Kundun (1997)
Kundun (1997) is an American epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. Covering the years 1937 to 1959, the majority of the film takes place in Tibet, with some brief scenes occurring in China and India. The story follows the search for the next Dalai Lama, beginning with Reting Rinpoche’s vision. A group of disguised lamas finds a promising candidate in a child from a farming family near the Chinese border in Amdo province. To confirm his identity, they give him a test involving objects that belonged to the previous Dalai Lama. Upon passing the test, he and his family are brought to Potala Palace in Lhasa, where he will one day become the Dalai Lama.
During the journey, the child initially experiences homesickness and fear, but finds comfort in Reting’s retelling of the first Dalai Lama’s story, also known as ‘Kundun’. As the film progresses, the boy grows both in years and knowledge. A power struggle ensues, resulting in Reting’s imprisonment and eventual death, prompting the Dalai Lama to take a more active role in governing and leading spiritually. Meanwhile, the newly victorious Chinese communists claim Tibet as part of Imperial China and express their intent to include it in their new People’s Republic of China. Despite Tibet’s pleas for intervention from various parties such as the United Nations, United States, United Kingdom, and India, Chinese Communist forces ultimately invade Tibet.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Kundun (1997) is an American epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. Covering the years 1937 to 1959, the majority of the film takes place in Tibet, with some brief scenes occurring in China and India. The story follows the search for the next Dalai Lama, beginning with Reting Rinpoche’s vision. A group of disguised lamas finds a promising candidate in a child from a farming family near the Chinese border in Amdo province. To confirm his identity, they give him a test involving objects that belonged to the previous Dalai Lama. Upon passing the test, he and his family are brought to Potala Palace in Lhasa, where he will one day become the Dalai Lama.
During the journey, the child initially experiences homesickness and fear, but finds comfort in Reting’s retelling of the first Dalai Lama’s story, also known as ‘Kundun’. As the film progresses, the boy grows both in years and knowledge. A power struggle ensues, resulting in Reting’s imprisonment and eventual death, prompting the Dalai Lama to take a more active role in governing and leading spiritually. Meanwhile, the newly victorious Chinese communists claim Tibet as part of Imperial China and express their intent to include it in their new People’s Republic of China. Despite Tibet’s pleas for intervention from various parties such as the United Nations, United States, United Kingdom, and India, Chinese Communist forces ultimately invade Tibet.
