Review of Kundun (1997) by Rebecca P — 13 Oct 2012

I was actually very surprised by this film. I was expecting a blood fest as which is usual and customary with a Scorsese film, however, although this did have some violence, it was appropriate for the rich, deep, cinematic film that was created.

Kundun is a unique movie that offers insight into the life of one of the worlds least understood, and widely oppressed spiritual leaders, the Dalai Lama. It begins with the search for the 14th Dalai Lama, culminating when a young boy, Kundun, is able to identify the objects that belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama. That boy, the re-incarnated Buddha of Compassion, is taken to a monastery in Lhasa and is educated in the ways of the Buddhist religion.

As he grows older, Communist China, invades Tibet and eventually forces the Dalai Lama to flee to India. The movie really picks up when the Chinese invade, but ends rather abruptly when the Dalai Lama reaches India. But this is where his real quest, to win the liberation of Tibet, really begins.

This isn't a movie for everyone, but it is one that basically sticks to the facts and doesn't really resort to emotional appeal. Even the scenes where we see glimpses of the Chinese putting a gun into the hands of children and making them kill their own parents is handled abruptly and briefly. However, it does have an intellectual appeal, and it is a great lesson on religion, history and spirituality. Scorsese did a great job in maintaining the authenticity of the Buddhist Monks by having real Buddhists play the role in the movie. Every religious nuance and movement was true to the film.