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Seven Years in Tibet (film) 1997 - USA - 139 min. - Feature, Color Keywords mountains, Nazi, student, teacher, war
A masterpiece of ethnographic detail, Jean-Jacques Annaud pays epic tribute to the people and religion of Tibet while alerting audiences to the oppression this unique country suffers under the Chinese. Annaud frames his message within the true story of a WW II-era Austrian mountain climber who befriended the young Dalai Lama shortly before the 1949 invasion by Communist China. The film's first half chronicles the events that led Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt) to Tibet. His odyssey begins in 1939 at an Austrian train station where an arrogant, cocksure Harrer bids a cruel farewell to his very pregnant wife to embark upon a four-month expedition, led by the low-key Peter Aufshnaiter (David Thewlis), to the Himalayan peak Nanga Parbat. The mission fails, and Peter and Heinrich become rivals. By the time they reach base camp, WW II has erupted and the adventurers are tossed into a British POW camp where Heinrich's insufferable pride keeps him in constant trouble. In 1942, the prisoners escape and Heinrich sets off on his own, only to be forced to reteam with Aufshnaiter. As they travel, Heinrich learns the first of many humbling lessons. The two sneak into the Tibetan holy city of Lhasa, home of the Dalai Lama (played at age 14 by newcomer Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk), and though foreigners are not normally accepted there, the two are welcomed and allowed to stay. While there, Heinrich's egotistical ways are gradually worn down by the gentle humbleness of the people. His relationship with the wise Dalai Lama Kundun also profoundly changes Heinrich. From the re-creation of the Lhasa temple to the finely embroidered clothing and painstakingly accurate renderings of the Tibetan people, every penny of the film's $70 million shows. The latter part of the picture's first half becomes rather monotonous, but as soon as the two arrive in Tibet, the pace picks up. Among the film's many highlights are the breathtaking cinematography and most of all, the scenes between Pitt and newcomer Wangchuk -- who played his difficult role as the High Lama with a deft mixture of boyish curiosity and ageless wisdom. During production, Annaud claimed to be unaware that former Olympic gold medalist Heinrich Harrer -- who once appeared in the documentary Osterskitour in Tirol (1939) -- was a member of the Nazi party. However, before the film's release, Annaud added voiceovers at the beginning and the end to note this fact, making it clear that Heinrich regretted his association with the Nazis and never supported their war effort. Interestingly, Jetsun Pema, the woman who portrayed the Dalai Lama's mother (known in Tibet as the Great Mother for having borne three incarnate lamas) is not an actress but the real holy man's younger sister, who in accordance to her brother's wishes, has devoted her life to caring for Tibetan refugee children. -- Sandra Brennan
Credits and description provided by American Movie Guide, http://allmovie.com |
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