Rating: PG13
Genre:
Epic
Release Date: 10/14/1998
SubTitles: English
Sound: 5.1/2
Run Time: 135 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Adult Situations
Distributor/Studio: Walt Disney Video
This
Martin Scorsese film drama detailing the
Dalai Lama's life story was in development for seven years, with the
Dalai Lama having input into the 14 screenplay drafts by
Melissa Mathison (
The Black Stallion,
E.T.). With four actors portraying the
Dalai Lama at different ages,
Scorsese's chronicle begins in 1933 with the death of the 13th
Dalai Lama. Born in a remote area, the new
Dalai Lama (seen at ages two and five in early sequences) is observed by monks who determine that he is the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion. In 1944 the
Dalai Lama uses newsreels and Western magazines to study WWII events, and as the war ends, he is forced to deal with Chinese Communist aggression. Protests from the
Dalai Lama in 1949 are ignored as
Mao (
Robert Lin) maintains a military stranglehold on Tibet, eventually forcing the
Dalai Lama to flee to Dharmsala, India. With a $28 million budget,
Scorsese re-created Tibet's tragedy by filming in south-central Morocco with a cast of nonprofessional Tibetan actors. Second unit work took place at locations in Idaho and British Columbia. Avant-garde composer
Philip Glass contributed a score with hypnotic, ritualistic overtones.
~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
;)
