You are here:

Wheel of Ashes

Name: Wheel of Ashes
Director: Peter Emanuel Goldman
Released: 1968
Duration: 95 min

Representation Score

5.1/10

Fair

1968

Not Rated

Director

Peter Emanuel Goldman

Runtime

95 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Wheel of Ashes is an existentialist study that uses a European setting to explore non-Western philosophical concepts. It challenges Western moral norms by integrating Vedanta philosophy into its narrative structure. However, the film’s diversity is primarily intellectual rather than visual or demographic. While it challenges Eurocentric thought, specific representations of race and gender remain unverified or focused on internal psychological states. Ultimately, the film critiques Western structures using spiritual philosophy.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Wheel of Ashes have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film examines themes of lust and temptation in an intellectual setting. Although specific LGBTQ+ identities are not confirmed, the narrative questions traditional heterosexual norms.

How does Wheel of Ashes portray gender?

Fair

The story centers on an internal existential struggle rather than traditional masculine roles, focusing on personal reflection instead of societal duties.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Wheel of Ashes?

Fair

The inclusion of Vedanta philosophy introduces a non-Western intellectual framework into a European context, challenging Eurocentric dominance.

How does Wheel of Ashes represent religion and culture?

Good

The film uses Vedanta philosophy to question Christian-centric morality and Western individualism, promoting a non-Western spiritual perspective that critiques materialism and capitalism.

Does Wheel of Ashes include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no information available regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in this work.

Present on Screen

Integrates non-Western Vedanta philosophy to challenge Eurocentric intellectual norms.
Subverts traditional 1960s cinematic expectations by prioritizing philosophical truth over moral dogma.
Uses the Saint-Germain-des-Prés setting to interrogate social and intellectual structures.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit confirmation of specific LGBTQ+ identities or romantic pairings.
Visual casting and racial diversity remain unverified within the available narrative details.
Does not provide information regarding the representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A stripped-down account of a young man's existential reckoning. "As dust hides a mirror, lust hides the self," reads one of the film's Vedanta-sourced intertitles. And indeed, while the Pierre Clementi protagonist's inner life remains obscure, the Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood that offers his temptations appears in harrowing detail.

How are these scores produced? →