# Kundun (1997)

### reviewed by
Nathaniel R. Atcheson

    Kundun (1997)

Director: Martin Scorsese Cast: Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Gyurme Tethong, Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin, Tenzin Yeshi Paichang, Tencho Gyalpa, Tsewang Migyur Khangsar, Geshi Yeshi Gyatso

    Rated PG-13: Violent images

by Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)

Martin Scorsese's Kundun is a visual wonder, striking in every detail and accentuated by Philip Glass' masterful score. Scorsese tells the story of the 14th Dalai Lama, beginning in 1939 when the young child is just two years old. As the film progresses, we see him at ages 5, 10, and then 16 and beyond; through most of the film, he is portrayed by Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong. The conflicts later in the film involve the Chinese government's attempts to get Tibet to be part of China, and the Dalai Lama is finally forced to leave his people for India.

A few months ago I was subjected to a film of almost the exact same subject matter, Seven Years in Tibet. While that film was entertaining but not very insightful, Kundun lacks substantial entertainment value, and is only marginally more interesting as a biography of the Dalai Lama. Entertainment value might seem like a trivial complaint in this case, but regardless of content, a filmmaker's first goal should be to capture its audience, and Scorsese has a hard time doing that for me in Kundun.

It's not that he flat-out failed, it's just that this subject does not lend itself to easy audience involvement. The whole time I watched Kundun, I felt utterly separated from what was happening on screen. The Tibetans, as portrayed in this film, seem like docile, peace-oriented separatists. I feel like the real Tibetans wouldn't want me watching them. They are so set in their ways, so unwilling of change, that the thought of an audience watching them to interpret their actions seems ludicrous to me. I felt like they needed no vindication, no audience, no telling of their story. So, I viewed Kundun almost entirely as a story that is out of its league as a large-scale American film. Textbooks, even novels, are more appropriate for this subject.

I was, however, at least moderately concerned for the Dalai Lama. Tsarong (with whom I am not familiar) does a pretty good job in the role, though he lacks conviction and doesn't always seem natural. It doesn't help that all the characters speak English. Just for realism's sake, I would have preferred subtitles throughout the film--this might have proved to distance the audience even further, but in this case I would have gladly substituted authenticity for personalism.

I wouldn't say Kundun is boring; in its best moments, it is truly astonishing in visual power. The landscapes are all filmed in such a way that orange and brown dirt looks colorful and enticing; there are some unusual-yet-mesmerizing scenes later in the film that show close-ups of sand paintings going through creation and destruction. As stated earlier, Philip Glass' musical score is one of the better scores of 1997, mixing pleasant melodies with sharp, deep tonal shifts. Atmosphere-wise, the film is virtually flawless.

But this can't make up for the emotional limbo that Kundun provides for its audience. I'm not exactly sure what could have cured this--more insight into the Dalai Lama himself, possibly letting us into his head a bit more rather than just showing us long shots of his unemotional face. This being the second film in such a short period of time that has failed to truly interest me in the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans, it makes me wonder if we're really supposed to fully understand them. Their religion and way of life seems off-limits to me, to such an extent that I almost feel it's inappropriate to watch this film and develop and opinion about them. But if that's not what I'm supposed to do, then what is the point?

    >From 0-10:  6
    Grade:  C+

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             Nathaniel R. Atcheson

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