Review of Kundun (1997) by Connor S — 22 Mar 2012

Kundun is a biographical film about the life of the 14th Dali Llama or as the people call him, Kundun. I found this film to be extremely interesting and well done, I have always loved Martin Scorsese's work and this is no exception. The direction, cinematography, and acting are all superb, and I found that they all lend to a very authentic feel to the film which made it all the better, every trial and triumph that Kundun went through I could empathize with because it felt so real. The movie begins by introducing the main character Tenzin Gyatso and how he was discovered to be the Dalai Lama and is taken to train in the city of Lhasa. While in training Tenzin has a rebellious streak and decides that he is going to break some rules so he eats food that is forbidden and acts disinterested in his prayers but he gets over it eventually and the movie skips forward in time. After the time skip Tenzin becomes aware of the threat that the Communist's pose to Tibet so he decides to write a letter to the President of the United States, Harry S. Truman But the letter fails to bring any kind of help and China invades Tibet. After the invasion of Tibet, Tenzin takes a trip to Beijing to meet with Mao Zedong, who was the Chinese leader at the time. The meeting doesn't go well however because Mao treats Tenzin as a lesser person and attacks his religion by saying that religion is a drug and making threats, so when Tenzin returns to Tibet he has to escape to India for fear he is going to be killed by Mao. One of the most interesting scenes was a look inside one of Tenzin's nightmares, which consisted of him standing alone with tons of dead monks around him, which he took as a sign that he should leave. The film ends with a sad Tenzin looking back on his home that he has been forced to leave, which made for a truly powerful moment. This film relates to World Religions by showing us the life of one of Buddhism's most important people and by showcasing the most important tenants of Buddhism, like reincarnation, which is demonstrated when Tenzin is able to pick out the 13th Dalai Lamas possessions at the beginning. The film also shows many of the rituals that Buddhists practice, like dances, prayers, and the ever important belief that non-violence is the best way to get things done. Kundun definitely gave me a better understanding of Buddhism and explained a great deal of questions that I had about the religion, so I'm really glad I watched it an.

D I would recommend it to anyone.