Seven Years in Tibet

Seven Years in Tibet
by Jean-Jacques Annaud

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Actor: B.D. Wong, Brad Pitt, Danny Denzongpa, David Thewlis, Mako
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
Producer: Alisa Tager
Producer: Catherine Moulin
Producer: David Nichols
Producer: Diane Summers
Producer: Iain Smith
Writer: Becky Johnston
Writer: Heinrich Harrer
DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: Pan & Scan, 1.33:1
Running Time: 136 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-04-07
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures

DVD Reviews of Seven Years in Tibet

DVD Review: A Little Paternalistic
Summary: 4 Stars

Brad Pitt stars in this movie taking place during the childhood of the Dalai Lama, during the wild troubles of World War II. Heinrich (Pitt) is an Austrian mountain climber who cares only for the latest climb, leaving behind his pregnant wife. He ends up being captured by the British in India (just for being there) and sent off to a POW camp. He and a fellow climber are able to barely escape and make their way into Tibet, where they end up with the young Dalai Lama.

Much like Kundun, the story mixes visions of the boy Dalai Lama looking down at the world with his telescope, the growing influence of the Chinese, and the beauty of the Tibetan culture. Heinrich boasts about his exploits and mountain summitting, while the local Tibetan calmly points out that in Tibet people aim more towards being content and humble than in being the best.

The movie is a great study in characters. Heinrich is always yelling out "look at me!" and "I can do this alone!" Peter (David Thewlis, 'Remus' in Harry Potter films) is a team player, more quiet, the one who understands relationships.

It is the little details that shine here, the rough walls, the hand-made decorations, the alpine flowers cared for in pots, the sparkling gleam of gems in a marketplace necklace. The breezes flutter up the tent above a summertime meeting.

I am not an expert in Tibetan culture, but I did have to wonder at the "tailor" female character. Everything I've seen up until now has the female characters with a single or double braid of hair, plain and elegant, with quiet humility. The "Tailor" had almost a Bo Derek hundred-strands - was this a concession to Western tastes? Or was she the one unique woman in all of Tibet that they just happened to find?

You really feel the clash between the core values. The Tibetans did not want to even harm worms in the construction of a building for the Dalai Lama. They delicately transported the worms to a new, happy location. How could they resolve themselves to killing human beings?

One of the things I disliked about this movie when compared with Kundun (which tells a similar story of the Dalai Lama's youth) is that in this one the Dalai Lama seems like a weak child guided completely by Heinrich. It is Heinrich who completely informs the Dalai Lama about all things international, who shapes his world view, who guides him towards when to take power and when to retreat. I found it a very paternalistic view of the situation, that this poor innocent little Tibetan, with no rational adults around him, had to rely on this foreigner Austrian to have any growth and direction in his life.

Still, the movie provides a lot of information about Tibet during this time period, and is worth seeing.

DVD Review: My Rating Does Not Reflect Hollywood Oscar Standards
Summary: 5 Stars

My rating does not reflect Oscar standards. I had very specific reasons for purchasing this movie. First, I wanted to learn more about the Dalai Lama; Second, I like the Tibetan horns; Third, I liked the story of the transformation of Heinrich. In order to get what I wanted out of the movie, I had to forgive Brad Pitt's acting. If you want to see this movie for any of the above reasons, I would suggest that you watch Kundun also.

DVD Review: Nice Visuals, Story
Summary: 4 Stars

It was nice to see Brad Pitt in such a restrained role. It's an interesting story of "Henrik Harrer" (Pitt) and his adventures getting to Tibet with his friend "Peter Aufschnaiter" (David Thewlis) and then his relationship to the young Dali Lama.

The film is as pretty as you would expect from one in such mountainous surroundings . There are really nice colors in here and the movie looks just great on DVD, especially Blu-Ray. The story tells of Harrer's escape from the Western world and from participating in WWII. He winds up spending seven years in Tibet, hence the title.

Finally, I thought the soundtrack was good, too, featuring an instrument I don't know but love its sound. The cinematography in here, and justifiably, gets a lot of attention, but the music is great, too. Even though I've heard it said this probably was in large part a propaganda piece for the Dali Lama, I found it a surprisingly good story and very pleasing.

DVD Review: A film to experience
Summary: 4 Stars

Great acting, beautiful cinematography, and an appropriate score make this a film worthy of watching numerous times. Having been to Tibet, I could not fault the film for its depiction of this fascinating country. The plot retains interest, but sometimes seems to gloss over significant events so the viewer needs to fill in the blanks. Brad Pitt's affected Austrian accent is off-putting, but, all in all, this is a great film worthy of a place in a home library.

My only disappointment was that there are no special features. If you would like to learn more about Tibet during the period reflected in the movie, I suggest A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951: The Demise of the Lamaist State

DVD Review: A visual treat
Summary: 5 Stars

Stunning visuals and an engaging story make this film a winer. Blue-ray makes it even better, as some scenes wil take your breath away with grandeur and beauty.

Description of Seven Years in Tibet

AN EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE BASED ON THE TRUE STORY OF ANAUSTRIAN PRISONER OF WAR WHO IS BEFRIENDED BY TIBET'S DALAI LAMAON THE EVE OF THE COMMUNIST INVASION.

If it hadn't been for Brad Pitt signing on to play the lead role of obsessive Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer, there's a good chance this lavish $70 million film would not have been made. It was one of two films from 1997 (the other being Martin Scorsese's exquisite Kundun) to view the turmoil between China and Tibet through the eyes of the young Dalai Lama. But with Pitt onboard, this adaptation of Harrer's acclaimed book focuses more on Harrer, a Nazi party member whose life was changed by his experiences in Tibet with the Dalai Lama. Having survived a treacherous climb on the challenging peak of Nanga Parbat and a stint in a British POW camp, Harrer and climbing guide Peter Aufschnaiter (nicely played by David Thewlis) arrive at the Tibetan city of Lhasa, where the 14-year-old Dalai Lama lives as ruler of Tibet. Their stay is longer than either could have expected (the "seven years" of the title), and their lives are forever transformed by their proximity to the Tibetan leader and the peaceful ways of the Buddhist people. China looms over the land as a constant invasive threat, but Seven Years in Tibet is more concerned with viewing Tibetan history through the eyes of a visitor. The film is filled with stunning images and delightful moments of discovery and soothing, lighthearted spirituality, and although he is somewhat miscast, Pitt brings the requisite integrity to his central role. What's missing here is a greater understanding of the young Dalai Lama and the culture of Tibet. Whereas Kundun tells its story purely from the Dalai Lama's point of view, Seven Years in Tibet is essentially an outsider's tale. The result is the feeling that only part of the story's been told here--or maybe just the wrong story. But Harrer's memoir is moving and heartfelt, and director Jean-Jacques Annaud has effectively captured both sincerity and splendor in this flawed but worthwhile film. --Jeff Shannon

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