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Kundun [DVD]

Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong (Actor), Gyurme Tethong (Actor), Martin Scorsese (Director) Rated:

PG-13

Format: DVD

4.8 910 ratings

IMDb7.0/10.0

$19.87

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Format	NTSC, Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, Letterboxed, DVD
Contributor	Geshi Yeshi Gyatso, Martin Scorsese, Tenzin Lodoe, Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Losang Gyatso, Gyatso Lukhang, Tenzin Yeshi Paichang, Tsewang Migyur Khangsar, Gyurme Tethong, Sonam Phuntsok, Tencho Gyalpo, Melissa Mathison, Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin, Tenzin Topjar See more
Language	English
Runtime	2 hours and 14 minutes

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Product Description

Praised as one of the best films of the year, KUNDUN is a motion picture masterpiece directed by five-time Academy Award(R)-nominated director Martin Scorsese. It's the incredible true story of one of the world's most fascinating leaders -- Tibet's Dali Lama and his daring struggle to rule a nation at one of the most challenging times in its history. Powerfully told and set against a backdrop of world politics -- the film's release created an international uproar! Featuring a striking Oscar(R)-nominated score by renowned composer Philip Glass, this extraordinary motion picture has been greeted with both controversy and worldwide acclaim -- experience it for yourself!

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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

Product details

Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.35:1
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.38 x 0.6 inches; 2.88 ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Martin Scorsese
Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, Letterboxed, DVD
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 14 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ October 14, 1998
Actors ‏ : ‎ Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Gyurme Tethong, Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin, Tenzin Yeshi Paichang, Tencho Gyalpo
Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified, English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Studio ‏ : ‎ Walt Disney Video / Mill Creek
ASIN ‏ : ‎ 6305090580
Writers ‏ : ‎ Melissa Mathison
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #21,407 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #3,500 in Drama DVDs

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4.8 910 ratings

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Charles H. Harpole

HH Dalai lamas' story must be known

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2024

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Although the story holds off of China guilt in this regard, one cannot miss what HH DALAI lama grew up with. Every human being needs to know the story and see it often.

One person found this helpful

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Jimmy Franklin

Great Movie

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2023

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This movie was actually made by Disney. China banned it because it depicts Mao Zedong more accurately and shows the atrocities he committed. Disney acts like it doesn't exist and the director refrains from talking about it. Worth the watch.

7 people found this helpful

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Konrei

A film of Great Presence

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2010

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KUNDUN is Martin Scorsese's grandly episodic biographical film of the life and times of Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV Dalai Lama, the "Kundun" of the title. Although Mr. Scorsese is best known for his gangster epics MEAN STREETS, GOODFELLAS and CASINO and for studies in violence such as RAGING BULL and TAXI DRIVER, his films can all be seen as studies in the condition of the human individual (AVIATOR), and how that individual comes to terms with the Spirit within himself (THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST and KUNDUN).

KUNDUN is unique among Scorsese's films for lacking an A-List lead, and is in fact unique among films as the "authorized biography" of its subject. The XIV Dalai Lama was intimately involved in the making of this film, and most of the sequences in KUNDUN were drawn from his living memory. The actors in KUNDUN are the Dalai Lama's niece (as his own mother) and his grandnephew (as himself), and while the acting is unpolished it is heartrendingly sincere.

From the time he is discovered to be the reincarnation of the XIII Dalai Lama, Kundun's life is strictly proscribed. A sweet, precocious little boy whose compassionate nature makes him pet puppies and separate fighting beetles, he is taken away from Takster, his home town in Amdo Province, and brought to Lhasa, where he grows up within the "old and dark" walls of the Dalai Lama's vast and ancient Palace, the Potala. Although his upbringing among adult monks seems sad and drear and he admits to loneliness, his is also a life of great pomp and circumstance. As the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kundun is both indulged and delimited in his choices. Among the gold statues and rich silks, rats are seen to scurry hither and yon, even while the eldest greybeards prostrate themselves before him. Although he does show a few youthful inclinations toward arbitrariness, he outgrows these quickly. Interestingly, Heinrich Harrer, His Holiness' adult friend who introduces him to the West (and is the narrator and chief character of SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET) never appears in KUNDUN (both movies were released in 1997; the cast and crews of both pictures were forever banned from China for making these films).

A curious boy, he wants to know how things work, where places are, and what the politics of his kingdom portend. Although he is shielded somewhat from the harsher realities of life, circumstance dictates that he assume the mantle of power in youth. China, long having claimed Tibet as its own territory, falls to the Reds, who quickly occupy Tibet and begin the slow extermination of the Tibetan language, culture, religion, and people. Although His Holiness first attempts a policy of peaceful coexistence with Beijing, he is advised rudely by Mao-Tse-Tung that "Religion is poison." Shortly thereafter, the Beijing government begins killing monks, destroying monasteries, and uprooting native Tibetans. Although he at first refuses to flee Tibet, a transparent Chinese plot to have him killed convinces his advisors that the Dalai Lama must lead from exile. And so he has, from 1959 to this day.

KUNDUN is richly textured, deeply moving, and emotionally intense. It captures an almost-extinct Tibetan culture rich in color and ritual and spiritual depth. If the viewer allows him or herself to practice compassion by stepping into the Dalai Lama's place, then KUNDUN is a movie that can be life-altering.

22 people found this helpful

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yaacov

Learn hidden truths while watching movie

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2023

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Pressure from Chinese communist government has kept this off American and Western nations televisions! The brutal takeover and occupation of Tibet mirrors colonial conquests around the world in last several centuries!

14 people found this helpful

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dtu

Arguably one of Martin Scorsese's works.

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2023

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Not sure how factually the movie is. Apparently it's endorsed by the Dalai Lamma himself. Immensely enjoyable as a movie. The sciore written by Phillip Glass is just icing on the cake. Highly recommended!

7 people found this helpful

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Katharine Travers

Very good to learn the recent history of Tibet.

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2023

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A beautiful film. Every frame was lovely. I pray one day soon the Dali Lama may live safely in Tibet, once more. Please enjoy this film, too, will you?

11 people found this helpful

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C. Collins

A film about timing

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2008

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Martin Scorsese's film Kundun, about the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, is beautiful but hidden within the film is a subtle debate on political timing, defining defeat, and defining victory.

My eyes were entranced by the beauty of the film, its wonderful cinematography, costumes, rituals and pageants. The uniqueness of the Tibetan Buddhist culture and the impact on architecture, furniture, costume, and social hierarchy was highly entertaining and interesting. The music of Phillip Glass was a wonderful compliment to the cinematography.

However the film was more than a sequential story of the period in the life of the 14th Dalai Lama between the times he was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937 to the time he crosses the mountains into India seeking political asylum. The film is about the careful cat and mouse game between the Communist Chinese invaders into Tibet and the range of options left to the Dalai Lama. If he remains in Tibet under communist rule, he could become the puppet of the communists, even if he selects to isolate and circumscribe his domain as purely spiritual. If he remains in Tibet he would be the focus of insurgency by faithful Tibetans, particularly the Buddhist monks, which would set the stage for complete annihilation of the priesthood of the Tibetan Buddhist. The longer he stays in Tibet, the more endorsement it appears he lends to the Communist invasion. Yet, his ties to the people is of such great strength, that to leave Tibet would signal a major victory for the communist Chinese. However, to leave Tibet also has its consequences, some of which are mentioned above. Eventually the Dalai Lama does leave Tibet, a very sad but necessary move to retain the integrity of Tibetan Buddhism in the face of overwhelming forces. Why was this sad decision the right decision? Because a non-violent philosophy would indicate that in the face of great evil, one must run away until the great evil passes by. Scorsese recognizes that the timing and decision to leave Tibet is the crux of the film and he builds the tension and action of the film around this. If you are the reincarnation of Buddha, Kundun, then communism is a passing season, a winter storm from which you must seek shelter. If you are the Buddha, then one day Spring will come and you will return.

21 people found this helpful

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Eduardo

Beautiful film

Reviewed in Mexico on April 15, 2023

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I already seen it twice. I have read about HHDL life and journey, and the movie is true to what I have read. I loved the colors, the scenery and photography of the film. The dialogs really moved me.

Tsungen

A Masterpiece vy Martin Scorsese

Reviewed in Canada on December 15, 2022

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The story of the 14th Dalai Lama, awarded the Nobel peace award, wonderfully directed by a master of cinema, spectacular, plus the music by Philip Glass, finally told, the Tibetan leader's treck for peace, after 1 million Tibetan monks and men, women and children executed (unarmed mostly), 5,000 monasteries
destroyed, as well as historical treasures, statues, holy scriptures, and still today, the hope for peace is kept alive, like Gandhi, hopefully, some day, they will overcome one of the 20th century's worst genocide, as the West still drag their feet to protect; a true story of courage and heroism against all odds.

One person found this helpful

Movie Guy

Alles bestens!

Reviewed in Germany on November 14, 2023

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Alles bestens!

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Mr G H Koren-Browne

MEMORABLE, AWSOME, INCREDIBLE,

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 6, 2020

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Breathtaking and a beautiful film. An extraordinary movie that goes beyond itself to a transcendental and spiritual work of art – to the true meaning of Buddhism – wisdom, compassion, humility and survival. The movie itself is about the childhood and early years of the Dalai Lama in Tibet and then the military occupation of Tibet by Communist China as result of which the Dalai voluntarily left Tibet to become an exile in India. Everything about the movie is beautiful. It's no wonder that Martin Scorsese dedicated it to his late mother.
The music by Philip Glass never over powers the storyline but supports and underlines the mood of the film.

This is a film that you can watch again and again and study the transformation of China - for better or worse. Just like The Last Emperor it shows how history has happened in a sometimes very realistic way. The escape to India - Kundun - becomes emotional with the music and visual bringing you forward to its ending.

2 people found this helpful

Gustavo Ruiz

Película bonita

Reviewed in Spain on October 4, 2015

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Es bonita y cuenta muy bien la historia del Dalai Lama hasta su marcha forzada a la India. Me gusta más la parte del principio que la de la ocupación China. Quizás no es su función pero me parece que al contar la ocupación sin dejar entrever la situación geopolítica del momento queda un poco coja en este aspecto.

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Kundun [DVD]

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