Review of Seven Years in Tibet (1997) by Andrew K — 03 Dec 2012

Autobiographical epics aren't easy movies to make, and somehow because of the star power of Pitt this film seems to be judged by a different standard than similar movies. With a reported $70 million budget people wanted a blockbuster, but that's simply not what this film is. This is a highly engaging biographical picture that takes us from Germany, to India, to the Himalayas, to Tibet, revealing beautiful natural vistas and showing one man's growth. Apparently the revelation that Harrer was a member of the Nazi party was rather scandalous prior to the release of the film, but the inclusion of that aspect of his life in the movie just makes the movie better and his character transformation more pronounced.

There are also lots of complaints about the pacing, but pacing is always an issue in biographies, because real life doesn't proceed by Holywood standards, but no scenes are wasted here. Either something interesting is being revealed about Tibet or we're delving into the growth of our characters.

Roger Ebert (who I consider an excellent critic) argues the movie should focus more on the character of the Dalai Lama, but that seems like an unfair criticism. It's a picture based off Harrer's memoir, so it is naturally focused on Harrer. Harrer's life in it's own right is very interesting and warrants this film, which is beautiful, well acted, and worth the time to watch.