Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenplay: Melissa Mathison
Cinematographer: Roger Deakins
Music: Philip Glass |
The Chinese called it a liberation. The Tibetans an invasion. Martin Scorsese and Melissa Mathison have brought the story to the screen.
Those who know the work of Martin Scorsese from such films as "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" will be used to the passion he brings to his works but surprised by his latest film. This time, instead of creating angry and violent characters, Scorsese has chosen to re-create the story of a man whose life has been, and remains, committed to compassion and non-violence.
"Kundun" is the story of the 14th Dalai Lama who, as a two year old, was chosen as the reincarnation of the compassionate Buddha and the future leader of Tibet. The film tells of his life up to his exile as a result of the Chinese invasion of 1950.
Scorsese and screenwriter Melissa Mathison present us with a meditative journey rather than a political biography. We are given an insight into the culture of Tibet and the ways in which the previously sheltered society was forced to change as a result of what the Chinese chose to call an act of "liberation".
Visually stunning and with a wonderful music score by Philip Glass, the film makes no real concessions to a western audience. All the parts are played by ethnic Tibetans, non-actors recruited from communities in India, Canada and the US. There is no open explanation of Tibetan rituals and customs, rather we are left to get a sense of these through the way they are played out in the film.
The fact that all living animals are protected within the walls of the monastery is highlighted by a delightful scene where, the 5 year old Kundun is distracted from his mediation by a lapping sound. Dwarfed by his red robes and surrounded by silent, and impassive monks, the child's face lights up with joy as he turns to see a rat drinking from one of the ritual offerings.
With only one major event Scorsese has chosen to go with character and culture, things that, in his own words, "you can't easily talk about", but that you can experience if you're open to them.
This is a film worth opening yourself up to. It is a meditative narrative, as much a matter of mood and feeling as dramatic events, an epic journey in every sense of the word, and one well worth undertaking.
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