- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language: English
- Region: (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Number of discs: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Buena Vista
- Release Date: May 6 2003
- Run Time: 134 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
- ASIN: 6305090580
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #9,093 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
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Product Description
Amazon.com Essential Video
It would be a mistake to call Kundun a disappointment, or a film that director Martin Scorsese was not equipped to create. Both statements may be true to some viewers, but they ignore the higher purpose of Scorsese's artistic intention and take away from a film that is by any definition unique. In chronicling the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, Kundun defies conventional narrative in favor of an episodic approach, presenting a sequential flow of events from the life of the young leader of Buddhist Tibet. From the moment he is recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937 to his exile from Tibet in the wake of China's invasion, the Dalai Lama is seen as an enlightened spiritual figurehead. This gives the film its tone of serenity and reverence but denies us the privilege of admiring the Dalai Lama as a fascinating human character. There's a sense of mild detachment between the film and its audience, but its visual richness offers ample compensation. In close collaboration with cinematographer Roger Deakins, Scorsese filmed Kundun with great pageantry and ritual, and meticulous attention to details of costume, color, and the casting of actual Buddhist monks in the scenes at the Dalai Lama's palace. Certain images will linger in the memory for a long time, such as the Dalai Lama's nightmarish vision of standing among hundreds of dead monks, their lives sacrificed in pacifist defiance of Chinese aggression. Is this a film you'll want to watch repeatedly? Perhaps not. But as a political drama and an elegant gesture of devotion, Kundun is a film of great value and inspirational beauty--one, after all, that perhaps only Scorsese could have made. --Jeff Shannon
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinaire !!!,
By
This review is from: Kundun (DVD)
Enfin, la vrai histoire du Dalaï Lama, du peuple Tibétain et surtout la vérité sur l'envahisseur chinois. Ce film est extraordinaire et révélateur.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Astounding work of art,
By
This review is from: Kundun (VHS Tape)
I think this movie is simply astonishing. As most of the (positive) reviews have already mentioned, the stunning visuals, perfect musical score, and emphasis on religious pageantry are what makes this film great. However, I don't feel that these "take away" from the film or provide any sense of detachment, like some people have argued. Robert Ebert complained that the film provides no sense of the Dalai Lama as a man because it is so wrapped up in the myth of his reincarnation, but I disagree. Especially after the Chinese Communist regime gets involved, the Dalai Lama is depicted as very "human," as he is reluctant to abandon the Tibetan people, who revere him, but is forced to concede that Tibet cannot resist their more powerful adversary. And the Chinese aren't depicted as monsters either, for those who would argue that the film is too one-sided. Some have complained about the acting, since Scorsese casted all largely unknown Tibetans, but I couldn't detect any weaknesses in that area. What Kundun does is beautifully depict the tragedy of this isolated kingdom being coerced to abandon its way of life and time-honored traditions. This may not be Scorsese's best, but it ranks right up there, and is certainly better than the Last Temptation of Christ, which dealt with similar themes.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Drama-less Propaganda,
By
This review is from: Kundun (DVD)
Yes, it's pretty in a "Last Emperor" meets "Koyanisqaatsi" kind of way. Yes, Scorsese gets some points for daring to use authentic "non actors" in the roles. Yes, the Glass soundtrack is unique, even if (and I'm a Glass fan) it does err on the side of detachment overly much.But the problems are just far, far too large to ignore. First, we have the historical and political reality of Lama-ist Tibet that this movie barely even hints at. For all of you who think that Tibet was some sort of Shangri-La prior to the invasion of the Chinese, do a Google on 'Tibetan serf'. You'll quickly discover that Lama-ist Tibet was a feudal society, with 95% of the population living as illiterate serfs or slaves. The top 5% of society, who were more or less allowed to treat the commoners as disposable draft animals, consisted of landowners, the aristocracy, and....you guessed it.....monks. Add in the CIA funding of the uprising against the Chinese, and you quickly realize that the Dalai Lama can be seen as a well-heeled theocrat whose drive for Tibetan nationalism cannot be divorced from a retrenchment to an ancient despotic regime. Secondly, you have the portrayal of the Dalai Lama himself in the movie. To put it simply, he's flawless. He's not portrayed as a man so much as a demi-god. He can do no wrong, commit no evil. If he has a flaw, it's that in his purity and idealism he is a bit naive. This glossy cardboard rendition leads to a bland, flat, dramaless character with whom the audience cannot connect. Every great hero has tragic flaws, and every great villain has a kernel of sympathy. But not the Dalai Lama! Instead, we're given a spiritually perfect uber-being who, when all is said and none, comes across as pretty darn boring. Had Scorsese made a movie about a spiritual, idealistic man caught between defending a despotic, slavish regime and selling-out to aggressive, god-less, brutal Chinese communists...with a little international politics and CIA intrigue mixed-in...we could have had a very interesting movie. But, instead, he gave us Botoxified artprop: pretty on the surface, but only skin deep.
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