Film, Media & Entertainment
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL WORLD (2014) — An Intimate Doc of David Lynch in India!
This January, 7th House, The Philosophical Research Society, and Zebulon honor one of the great all-time masters of cinema with their series NIGHT BLOOMING JASMINE: A CELEBRATION OF DAVID LYNCH, with events throughout the month at both PRS and Zebulon. Perhaps no artist has ever imbued their work with such darkness, mystery, wonder, beauty, and humor, a consummate creator whose journeys into the far reaches of imagination and consciousness have left an indelible and eternal mark on the world. For this very special evening, 7th House is proud to present an incredibly rare screening of the documentary that stands as the most candid and intimate film portrait of Lynch and the deeply devoted practice and spiritual exploration that informed his creative life: Richard Beymer’s mystical travelogue IT’S A BEAUTIFUL WORLD (2014).
In 2009, David Lynch invited actor/filmmaker/visual artist Richard Beymer — a longtime close friend since he’d cast him as The Great Northern’s proprietor Benjamin Horne in Twin Peaks — to join him on a 10-day journey from one end of India to the other via plane, boat, car, and on foot. The quest was to retrace the formative years of a young Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — the Transcendental Meditation (TM) founder whose practice had revolutionized Lynch’s inner life and creative process on a prior trip to India in 1973. Lynch would later make it his mission to spread TM’s potentially world-changing benefits through the work of the David Lynch Foundation and the impetus for this new voyage was to prepare for a planned feature film about the Maharishi; he wanted Beymer along to film behind-the-scenes footage.
While that project never came to fruition, Beymer’s raw and naturalistic doc stands on its own as an up-close portrait of Lynch at his most candid, stripping away the mystery and mythos surrounding him to reveal a man guided by curiosity and ceaseless exploration of human consciousness. Beymer and Lynch’s extraordinary closeness (they refer to each other throughout as “Buster” and “Bucky” respectively) allows for striking intimacy, and this trust shapes the film’s tone: unhurried, unshowy, and unblinkingly attentive. Along the way, Lynch recounts stories from his childhood, dispenses endlessly humorous soundbytes (“I just had two cookies and a coke, it’s phenomenal!”), shares fascinating reflections and anecdotes about the making of Eraserhead and Twin Peaks, and offers observations with warmth, humor, and disarming sincerity.
What Beymer captures is Lynch unplugged: not an auteur holding court, but a pilgrim in motion, experiencing the world and responding to it with both inquisitiveness and wonder. Moving through temples, rivers, lecture halls, and ancient caves, Lynch encounters places of deep personal significance—rooms where the Maharishi lived in silence for two years, chambers where he lectured for the first time, landscapes alive with memory. What could have easily been a documentary dominated by its subject instead unfolds as a quiet meditation. There is no narration, no argument being made, no didactic explanations. The film watches, listens, and allows meaning to surface naturally, cultivating an almost mystical energy.
For Lynch, Transcendental Meditation was not an abstraction but a practice that allowed ideas to surface — ideas that are living things, fragments that grow into worlds. In IT’S A BEAUTIFUL WORLD, Beymer captures how stillness, attention, and devotion shape that process, all while his film gracefully employs those very same principles.
Very rarely screened and not available streaming, do not miss your chance to catch this candid and luminous documentary on the big screen!
Dir. Richard Beymer, 2014, 102 mins, English, Unrated, Digital.
Please email events@prs.org or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.
ABOUT RICHARD BEYMER
George Richard Beymer Jr. (born February 20, 1938 in Avoca, Iowa) is an American actor, filmmaker and visual-artist whose career has spanned more than six decades.
Beginning his career as a child actor, his notable early performances include Peter van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and a part in the epic The Longest Day (1962), before attaining widespread recognition for his lead role as Tony in the classic 1961 film adaptation of West Side Story.
In the 1990s, Beymer gained renewed acclaim with his portrayal of Benjamin Horne in the television series Twin Peaks (1990–91).
Beyond acting, Beymer has written, directed and produced his own films — including A Regular Bouquet: Mississippi Summer (1964), a rare portrait of segregated Mississippi during an historically significant time in American History, and the avant-garde feature film The Innerview (1973) — and in later years shifted his focus toward visual art, documentary filmmaking and personal creative work.
He continues to live a creatively rich life, working outside of purely commercial Hollywood, following his own artistic impulses in film, painting and sculpture.
ADVISORY DISCLAIMER
With some exception, The Philosophical Research Society’s 7th House Screenings does not typically provide advisory warnings about potentially upsetting content or subject matter, as sensitivities are particular to each viewer. Please be sure to read event listings, research on the web, or visit Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com for thorough info on content and age-appropriateness. If you have any specific content advisory questions, please email events@prs.org.
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes.
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In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event.
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