Synopsis
In a vision involving a white elephant, the Hindu princess Maya gives birth to a prince. As Prince Siddhartha grows up in a protected environment shielded from the world's hardships, he encounters poverty and suffering for the first time at age twelve. Even after wedding a beautiful wife, he finds no satisfaction in his opulent life, feeling driven instead to relieve the pain of others. Leaving the palace behind, he seeks knowledge and attains enlightenment while meditating beneath a tree.
Background
Planned as a nine-reel life of Buddha, but exhibited in Cannes Film Festival as "Part One" with only six reels completed, this late work by Noburou Oofuji was not completed until after his death. It was only in 1961 that it was finally exhibited as a full 72-minute movie (comprising ten reels).