them says that after receiving "Knowledge" from Maharaj Ji, he was told that this free gift required lifetime devotion and donations of "worldly goods".<ref name="boylerevisited" />


Maharaj Ji is shown in a scene in the Astrodome relating a '']'' to the attendants. He is seen dressed in gold-colored clothing and a crown, and sits on a platform throne. The story he relates to the crowd involves a young boy who comes to Houston, while searching for a ] ]. While seated on the platform, Maharaji Ji is surrounded by flashing moon signs and women wearing ], while a band called "Blue Aquarius" plays his theme song.<ref name="boylerevisited" /> The stage is decorated with glitter and ]s, and Maharaj Ji's brother performs ] songs.<ref name="boyle" /> Abbie Hoffman gives a final comment in the documentary, stating: "If this guy is God, this is the God the United States of America deserves."<ref name="boylerevisited" /><ref name="intermix" /><ref name="subtle" /> Maharaj Ji is shown in a scene in the Astrodome relating a '']'' to the attendants. He is seen dressed in gold-colored clothing and a crown, and sits on a platform throne. The story he relates to the crowd involves a young boy who comes to Houston, while searching for a ] ]. While seated on the platform, Maharaj Ji is surrounded by flashing moon signs and women wearing ], while the band ] plays his theme song.<ref name="boylerevisited" /> The stage is decorated with glitter and ]s, and Maharaj Ji's brother performs ] songs.<ref name="boyle" /> Abbie Hoffman gives a final comment in the documentary, stating: "If this guy is God, this is the God the United States of America deserves."<ref name="intermix" /><ref name="subtle" /><ref name="boylerevisited" />


== Production == ==Production==
The documentary was produced by Top Value Television (TVTV), and was primarily directed by ].<ref name="televisionquarterly">{{cite journal | last =Popkin| first = Ray | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =What's Light, Quick, Cheap ... and Revolutionary? | journal =Television Quarterly | volume = 12 | issue = 2| pages =Page 54-57 | publisher =] | location = | date =Spring 1975 | url = | doi = | id = | accessdate = }}</ref> TVTV had received initial funding for the documentary through a small grant from the Stern Foundation, with an additional promise from the ].<ref name="televisionquarterly" /> David Loxton arranged a post-production budget of ]4,000, and the total production costs for the documentary amounted to $36,000 - about forty-five percent of the average costs for a PBS film production at the time.<ref name="boylerevisited" /> Several camera crews used half-inch black and white portapaks, and followed Maharaji and his group across the United States for six weeks.<ref name="televisionquarterly" /><ref name="adler" /> The TVTV production team debated whether or not to include the secret techniques of Maharaj Ji in the documentary, and finally decided that it was vital to disclose these practices in the piece.<ref name="boylerevisited" /> They chose to have an ex-premie divulge these practices rather than use a narration, but were fearful of potential repercussions which never came.<ref name="boylerevisited" /> TVTV member Tom Weinberg found a man who demonstrated ] techniques in the documentary, which he described as being the "Knowledge".<ref name="boylerevisited" /> Producer Megan Williams stated that TVTV crew members empathized with the experiences of Maharaj Ji's followers, because there was very little age difference between them and the TVTV production team. Nevertheless, many in the crew of TVTV felt superior to these "lost souls" describing the followers as "gurunoids".<ref name="boylerevisited" /> The documentary was produced by Top Value Television (TVTV) in association with TV Lab, and was primarily directed by ].<ref name="shales" /><ref name="televisionquarterly">{{cite journal | last =Popkin| first = Ray | title =What's Light, Quick, Cheap ... and Revolutionary? | journal =Television Quarterly | volume = 12 | issue = 2| pages =54–57 | publisher =] |date =Spring 1975}}</ref> TVTV had received initial funding for the documentary through a small grant from the Stern Foundation, and an additional promise from the ].<ref name="televisionquarterly" /> David Loxton arranged a post-production budget of ]4,000, and the total production costs for the documentary amounted to $36,000 – about forty-five percent of the average costs for a PBS film production at the time.<ref name="boylerevisited" /> Several camera crews used {{frac|1|2}}&nbsp;in (13&nbsp;mm) black and white portapaks and followed Maharaj Ji and his group across the United States for six weeks.<ref name="adler" /><ref name="televisionquarterly" /> The TVTV production team debated whether to include the secret techniques of Maharaj Ji in the documentary and finally decided that it was vital to disclose these practices in the piece.<ref name="boylerevisited" /> They chose to have an ex-premie divulge these practices rather than use a narration, but they were fearful of potential repercussions, which never came.<ref name="boylerevisited" /> TVTV member Tom Weinberg found a man who demonstrated ] techniques in the documentary, which he described as being the "Knowledge".<ref name="boylerevisited" /> Producer ] stated that TVTV crew members empathized with the experiences of Maharaj Ji's followers, because there was very little age difference between them and the TVTV production team. Nevertheless, many in the crew of TVTV felt superior to these "lost souls" describing the followers as "gurunoids".<ref name="boylerevisited" />


At the end of filming, eighty-two hours of tape were edited to the final fifty-eight minute documentary piece.<ref name="televisionquarterly" /> TVTV's team utilized ]s, live music, and ] shots.<ref name="vdb" /> ] sequences where quotations flash on the screen were also used for effect.<ref name="adler" /> The production was the first Portapak video documentary made for national television, and the "first program originally made on 1/2-inch video tape to be broadcast nationally."<ref name="intermix" /><ref name="johannagill">{{cite news | last =Gill | first =Johanna | coauthors = | title =Video: State of the Art | work =Video History Project | pages =Page 1 of 3 | language = | publisher =Experimental Television Center | date = | url =http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org/history/people/ptext.php3?id=29&page=1 | accessdate = 2007-11-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last =High | first =Kathy | coauthors = | title =On Reel New York | work =] | pages = | language = | publisher = ] | date = | url =http://www.thirteen.org/reelny/previous_seasons/reelnewyork2/overview.html | accessdate = 2007-11-07}}</ref> ''Lord of the Universe'' was also: "The first independent video documentary made for national broadcast on public television."<ref>{{cite book At the end of filming, eighty-two hours of tape were edited to the final fifty-eight-minute documentary piece.<ref name="televisionquarterly" /> TVTV's team utilized ]s, live music, and ] shots.<ref name="vdb" /> ] sequences where quotations flash on the screen were also used for effect.<ref name="adler" /> The production was the first Portapak video documentary made for national television, and the "first program originally made on {{frac|1|2}}&nbsp;in (13&nbsp;mm) video tape to be broadcast nationally".<ref name="intermix" /><ref name="johannagill">{{cite news | last =Gill | first =Johanna |title =Video: State of the Art | work =Video History Project | page =1|publisher =] | url =http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org/history/people/ptext.php3?id=29&page=1 | access-date = November 8, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last =High | first =Kathy | title =On Reel New York | work =] | publisher =] | url =http://www.thirteen.org/reelny/previous_seasons/reelnewyork2/overview.html | access-date =November 7, 2007 | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071130092703/http://www.thirteen.org/reelny/previous_seasons/reelnewyork2/overview.html | archive-date =November 30, 2007 | df =mdy-all }}</ref> ''Lord of the Universe'' was also: "The first independent video documentary made for national broadcast on public television."<ref>{{cite book
| last =Boyle | first =Deirdre | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Video Classics: A Guide to Video Art and Documentary Tapes | publisher =Oryx Press | date =1986 | location = | pages =Page 70 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-897-74102-1}}</ref> The trailer was originally broadcast on ] Channel Thirteen television.<ref name="mediaburn" /> ''Lord of the Universe'' was shown to a national audience in the United States on ], ], broadcast on two-hundred and forty stations of the Public Broadcasting Service.<ref name="dupont">{{cite news | last =Staff | first = | coauthors = | title =The Lord of the Universe | work =DuPont-Columbia Award | pages =Subject: RELIGION | language = | publisher =], The Journalism School | date =Awarded: 1974 | url = | accessdate = }}</ref><ref name="boyle">{{cite news | last =Boyle | first =Deirdre | coauthors = | title =Subject to Change | work =Art Journal | pages =Vol. 45, No. 3, Video: The Reflexive Medium, pp. 228-232 | language = | publisher = | date =Autumn, 1985 | url = http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org/history/people/ptext.php3?id=7| accessdate = 2007-11-08}}</ref><ref name="televisionquarterly" /> Later TVTV productions broadcast on ] included ''Gerald Ford's America'', and a 1975 program on ]s, ''The Good Times Are Killing Me''.<ref>{{cite book | last =Brown | first =Les | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Les Brown's Encyclopedia of Television | publisher =Gale Research | date =1992 | location = | pages =Page 327, 578 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-810-38871-5}}</ref> | last =Boyle | first =Deirdre | title = Video Classics: A Guide to Video Art and Documentary Tapes | url =https://archive.org/details/videoclassicsgui0000boyl | url-access =registration | publisher =Oryx Press | year =1986 |page = | isbn = 0-89774-102-1}}</ref> The trailer was originally broadcast on ] Channel Thirteen television.<ref name="mediaburn" /> ''Lord of the Universe'' was shown to a national audience in the United States on February 2, 1974, broadcast on 240&nbsp;stations of the Public Broadcasting Service.<ref name="boyle">{{cite journal | last =Boyle | first =Deirdre | title =Subject to Change | journal = ] | volume =45 | issue =3 | pages =228–232 | date =Autumn 1985 | url =http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org/history/people/ptext.php3?id=7 | access-date =November 8, 2007 | doi =10.2307/776857 | jstor =776857 | publisher =Art Journal, Vol. 45, No. 3}}</ref><ref name="televisionquarterly" /><ref name="dupont">{{cite news | last =Staff |title =The Lord of the Universe | work =DuPont-Columbia Award |publisher =], The Journalism School |year =1974}}</ref> It aired a second time on July 12, 1974.<ref>{{cite news | last =Goldsmith | first =Paul | title =Lord of the Universe:An Eclairman In Videoland | work =Filmmakers Newsletter | pages =25–27 | date =Summer 1974 }}</ref> Later TVTV productions broadcast on ] included ''Gerald Ford's America'', and a 1975 program on ]s ''The Good Times Are Killing Me''.<ref name="shales">{{cite news | last =Shales | first =Tom |title =Public Television -- Tangled Up in Tape | newspaper =] | page =H1 | date =December 10, 1978 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last =Brown | first =Les | title =Les Brown's Encyclopedia of Television | publisher =Gale Research | year =1992 | pages = | isbn =0-8103-8871-5 | url =https://archive.org/details/lesbrownsencyclo00brow/page/327 }}</ref>


In 1989, the documentary was included in an exhibition at the ] on video art called "Image World: Art and Media Culture."<ref>{{cite news | last =Grundberg | first =Andy | coauthors = | title = Video Is Making Waves in the Art World | work =] | pages = | language = | publisher =] | date =], ] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> The documentary was re-released to VHS on ], ], by Subtle Communications.<ref name="subtle">{{cite news | last =Staff | first = | coauthors = | title =Distributed by Subtle Communications | work =Lord of the Universe, VHS | pages = | language = | publisher =Subtle Communications, 1208 W. Webster, Chicago, Il 60614 | date =], ] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> On the packaging it is claimed that Guru Maharaj Ji "promised to levitate the Astrodome".<ref name="subtle" /> The only reference to this in the video is by a believer who states "I would like to bet anyone who wishes to make some ']' that by November 15, the Houston Astrodome will physically separate from the planet which we call Earth and will fly."<ref name="mediaburn">{{cite news | last =Staff | first = | coauthors = In 1989, the documentary was included in an exhibition at the ] on video art called "Image World: Art and Media Culture".<ref>{{cite news | last =Grundberg | first =Andy |title = Video Is Making Waves in the Art World | work =] | date =November 17, 1989 }}</ref> The documentary was re-released to VHS on November 1, 1991, by Subtle Communications.<ref name="subtle">{{cite news | last =Staff |title =Distributed by Subtle Communications | work =Lord of the Universe, VHS | publisher =Subtle Communications, 1208 W. Webster, Chicago, Il 60614 | date =November 1, 1991 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last =Staff | title =New On Video | work =] | page =19 |date =April 10, 1992 }}</ref> On the packaging it is claimed that Guru Maharaj Ji "promised to levitate the Astrodome".<ref name="subtle" /> Sources including TVRO, the library of the ], and '']'' repeat this statement in varying forms.<ref name="boyle" /><ref>{{cite news | last =Staff |title =TVRO: Lord of the Universe (1974) | work =] | url =http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=48375 |access-date=November 7, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last =Staff|title=The Lord of the Universe : Guru Maharaj Ji / for TVTV|work =Cruzcat Catalog|publisher =]| url =http://cruzcat.ucsc.edu/search~S5?/aWNET+(Television+station+:+New+York,+N.Y.)/awnet+television+station+new+york+n+y/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&FF=awnet+television+station+new+york+n+y+television+laboratory&3%2C%2C13%2C%20%5B%5BUniversity%20of%20California%2C%20Santa%20Cruz%5D%5D | access-date = November 7, 2007}}</ref> The documentary was screened in August 2006 at The Centre for Contemporary Arts in ], as part of the Camcorder Guerilla cinema programme.<ref>{{cite news | last =Staff |title =CCA packs in week of films and events; World movies and workshops at art centre. | work =] | page = 4 |publisher = ]| date =July 24, 2006 }}</ref>
| title =Video Preview: Lord Of The Universe | work =MediaBurn Independent Video Archive | pages = | language = | publisher = 2006 FITV | date = | url =http://www.mediaburn.org/Video-Preview.128.0.html?uid=4247 | accessdate = 2007-11-07}}</ref> Reviewers of the documentary including: TVRO, the ], and ''Art Journal'' repeat this claim in varying forms.<ref>{{cite news | last =Staff | first = | coauthors = | title =TVRO: Lord of the Universe (1974) | work =] | pages = | language = | publisher =] | date = | url =http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=48375 | accessdate = 2007-11-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last =Staff | first = | coauthors = | title = The Lord of the Universe : Guru Maharaj Ji / for TVTV | work =Cruzcat Catalog | pages = | language = | publisher =] | date = | url =http://cruzcat.ucsc.edu:2082/search/aWNET+(Television+station+:+New+York,+N.Y.)/awnet+television+station+new+york+n+y/-3,-1,0,B/frameset&FF=awnet+television+station+new+york+n+y+television+laboratory&4,,13%20Cruzcat%20Catalog%5D,%20%5B%5BUniversity%20of%20California,%20Santa%20Cruz%5D%5D,%20The%20Lord%20of%20the%20Universe
| accessdate = 2007-11-07}}</ref><ref name="boyle" /> The documentary was screened in August 2006 at The Centre for Contemporary Arts in ], as part of the Camcorder Guerilla cinema programme.<ref>{{cite news | last =Staff | first = | coauthors = | title =CCA packs in week of films and events; World movies and workshops at art centre. | work =] | pages = Page 4 | language = | publisher = ]| date =], ] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref>


== Reception == ==Reception==
] release ], with quotes from ] reviews]]
=== Awards ===
⚫ The documentary received the 1974 "Alfred I. du Pont/Columbia University Award in Broadcast Journalism" (DuPont Award).<ref name="vdb">{{cite web | last =Staff | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Lord of the Universe | work =Video Data Bank | publisher = | date = | url =http://www.vdb.org/smackn.acgi$tapedetail?LORDOFTHEU | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-11-07}}</ref><ref name="intermix" /><ref name="dupont" /> The jurors from the 1974 DuPont-Columbia awards stated that the documentary was: "hectic, hilarious and not a little disquieting. With a heavier and less sure hand, the subject would have been squashed beneath the reporters’ irony or contempt. As it was, cult religion was handed to us, live and quivering, to make of it what we would."<ref name="dupont" /> The group’s work impressed WNET president ], and he raised additional funds which helped TVTV to produce five more programs, including ''Gerald Ford’s America''.<ref name="video history project">{{cite news | last =Mella | first =Leanne | coauthors = | title =Set in Motion: The New York State Council on the Arts Celebrates 30 Years of Independents: On Television | work =Video History Project | pages =Resources - People Text | language = | publisher = | date =1994 | url =http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org/history/people/ptext.php3?id=61&page=1 | accessdate = 2007-11-08 }}</ref>


=== Reviews === ===Reviews===
⚫ Ron Powers of the ''Chicago Sun Times'' called the documentary "highly recommended viewing", and described it as: "...&nbsp;both as an example of skeptical, unimpressed (but never vicious) journalism, and as a peek into the future of television&nbsp;...&nbsp;a clever, ironic and eventually devastating documentary".<ref>{{cite news | last =Powers | first = Ron |title ='Participatory TV Goes to Guru Gala |work=]
The documentary received mostly positive reviews, but did receive some criticism in the ''New York Post'', where Bob Williams called it a "deplorable film" and "flat, pointless, television". He wrote: "The hour-long program was remiss in not providing some small examination of the available box-office take of the goofy kid guru, much less telling prospective contributors how it got involved in spending how much of its foundation grants and viewer subscription money in such a questionable venture without more inquisitive journalistic endeavor, or ignoring gurus."<ref>{{cite news | last = Wiliams | first = Bob | coauthors = | title =On the Air | language = English | publisher = ] | date = ], 1974}}</ref> Katy Butler writing in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'' stated that the TVTV style had improved since their previous work, noting: "This show has fewer interjections from TVTV personnel, fewer moments that drag, more technological razzle-dazzle (color footage, slow motion, stop motion, tight and rapid cutting)." However, she also described Guru Maharaji and his entourage as "an easy target," and wrote that "anybody can look like a fool when a smartass wide angle lens distorts their face, and teenage ex-dopers who think a fat boy is God don't stand a chance." Butler wished that TVTV would move on to more challenging subjects for their future work.<ref>{{cite news | last =Butler | first =Kay | coauthors = | title =Dissecting the Guru on the Tube | work =] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =], ] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref>
| date = March 16, 1974}}</ref> ''Electronic Arts Intermix'' described ''Lord of the Universe'' as "a forceful expose on the sixteen-year-old Guru Maharaj Ji and the national gathering of his followers at the Houston Astrodome".<ref name="intermix" /> Michael Blowen of ''The Boston Globe'' wrote that the documentary "captures the absurdity of Millennium '73", and that "The desperation of flower people alienated from politics is both touching and hilarious as they offer hope for eternal life to other converts."<ref name="blowen">{{cite news | last =Blowen | first =Michael |title =A Glimpse of America 'Subject to Change' | work =] | page =31 | date =February 21, 1989 }}</ref>


⚫ Dick Adler of the ''Los Angeles Times'' gave the documentary a positive review, writing: "'The Lord of the Universe' doesn't really take sides, which doesn't mean it's a bland hour trying to please everybody. Its considerable bite comes first from the material TVTV so carefully gathered and there from the artfully wise frame in which it chose to present it."<ref name="adler">{{cite news | last =Adler | first =Dick | title =TV REVIEW: Videotape Explorers on Trail of a Guru | work =] | page =B2 | date =February 23, 1974}}</ref> Deirdre Boyle wrote in ''Art Journal'' that the piece was "the zenith of TVTV's guerrilla-TV style".<ref name="boyle" /> According to Boyle's ''Subject to Change: Guerrilla Television Revisited'', as in all TVTV tapes, everyone in the documentary comes across as foolish, describing the production's sarcasm as the "ultimate leveler" using equal irony "both with the mighty and the lowly".<ref name="boylerevisited" />
⚫ John J. O'Connor, of ''The New York Times'' described TVTV's work as "a terrific documentary," and complimented the team on the visual results of the piece, noting: "After TVTV superbly dissected the guru, his 'holy family' and his followers, more objective viewers might have chosen to laugh, cry, or throw up."<ref>{{cite news | last = O'Connor | first =John J. | coauthors = | title =TV: Meditating on Young Guru and His Followers | work =] | pages = | language = | publisher =] | date =], ] | url =
⚫ | accessdate = }}</ref> Ron Powers of the ''Chicago Sun Times'' called the documentary "highly recommended viewing," and described it as: "..both as an example of skeptical, unimpressed (but never vicious) journalism, and as a peek into the future of television...a clever, ironic and eventually devastating documentary."<ref>{{cite news | last =Powers | first = Ron | coauthors = | title ='Participatory TV Goes to Guru Gala | language = English | publisher = ]
⚫ | date = ], ]}}</ref> ''Electronic Arts Intermix'' described ''Lord of the Universe'' as "a forceful expose on the sixteen-year-old Guru Maharaj Ji and the national gathering of his followers at the Houston Astrodome."<ref name="intermix" /> Dick Adler of the ''Los Angeles Times'' also gave the documentary a positive review, writing: "'The Lord of the Universe' doesn't really take sides, which doesn't mean it's a bland hour trying to please everybody. It's considerable bite comes first from the material TVTV so carefully gathered and there from the artfully wise frame in which it chose to present it."<ref name="adler">{{cite news | last =Adler | first =Dick | coauthors = | title =TV REVIEW: Videotape Explorers on Trail of a Guru | work =] | pages =Page B2 | language = | publisher = | date =], ] | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> Deirdre Boyle wrote in ''Art Journal'' that the piece was "the zenith of TVTV's guerrilla-TV style."<ref name="boyle" /> According to Boyle's ''Subject to Change: Guerrilla Television Revisited'', as in all TVTV tapes, everyone in the documentary comes across as foolish, describing the production's sarcasm as the "ultimate leveler" using equal irony "both with the mighty and the lowly."<ref name="boylerevisited" />


] wrote in the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'' that the TVTV style had improved since their previous work: "This show has fewer interjections from TVTV personnel, fewer moments that drag, more technological razzle-dazzle (color footage, slow motion, stop motion, tight and rapid cutting)." However, she described Guru Maharaj Ji and his entourage as "an easy target" and wrote that "anybody can look like a fool when a smartass wide angle lens distorts their face, and teenage ex-dopers who think a fat boy is God don't stand a chance". Butler wished that TVTV would move on to more challenging subjects for their future work.<ref>{{cite news | last =Butler | first =Kay |title =Dissecting the Guru on the Tube | work =] |date =February 28, 1974}}</ref> Bob Williams of the ''New York Post'' called the documentary a "deplorable film" and "flat, pointless, television".<ref name="bobwilliams" /> He wrote: "The hour-long program was remiss in not providing some small examination of the available box-office take of the goofy kid guru, much less telling prospective contributors how it got involved in spending how much of its foundation grants and viewer subscription money in such a questionable venture without more inquisitive journalistic endeavor, or ignoring gurus."<ref name="bobwilliams">{{cite news | last = Wiliams | first = Bob |title =On the Air: TVTV Illuminates the Ji |work=] | date = February 25, 1974|page=42}}</ref>
⚫ == Credits ==

''Source'' <ref name=intermix />
⚫ A review in '']'' described the film as "a fascinating hour documentary on the guru's three-day happening at the Houston Astrodome", and commented that the event was "deftly captured by the mobile video cameras of TVTV, a group of talented young tapemakers".<ref>{{cite news | last =Staff | title =March On Television | work =] | date =March 11, 1974}}</ref> John J. O'Connor of ''The New York Times'' described TVTV's work as "a terrific documentary" and complimented the team on the visual results of the piece: "After TVTV superbly dissected the guru, his 'holy family' and his followers, more objective viewers might have chosen to laugh, cry, or throw up."<ref>{{cite news | last = O'Connor | first =John J.| title =TV: Meditating on Young Guru and His Followers | work =] | date =February 25, 1974}}</ref> In a later piece by O'Connor in 1975, he wrote that TVTV "gained a respectable measure of national success with 'The Lord of the Universe'".<ref>{{cite news | last =O'Connor | first =John J. | title =TV Review; Videotapes Living Up to Star Billing | work =] | date =February 6, 1975 }}</ref>
⚫ {| class="wikitable"

===Accolades===
⚫ The documentary received the 1974 "Alfred I. du Pont/Columbia University Award in Broadcast Journalism" (]).<ref name="intermix" /><ref name="vdb">{{cite web|last=Staff |title=Lord of the Universe |work=Video Data Bank |url=http://www.vdb.org/smackn.acgi$tapedetail?LORDOFTHEU |access-date=November 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927213634/http://www.vdb.org/smackn.acgi%24tapedetail?LORDOFTHEU |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="dupont" /> The jurors from the 1974 DuPont-Columbia awards stated that the documentary was: "hectic, hilarious and not a little disquieting. With a heavier and less sure hand, the subject would have been squashed beneath the reporters’ irony or contempt. As it was, cult religion was handed to us, live and quivering, to make of it what we would."<ref name="dupont" /> The group's work impressed WNET president ], and he raised additional funds that helped TVTV to produce five more programs, including ''Gerald Ford's America''.<ref name="video history project">{{cite news | last =Mella | first =Leanne |title =Set in Motion: The New York State Council on the Arts Celebrates 30 Years of Independents: On Television | work =Video History Project | year =1994 | url =http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org/history/people/ptext.php3?id=61&page=1 | access-date = November 8, 2007 }}</ref>

⚫ ==Credits==
⚫ {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|- |-
! scope=row | Production
| '''Production''' || Wendy Appel, Skip Blumberg, Bill Bradbury, John Brumage, Steve Christiansen, Paul Goldsmith, Stanton Kaye, John Keeler, Anda Korsts, Harry Mathias, Doug Michels, Tom Morey, Rita Ogden, Tom Richmond, Van Schley, Jodi Sibert, Elon Soltes, Akio Yamaguchi | Wendy Appel, Skip Blumberg, Bill Bradbury, John Brumage, Steve Christiansen, Paul Goldsmith, Stanton Kaye, John Keeler, ], Harry Mathias, Doug Michels, Tom Morey, Rita Ogden, Tom Richmond, Van Schley, Jodi Sibert, Elon Soltes, Akio Yamaguchi<ref name="intermix" />
|- |-
! scope=row | Editors
| '''Editors''' || Wendy Appel, Hudson Marquez, Rita Ogden, Allen Rucker, Michael Shamberg, Elon Soltes | Wendy Appel, Hudson Marquez, Rita Ogden, ], Michael Shamberg, Elon Soltes
|- |-
! scope=row | Producer
| '''Producer''' || David Loxton. A TVTV production in association with the TV Lab at WNET/Thirteen. also: (Hudson Marquez, Allen Rucker, Michael Shamberg, Tom Weinberg, and Megan Williams) | David Loxton. A TVTV production in association with the TV Lab at WNET/Thirteen. also: (Hudson Marquez, Allen Rucker, Michael Shamberg, Tom Weinberg, and Megan Williams)
|- |-
| '''Supervising Engineer/Videotape Editor''' || John J. Godfrey ! scope=row | Supervising Engineer/Videotape Editor
| John J. Godfrey
|- |-
|} |}


== See also == ==See also==
⚫ {{Portal|Film|Journalism}}
*]
* ]
*]


== References == ==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
=== Notes ===

{{reflist|2}}
=== Further reading === ==Further reading==
{{refbegin}} {{Refbegin|33em}}
*{{cite book | last = Kahn | first = Ashley | authorlink = | coauthors = Holly George-Warren, Shawn Dahl | title = Rolling Stone: The Seventies | publisher = Little, Brown and Company | date = 1998 | location = | pages = Section: 1973: "Who's your guru" by Richard Michael Levine. | url = | doi = | id = ISBN 0-316-81547-0}} *{{cite book | last = Kahn | first = Ashley |author2=Holly George-Warren |author3=Shawn Dahl | title = Rolling Stone: The Seventies | url = https://archive.org/details/rollingstoneseve00kahn | url-access = registration | publisher = Little, Brown and Company | year = 1998 | pages = |isbn = 0-316-81547-0}}
*{{cite news | last =Kilday | first =Gregg | coauthors = | title =Astrodome Loses Beer Odor to Mystic Incense: 20,000 Devotees of 15-Year-Old Guru Assemble in Houston for 3-Day Festival | work =] | pages =Page A4 | language = | publisher = | date =], ] | url = | accessdate = }} *{{cite news | last =Kilday | first =Gregg | title =Astrodome Loses Beer Odor to Mystic Incense: 20,000&nbsp;Devotees of 15-Year-Old Guru Assemble in Houston for 3-Day Festival | work =] | page =A4 | date =November 9, 1973 }}
*{{cite news | last =Kilday | first =Gregg | coauthors = | title =Houston's Version of Peace in Our Time | work =] | pages =Page S18 | language = | publisher = | date =], ] | url = | accessdate = }} *{{cite news | last =Kilday | first =Gregg | title =Houston's Version of Peace in Our Time | work =] | page =S18 |date =November 25, 1973 }}
*{{cite news | last =Kilday | first =Gregg | coauthors = | title =Under the Astrodome - Maharaj Ji: The Selling of a Guru, 1973 | work =] | pages =Page D1 | language = | publisher = | date =], ] | url = | accessdate = }} *{{cite news | last =Kilday | first =Gregg |title =Under the Astrodome - Maharaj Ji: The Selling of a Guru, 1973 | work =] | page =D1 | date =November 13, 1973}}
*{{cite news | last =Levine| first = Richard| coauthors = | title =When The Lord of All The Universe Played Houston: Many are called but few show up | work =] | pages =Pp. 36-50 | language = | publisher = | date =], ] | url = | accessdate = }} *{{cite magazine | last =Levine| first = Richard| title =When The Lord of All The Universe Played Houston: Many are called but few show up |magazine=] | pages = 36–50 |date =March 14, 1974}}
*{{cite book | last = Larson | first = Bob | authorlink = Bob Larson | coauthors = | title = ] | publisher = Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. | date = 2004 | location = | pages = 149-153 | url = | doi = | id = ISBN 0-842-36417-X}} *{{cite book | last = Larson | first = Bob | author-link = Bob Larson | title = ] | publisher = Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. | year = 2004 | pages = 149–153 | isbn = 0-8423-6417-X}}
*{{cite news | last =''TIME'' Staff | first = | coauthors = | title =One Lord too Many | work =] | pages = | language = | publisher =] | date =], ] | url =http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917390,00.html *{{cite magazine | last =''TIME'' Staff | title =One Lord too Many |magazine=] | date =April 28, 1975 | url =http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917390,00.html| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080214000406/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917390,00.html| url-status =dead| archive-date =February 14, 2008| access-date = November 8, 2007}}
{{Refend}}
| accessdate = 2007-11-08}}
{{refend}}


==External links== ==External links==
⚫ *{{IMDb title|id=1087602|title=Lord of the Universe}}
⚫ {{portal|Journalism}}
⚫ *, Media Burn Independent Video Archive (mediaburn.org)
*{{allmovie|1:48375}}
⚫ *, Creative Commons License, ]
⚫ *{{imdb title|id=1087602|title=Lord of the Universe}}

⚫ *, Media Burn Independent Video Archive (mediaburn.org)
{{Prem Rawat}}
⚫ *, Creative Commons License, ]
{{Featured article}}


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Latest revision as of 01:29, 22 December 2024

1974 film by Michael Shamberg This article is about the 1974 film. For other uses, see Lord of the Universe (disambiguation).

Lord of the Universe
1991 VHS edition
Directed by
Produced by
  • David Loxton
  • Top Value Television
Edited by
  • John. J. Godfrey
  • Wendy Appel
Production
company		Top Value Television
Distributed byPBS
Release dates
  • February 2, 1974 (1974-02-02) (PBS)
  • November 1, 1991 (1991-11-01) (VHS)
Running time58 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$30,000

Lord of the Universe is a 1974 American documentary film about Prem Rawat (at the time known as Guru Maharaj Ji) at an event in November 1973 at the Houston Astrodome called "Millennium '73". Lord of the Universe was first broadcast on PBS on February 2, 1974, and released in VHS format on November 1, 1991. The documentary chronicles Maharaj Ji, his followers and anti-Vietnam War activist Rennie Davis who was a spokesperson of the Divine Light Mission at the time. A counterpoint is presented by Davis' Chicago Seven co-defendant Abbie Hoffman, who appears as a commentator. It includes interviews with several individuals, including followers, ex-followers, a mahatma, a born-again Christian, and a follower of Hare Krishna.

The production team of Top Value Television produced the documentary, using Portapak video cameras. The TVTV team followed Maharaj Ji across the United States over a period of six weeks, and edited a large amount of tape down to the fifty-eight-minute piece. It was the first documentary made on 1⁄2 in (13 mm) video tape broadcast nationally, and also the first independent video documentary shown on national public television.

The documentary was generally well-received, and garnered its TVTV production team the 1974 Alfred I. du Pont/Columbia University Award in Broadcast Journalism. The documentary received a negative review in the New York Post, and positive reviews in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Sun-Times. The San Francisco Bay Guardian wrote that the TVTV team had improved since their previous work but wanted them to move on to more challenging subjects.

Content

The documentary chronicles Guru Maharaj Ji, the Divine Light Mission, his followers and anti-Vietnam War activist Rennie Davis at "Millennium '73", an event held at the Houston Astrodome in November 1973. Rennie Davis, a follower of Guru Maharaj Ji, was one of the spokespersons and speakers at the "Millennium '73" event. His speech is featured in the documentary.

Abbie Hoffman appears as a commentator in the documentary and addresses some points raised in Davis's speech, stating: "It's rather arrogant of Rennie to say that he has found God and has his Telex number in his wallet." The TVTV crew interviewed different "premies", or followers of Prem Rawat, throughout the film, and one teenage boy is shown stating: "Before I came to the Guru I was a freak, smoking dope and dropping out – and my parents were happier then than they are with this." In a later part of the film, a loudspeaker voice announces: "Those premies who came in private cars can leave now. Those who came in rented buses can stay and meditate until further notice." Adherents of other belief systems also appear in the documentary, including a born-again Christian who criticizes devotees for "following the devil", and a Hare Krishna follower.

A separate storyline is seen concurrently through the coverage of the "Millennium '73" event, involving a man named Michael who has come to Houston, Texas, to receive "Knowledge" from Maharaj Ji. Once Michael has received the "Knowledge", he defends the secrecy behind the rituals. Michael's experiences are contrasted in the documentary with interviews with "ex-premies" or former followers of Maharaj Ji, recounting their initiation and later disillusionment with Maharaj Ji's teachings. One of them says that after receiving "Knowledge" from Maharaj Ji, he was told that this free gift required lifetime devotion and donations of "worldly goods".

Maharaj Ji is shown in a scene in the Astrodome relating a satsang to the attendants. He is seen dressed in gold-colored clothing and a crown, and sits on a platform throne. The story he relates to the crowd involves a young boy who comes to Houston, while searching for a Superman comic book. While seated on the platform, Maharaj Ji is surrounded by flashing moon signs and women wearing decorative garlands, while the band Blue Aquarius plays his theme song. The stage is decorated with glitter and neon lights, and Maharaj Ji's brother performs rock music songs. Abbie Hoffman gives a final comment in the documentary, stating: "If this guy is God, this is the God the United States of America deserves."

Production

The documentary was produced by Top Value Television (TVTV) in association with TV Lab, and was primarily directed by Michael Shamberg. TVTV had received initial funding for the documentary through a small grant from the Stern Foundation, and an additional promise from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. David Loxton arranged a post-production budget of US$4,000, and the total production costs for the documentary amounted to $36,000 – about forty-five percent of the average costs for a PBS film production at the time. Several camera crews used 1⁄2 in (13 mm) black and white portapaks and followed Maharaj Ji and his group across the United States for six weeks. The TVTV production team debated whether to include the secret techniques of Maharaj Ji in the documentary and finally decided that it was vital to disclose these practices in the piece. They chose to have an ex-premie divulge these practices rather than use a narration, but they were fearful of potential repercussions, which never came. TVTV member Tom Weinberg found a man who demonstrated meditation techniques in the documentary, which he described as being the "Knowledge". Producer Megan Williams stated that TVTV crew members empathized with the experiences of Maharaj Ji's followers, because there was very little age difference between them and the TVTV production team. Nevertheless, many in the crew of TVTV felt superior to these "lost souls" describing the followers as "gurunoids".

At the end of filming, eighty-two hours of tape were edited to the final fifty-eight-minute documentary piece. TVTV's team utilized graphics, live music, and wide angle lens shots. Stop-action sequences where quotations flash on the screen were also used for effect. The production was the first Portapak video documentary made for national television, and the "first program originally made on 1⁄2 in (13 mm) video tape to be broadcast nationally". Lord of the Universe was also: "The first independent video documentary made for national broadcast on public television." The trailer was originally broadcast on WNET Channel Thirteen television. Lord of the Universe was shown to a national audience in the United States on February 2, 1974, broadcast on 240 stations of the Public Broadcasting Service. It aired a second time on July 12, 1974. Later TVTV productions broadcast on public television included Gerald Ford's America, and a 1975 program on Cajuns The Good Times Are Killing Me.

In 1989, the documentary was included in an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art on video art called "Image World: Art and Media Culture". The documentary was re-released to VHS on November 1, 1991, by Subtle Communications. On the packaging it is claimed that Guru Maharaj Ji "promised to levitate the Astrodome". Sources including TVRO, the library of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Art Journal repeat this statement in varying forms. The documentary was screened in August 2006 at The Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, Scotland, as part of the Camcorder Guerilla cinema programme.

Reception

Reviews

Ron Powers of the Chicago Sun Times called the documentary "highly recommended viewing", and described it as: "... both as an example of skeptical, unimpressed (but never vicious) journalism, and as a peek into the future of television ... a clever, ironic and eventually devastating documentary". Electronic Arts Intermix described Lord of the Universe as "a forceful expose on the sixteen-year-old Guru Maharaj Ji and the national gathering of his followers at the Houston Astrodome". Michael Blowen of The Boston Globe wrote that the documentary "captures the absurdity of Millennium '73", and that "The desperation of flower people alienated from politics is both touching and hilarious as they offer hope for eternal life to other converts."

Dick Adler of the Los Angeles Times gave the documentary a positive review, writing: "'The Lord of the Universe' doesn't really take sides, which doesn't mean it's a bland hour trying to please everybody. Its considerable bite comes first from the material TVTV so carefully gathered and there from the artfully wise frame in which it chose to present it." Deirdre Boyle wrote in Art Journal that the piece was "the zenith of TVTV's guerrilla-TV style". According to Boyle's Subject to Change: Guerrilla Television Revisited, as in all TVTV tapes, everyone in the documentary comes across as foolish, describing the production's sarcasm as the "ultimate leveler" using equal irony "both with the mighty and the lowly".

Katy Butler wrote in the San Francisco Bay Guardian that the TVTV style had improved since their previous work: "This show has fewer interjections from TVTV personnel, fewer moments that drag, more technological razzle-dazzle (color footage, slow motion, stop motion, tight and rapid cutting)." However, she described Guru Maharaj Ji and his entourage as "an easy target" and wrote that "anybody can look like a fool when a smartass wide angle lens distorts their face, and teenage ex-dopers who think a fat boy is God don't stand a chance". Butler wished that TVTV would move on to more challenging subjects for their future work. Bob Williams of the New York Post called the documentary a "deplorable film" and "flat, pointless, television". He wrote: "The hour-long program was remiss in not providing some small examination of the available box-office take of the goofy kid guru, much less telling prospective contributors how it got involved in spending how much of its foundation grants and viewer subscription money in such a questionable venture without more inquisitive journalistic endeavor, or ignoring gurus."

A review in The Oakland Tribune described the film as "a fascinating hour documentary on the guru's three-day happening at the Houston Astrodome", and commented that the event was "deftly captured by the mobile video cameras of TVTV, a group of talented young tapemakers". John J. O'Connor of The New York Times described TVTV's work as "a terrific documentary" and complimented the team on the visual results of the piece: "After TVTV superbly dissected the guru, his 'holy family' and his followers, more objective viewers might have chosen to laugh, cry, or throw up." In a later piece by O'Connor in 1975, he wrote that TVTV "gained a respectable measure of national success with 'The Lord of the Universe'".

Accolades

The documentary received the 1974 "Alfred I. du Pont/Columbia University Award in Broadcast Journalism" (DuPont Award). The jurors from the 1974 DuPont-Columbia awards stated that the documentary was: "hectic, hilarious and not a little disquieting. With a heavier and less sure hand, the subject would have been squashed beneath the reporters’ irony or contempt. As it was, cult religion was handed to us, live and quivering, to make of it what we would." The group's work impressed WNET president John Jay Iselin, and he raised additional funds that helped TVTV to produce five more programs, including Gerald Ford's America.

Credits

Production Wendy Appel, Skip Blumberg, Bill Bradbury, John Brumage, Steve Christiansen, Paul Goldsmith, Stanton Kaye, John Keeler, Anda Korsts, Harry Mathias, Doug Michels, Tom Morey, Rita Ogden, Tom Richmond, Van Schley, Jodi Sibert, Elon Soltes, Akio Yamaguchi
Editors Wendy Appel, Hudson Marquez, Rita Ogden, Allen Rucker, Michael Shamberg, Elon Soltes
Producer David Loxton. A TVTV production in association with the TV Lab at WNET/Thirteen. also: (Hudson Marquez, Allen Rucker, Michael Shamberg, Tom Weinberg, and Megan Williams)
Supervising Engineer/Videotape Editor John J. Godfrey

See also

References

  1. ^ Mella, Leanne (1994). "Set in Motion: The New York State Council on the Arts Celebrates 30 Years of Independents: On Television". Video History Project. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  2. Staff (July 1, 1974). "Wednesday: Lord of the Universe". The Harvard Crimson. The Harvard Crimson, Inc., Harvard University. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  3. ^ Staff. "Video Preview: Lord Of The Universe". MediaBurn Independent Video Archive. 2006 FITV. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
  4. ^ Staff. "The Lord of the Universe". Electronic Arts Intermix. 1997-2007 Electronic Arts Intermix. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
  5. Staff (2007). "Guru Maharaj Ji". Biography Resource Center. Thomson Gale, Farmington Hills, Michigan.
  6. Kent, Dr. Stephen A. (2001). From slogans to mantras: social protest and religious conversion in the late Vietnam War era. Syracuse University. p. 52.
  7. ^ Adler, Dick (February 23, 1974). "TV REVIEW: Videotape Explorers on Trail of a Guru". Los Angeles Times. p. B2.
  8. ^ Staff (November 1, 1991). "Distributed by Subtle Communications". Lord of the Universe, VHS. Subtle Communications, 1208 W. Webster, Chicago, Il 60614.
  9. ^ Boyle, Deirdre (1997). Subject to Change: Guerrilla Television Revisited. Oxford University Press US. pp. 76–85. ISBN 0-19-511054-4.
  10. ^ Boyle, Deirdre (Autumn 1985). "Subject to Change". Art Journal. 45 (3). Art Journal, Vol. 45, No. 3: 228–232. doi:10.2307/776857. JSTOR 776857. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  11. ^ Shales, Tom (December 10, 1978). "Public Television -- Tangled Up in Tape". The Washington Post. p. H1.
  12. ^ Popkin, Ray (Spring 1975). "What's Light, Quick, Cheap ... and Revolutionary?". Television Quarterly. 12 (2). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences: 54–57.
  13. ^ Staff. "Lord of the Universe". Video Data Bank. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
  14. Gill, Johanna. "Video: State of the Art". Video History Project. Experimental Television Center. p. 1. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  15. High, Kathy. "On Reel New York". thirteen WNET New York. WNET. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
  16. Boyle, Deirdre (1986). Video Classics: A Guide to Video Art and Documentary Tapes. Oryx Press. p. 70. ISBN 0-89774-102-1.
  17. ^ Staff (1974). "The Lord of the Universe". DuPont-Columbia Award. Columbia University, The Journalism School.
  18. Goldsmith, Paul (Summer 1974). "Lord of the Universe:An Eclairman In Videoland". Filmmakers Newsletter. pp. 25–27.
  19. Brown, Les (1992). Les Brown's Encyclopedia of Television. Gale Research. pp. 327, 578. ISBN 0-8103-8871-5.
  20. Grundberg, Andy (November 17, 1989). "Video Is Making Waves in the Art World". The New York Times.
  21. Staff (April 10, 1992). "New On Video". Austin American-Statesman. p. 19.
  22. Staff. "TVRO: Lord of the Universe (1974)". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
  23. Staff. "The Lord of the Universe [videorecording] : Guru Maharaj Ji / for TVTV". Cruzcat Catalog. University of California, Santa Cruz. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
  24. Staff (July 24, 2006). "CCA packs in week of films and events; World movies and workshops at art centre". Evening Times. Newsquest. p. 4.
  25. Powers, Ron (March 16, 1974). "'Participatory TV Goes to Guru Gala". Chicago Sun-Times.
  26. Blowen, Michael (February 21, 1989). "A Glimpse of America 'Subject to Change'". Boston Globe. p. 31.
  27. Butler, Kay (February 28, 1974). "Dissecting the Guru on the Tube". San Francisco Bay Guardian.
  28. ^ Wiliams, Bob (February 25, 1974). "On the Air: TVTV Illuminates the Ji". New York Post. p. 42.
  29. Staff (March 11, 1974). "March On Television". The Oakland Tribune.
  30. O'Connor, John J. (February 25, 1974). "TV: Meditating on Young Guru and His Followers". The New York Times.
  31. O'Connor, John J. (February 6, 1975). "TV Review; Videotapes Living Up to Star Billing". The New York Times.

Further reading

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