Kundun
by Martin Scorsese
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DVD details
Actor: Gyurme Tethong, Tencho Gyalpo, Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Tenzin Yeshi Paichang, Tulku Jamyang Kunga TenzinDirector: Martin Scorsese
Brand: YESHI,TENZIN
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 2.35:1
Running Time: 135 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-10-14
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
DVD Reviews of Kundun
DVD Review: Kundun Review
Summary: 3 Stars
The movie Kundun, originally released in 1997, seeks to convey the life story of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and secular leader of Tibet. Beginning with his selection to be the next Lama at the age of two, the movie follows his life as he embarks on the noble path that has been set before him. Unfortunately, although the film is well made and visually stimulating, Kundun fails to be widely appealing due to its focus on Buddhist ritual, and its solemn, often somber, tone.
Kundun, which means presence, is the name by which the fourteenth Dalai Lama is known. In 1937, he was identified as being the reincarnation of the thirteenth Lama. He was sent to a large monastery where he was raised and trained in Buddhist teaching and meditation techniques. As he ages, he begins to follow and take interest in world events, specifically World War II and the impending threat the Chinese pose to his country and people.
In 1950 China invaded Tibet, setting into motion a series of events that would dramatically influence the now fifteen year old Kundun's life. Initially, he tried to peacefully co-exist with the occupiers, even agreeing to a Seventeen Point Agreement laid out by the Chinese. This agreement would ultimately break down in 1959 however, due to the unwillingness of the Chinese to abide by the conditions. A Tibetan uprising resulted but was defeated and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India to escape, setting up a government in exile in Dharamsala, India.
To its credit, Kundun is visually breathtaking. The exotic scenery and colorful dressings provide multiple layers of sensory input. Coupled with a chilling musical score from Philip Glass and remarkable cinematography, the result is epic. The direction - contributed by legend Martin Scorsese - is skillful, providing the overall vision throughout the movie that holds everything together during the chronological advance.
Regrettably however, Kundun spends too much of its time preoccupied with Buddhist rituals. The pacing of the story is interrupted time and again with long scenes of intense ritualistic practices. There is a ritual for Kundun's enthronement, one for his welcoming, assorted scenes of chanting and drumming, and on and on; too many for the average person. While this may add a certain level of realism to the story, it diminishes its appeal to a wider audience, aiming squarely at adherents only. Additionally, the overall tone of the film seems needlessly gloomy and heavy. Coupled with the protracted scenes of ritual, and the potential market for this movie has been seriously reduced; as evidenced by its poor showing at the box office.
As with any historical piece, a balance must be struck between accuracy and entertainment. While Kundun does an excellent job with the accuracy part, it stumbles slightly in providing entertainment for mass consumption.
DVD Review: Kundun
Summary: 3 Stars
The sons of Genghis Khan gave the Dahlia Lama his name, which means "ocean of wisdom". In Asia the Tibetans practiced non-violence for over one thousand years. The Dahlia Lama was their ruler; his was the human manifestation of the Buddha of compassion. In 1933 the thirteenth Dahlia Lama died. Four years later a holy man, found himself in a far corner of Tibet, he was searching for the fourteenth Dahlia Lama. A Buddha had been reborn. The beginning of the story goes like this.... The mother was talking to her son saying, "Your father had been sick and we thought he would die, some cows, horses, a yak, and chickens had died." She said that all the farmers had bad crops for four years. She told her son, "One night I knew you were coming and at dawn you were born and you did not cry. Your father got better and named you Lhamo, the protector." Lhamo loved to hear the story of his birth.
Tibetan men came into the village and Lhamo seemed to had sensed something. One of the Tibetan men bent down to talk to Lhamo and Lhamo saw that the man was wearing his necklace. Lhamo then told the man that the necklace he was wearing was his. The man said, "If you can tell me my name, I will give you the necklace." Lhamo told the name man that his name was Lama and he was correct. Lama did not stay long but when he left Lhamo started to cry. The same man returned that night and the mother got Lhamo out of bed, took him into the room where Lama was. There was man items lying on a table and Lama asked Lhamo, "What else belongs to you?" Lhamo picked up a drum, a bell, a stick, a bowl, a pair of glasses, and finally a cain. He was able to pick out all of the items that belonged to the thirteenth Dahlia Lama. Lama then called the little boy "Kundun". Kundun was recognized from this point on to be the fourteenth Dahlia Lama. He was taken to a monastery where he was given a regent which is a monk teacher. The teacher told him that, "To this life you will be born again and again as long as all life continues. Love, care and have compassion for all living things. The Buddha shall appear." Kundun was dressed in gold from head to toe. All the Tibetan people were present; he was then introduced as the "Buddha of compassion", "the wishful fulfilling jewel", "the fourteenth Dahlia Lama". Kundun was continually being taught about the three jewels and the importance of the Four Noble Truths but it seemed that he already had wisdom beyond his years.
By the time he became about seventeen or eighteen years old the Chinese were getting ready to invade Tibet. As a leader he was uncertain about his ability to save the people. Lord Chamberlain told Kundun that he needs the warning of predecessor or the war will end here. Kundun was then given a letter and told that it was written when the thirteenth Dahlia Lama was eighteen years old. The letter said that he had to lead spiritually and be the secular head of the country, and that the Chinese invaded. He said, "The power of truth was great, we prayed and the Karma is infallible, we routed the Chinese out." Then the monk that read Kundun the letter told him, "You are the man that wrote this letter, you must lead us." Kundun had decided to write President Truman of the United States a letter, asking if they would come to the aid of Tibet. He never received any true confirmation. During all of this Kundun lost his friend and teacher, Regent Reting. They held a ritual for Regent Reting and over his body they said, "Do not be distracted as you enter into the coming of the awareness, go to your father, he is dead."
China had three demands of Tibet which was Tibet must except that it is part of China, Tibet's defenses must be conducted by China, and that all political and trade matters concerning foreign countries must be conducted through China. Kundun said, "We accept no conditions from China. I will consult our protective deities; Lord Buddha appears where he is needed." China invaded by crossing into six locations of Tibet. Kundun heard on the radio that Tibet agreed to China's conditions. The Tibetan people found themselves living in a feudal kingdom under the tyranny of the Dahlia Lama.
Kundun became of age and celebrated the auspicious day for his enthronement. At that time Kundun told the monks to free the prisoners. He said, "The gods will win." Kundun then left for the Indian border. The monks pleaded for him not to go. He went there first to gather with his people. Here he heard over the Chinese radio that today the surrender of Tibet was complete. The people Republic of Tibet signed a seventeen point agreement that returned Tibet to the motherland. The Dahlia Lama Representative signed the agreement in his name. Kundun went to China to talk with Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao told Kundun that religion is poison and that it retards the minds of the people. Kundun returned home because he knew there was nothing he could do. China began bombing the monasteries and killing the monks. Kundun had a dream of standing in the middle of thousands of dead monks and after that he said that wisdom and compassion will set us free. He said, "You cannot liberate us, you can only liberate one's self." "Beings are released by the teachings of the truth." For Kundun's safety he was told to go to India. He has not yet returned....
Relating this movie back to the practice of Buddhism, it is known that Buddhists are non-violent as it relates to any living creature. One's life reflects back to your deeds that you do each and every day, known as karma. The movie depicts what monks look like and the culture in which most of them live. They also perform certain rituals in the movie that look somewhat like what is in the book. It truly depicts one's desire to be of good nature, all of the ones in the movie where good to each other and extremely respectful.
DVD Review: Review
Summary: 4 Stars
October 5, 2008
Kristi Chilton
The movie Kundun is based on a true story of a young boy that was discovered and thought to be the 14th Dalai Lama. There was a test given toKundun to prove his purpose after he succeded they moved him and his family to Lhasa. After the boy was removed from his homeland the monks raised him as the re3incarnation of Budda, the most powerful leader in Tibet. It was interesting to see how a young Kundun, just fourteen was conventially appointed to the throne as the Chinese invasion began. The Chinese had wanted Tibet to become a part of them but the people refused. The movie contiounes through his growth into adulthood and displays the trials he is faced with alomg the way. The whole story was revolved around Kundun's and the Tibet people before and during the invasion of their country. Eventually the Dalai Lama had to flee to India and live in exile for the rest of his life.I have never watched "Seven Years in Tibet" completely through however what I have seen is similar to "Kundun" . All in all the movie seem to be a good movie for the whole family. Although there may be some scenes that small children would have a problem with. The way the young child grew and took respondsiblity for his country which had suffering, showed the courage that different culture take. The information I have obtained from the chapter on Buddism has opened my eyes to the different beliefs and their reactions to stressfull situations. It seems our country does not have the confidence to stick by our own beliefs.
DVD Review: Kudun Review
Summary: 4 Stars
Kundun is a extraordinary story filled with colorful details of the Dalai Lama's life that were not apparent to me before I watched this movie. The message is deep, powerful, but the direction is not; this movie could have been made so much better if it was directed well.
The story starts off with Lamo, a arrogant little boy, who goes on to become the humble Dalai Lama. He is said to have been born in sight of two crows, a sign which was apparent for all the incarnations of the Buddha, he himself is the 14th. His destiny takes him to the heart of Tibet, Lhasa, at a young age. His family follows, but their paths still separated from his. Lamo spends his time in the shadow of monks, learning vigorously the tasks, and teachings of Buddhism. As he grows older he becomes more and more involved with videos and documentaries that were gifted to Tibet by the United States, he begins to educated himself more and more about international relations. Meanwhile, the Chinese threaten to attack his country, in a desperate attempt he writes to the president of the United States, the United Nations, and etc for help. Bound by religion and strict ethics, he chooses not to fight back, instead watch the destruction of his land and people under the communist regime of Mao. He is haunted by images of blood and bodies of monks spread out on the street. He travels to China, hoping to settle things down, but is unable to. After his return, the Chinese threaten to kill him, knowing that his death would mean the death of hope in Tibet he chooses to flee to India.
This story has a lot of Buddhist ideologies. One which stood out strongly to me was the concept of reincarnation, as Lamo was the 14th incarnation of the Dalai Lama, the compassionate Buddha. Another point which astounds me is that when attacked by the Chinese he chose not to fight back, even though he had an army, he followed the ideology of Buddhism which enforces peace and non-violence. He is also taught the concepts of Dharma by the monks, as well as taught how to meditate on a daily basis, the book of world religions teaches these basic fundamentals in the Buddhism chapter.
DVD Review: Kundun - Visually Stunning
Summary: 4 Stars
Kundun, a 1997 film directed by Martin Scorsese, chronicles the early life of the fourteenth Dalai Lama from birth to his twenties. The Dalai Lama, also known as Kundun, is born into an ordinary Tibetan family, and is soon discovered to be the reincarnation of the thirteenth Dalai Lama. An interesting segment in the movie is a scene where Kundun is visited by a Buddhist Lama, or priest, and Kundun sees his necklace and proclaims, "That is mine." This seems to clue the Lama in that this might be the actual Dalai Lama, and soon, Kundun is brought into a room with objects belonging to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, and he is asked to identify the objects which belong to him. Kundun correctly identifies the objects, and is proclaimed as the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. He then is instructed in the ways of Buddhism, and we learn the Four Noble Truths; suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path to the cessation of suffering. The Dalai Lama embraces these truths, and embarks on a path of nonviolence, pledging to protect his people.
There are great scenes with lush imagery and beautiful, colorful costuming that make this film very watchable. Dialogue is rather sparse, which makes it a bit difficult for those of us who have not studied Buddhism to understand; I found that turning on the subtitles helped a great deal. We then see the historical events of the Chinese takeover of Tibet unfold; what seems at first to be a helpful Chinese government soon turns into an oppressive one, and the Dalai Lama is urged to flee the country, which he eventually does, reluctantly. He knows that he is abandoning the country that he loves, and the people he has pledged to serve. One especially moving scene is a dream sequence where Kundun is standing, and as the camera pans out, you see that he is standing among thousands of deceased Tibetan monks dressed in their red robes. The Dalai Lama takes refuge in India, and as he turns back to see his entourage, he again has a vision of them dead and bleeding on their horses. He settles in India close to the Tibetan border and watches over Tibet with a coveted telescope that he was given earlier in the film.
The film ends telling us that the Dalai Lama has never returned to Tibet, but hopes to one day. There is much imagery of world religions in the film including costuming, Buddhist rituals, sacred objects, a fascinating oracle who appears twice in the film and helps the Dalai Lama plan his escape from Tibet, and beautiful sand mandalas at the beginning and end of the film. The act of creating the mandalas is a form of Buddhist meditation; contemplation of the mandalas is another form of meditation, and in the end, the sand which forms the mandalas is swept away to reinforce the idea that all action is impermanent. Beautifully filmed, great cinematography, and a surprising offering from Scorsese.
Description of Kundun
Martin scorceses visually stunning epic tells the incredible story of tibets dalai lama. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 05/06/2003 Starring: Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong Run time: 135 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Martin ScorseseIt would be a mistake to call Kundun a 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, Kundun defies conventional narrative in favor 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 recognized 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's 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 Kundun with great pageantry and ritual, and meticulous attention to details of costume, color, 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'll want to watch repeatedly? Perhaps not. But as a political drama and an elegant gesture of devotion, Kundun is a film of great value and inspirational beauty--one, after all, that perhaps only Scorsese could have made. --Jeff Shannon
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