Details
Movie Description
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 choose 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.
Film Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1 Encoding
Special Features: Theatrical Trailer, Chapter Search
Keep Case
Theatrical release: December 25, 1997.
The majority of the film was shot on location in various parts of Morroco.
Because of this film, Martin Scorsese was added to a list that banned him from entering Tibet.
The film's dedication reads: "For my mother, Catherine Scorsese 1912-1997."
Industry Reviews
"...A transcendent story of faith....An amazement, a film of beauty and consequence..."
Rolling Stone - p.61-2 - Peter Travers (01/22/1998)
"...A movie that uses its visual and aural palette to build something almost indescribable, revelatory and profoundly moving..."
Sight and Sound - p.41-2 - Andrew O'Hehir (04/01/1998)
"...Pageant-like....Hypnotic visual and sonic strength....A cinematic mandala..." -- Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly - pp.129-30 - Ty Burr (08/21/1998)
"...A glittering historical pageant infused with gorgeous, pulsing music by Philip Glass....Composed of dazzling, beautifully framed imagery..."
New York Times - p.E1 - Stephen Holden (12/24/1997)
"...A stunning visual feast and a moving meditation on the difficulty of sustaining the Buddhist principle of nonviolence in a brutal world..." -- 4 out of 5 stars
Box Office - p.54 - Joseph McBride (02/01/1998)
"...[The film] eschews spectacle and puts the viewer inside Tibet, both physically and spiritually..."
Premiere - p.24 - Christine Spines (01/01/1998)
"...The film's visuals and music are rich and inspiring..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (01/16/1998)
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