Review of Kundun (1997) by Lisa M — 03 Oct 2012

Elizabeth Moss.

REL-110-FON01.

"Movie Review- Kundun".

Movie Plot:

"Kundun" brings to life the account of the Dalai Lama's early life, from childhood through the Chinese invasion of Tibet and his journey into exile. This displays an act of devotion, an act even of spiritual desperation, flung into the eyes of 20th century materialism. "Kundun" begins in 1937 with the recognition of a 2-year-old boy as the 14th Dalai Lama and ends with his exile in 1959, separated from his beloved homeland at the age of 24. Through the eyes and heart of Tenzin Gyatso, as he grows from boy to man and is prepared for leadership by the most enlightened Buddhist scholars. "Kundun" reveals a society that remained isolated from the West for centuries. In 1950, when Tenzin Gyatso was 15, the Chinese communist army of Chairman Mao Zedong entered Tibet, claiming it as part of China. The Dalai Lama's appeals to the West went unheeded and the young leader was left to stand alone. Throughout his long resistance, he refused to sacrifice his principles. He has stood fast to the basic Buddhist ideals of non-violence. Midpoint, in the movie "Kundun,'' the 14th Dalai Lama reads a letter from the 13th, prophesying that religion in Tibet will be destroyed by China and that he and his followers may have to wander helplessly like beggars. He says, ``What can I do? I'm only a boy.'' His advisers say, ``You are the man who wrote this letter. You must know what to do.'' This literal faith in reincarnation, in the belief that the child at the beginning of ``Kundun'' is the same man who died four years before the child was born, sets the film's underlying tone. ``Kundun'' is structured as the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, but he is simply a vessel for a larger life or spirit, continuing through centuries. It provides a deep spirituality, but denies the Dalai Lama humanity; he is permitted certain little human touches, but is essentially an icon, not a man.