Director: Martin Scorsese

Summary: The fascinating true story of the Dalai Lama and his daring struggle to lead his people at a time of intense social upheaval. Music score by Phillip Glass.

Martin Scorsese's telling of the life story of the 14th Dalai Lama is a spiritual and deeply moving event. Barely able to walk, the young Tenzin Gyatso (played respectively by Tulku Jamyang Kung Tenzin, Gyurme Tethong, and Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong) is identified as the newly reincarnated form of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Leaving his family behind in order to live in a monastery, he grows to manhood in spiritual isolation, sheltered from the influences of Western worldliness and the dangerous encroachment of the Chinese army, which invaded Tibet in 1950 and forced the Buddhist leaders into exile. Preaching peace and understanding among all people, the Dalai Lama eventually travels to China to meet Chairman Mao Tse Tung, to no avail. In a heartbreaking decision, the Dalai Lama must decide whether to remain in Tibet and fight for his people or flee his homeland and avert almost certain death.
Scorsese's obvious affection and dedication to the Tibetan leader shines through in every frame of the picture, which features stellar performances by its mostly nonprofessional cast. Adding infinite depth to the story are Roger Deakins's cinematography and Philip Glass's score, which earned both men Oscar nominations. Politics and religion aside, KUNDUN is filmmaking at its most profound and beautiful.

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It would be a mistake to call Kunduna disappointment, or a film that director Martin Scorsese was not equipped to create. Both statements may be true to some viewers, but they ignore the higher purpose of Scorsese's artistic intention and take away from a film that is by any definition unique. In chronicling the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, Kundundefies conventional narrative in favour of an episodic approach, presenting a sequential flow of events from the life of the young leader of Buddhist Tibet. From the moment he is recognised as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937 to his exile from Tibet in the wake of China's invasion, the Dalai Lama is seen as an enlightened spiritual figurehead. This gives the film its tone of serenity and reverence but denies us the privilege of admiring the Dalai Lama as a fascinating human character. There is a sense of mild detachment between the film and its audience, but its visual richness offers ample compensation. In close collaboration with cinematographer Roger Deakins, Scorsese filmed Kundunwith great pageantry and ritual, and meticulous attention to details of costume, colour and the casting of actual Buddhist monks in the scenes at the Dalai Lama's palace. Certain images will linger in the memory for a long time, such as the Dalai Lama's nightmarish vision of standing among hundreds of dead monks, their lives sacrificed in pacifist defiance of Chinese aggression. Is this a film you will want to watch repeatedly? Perhaps not. But as a political drama and an elegant gesture of devotion, Kundunis a film of great value and inspirational beauty--one, after all, that perhaps only Scorsese could have made. --Jeff Shannon

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	1997
Release Date:	April 1, 2004
Runtime:	129 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B E D 888461
Keywords:	General, Drama, Kundun, Elevation
Genre:	Drama