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Kundun

1997

Martin Scorsese

Tenzin Yeshi Paichang, Gyurme Tethong, Tencho Gyalpo, Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Ken Leung

6.2

3,503

Drama In 1937 a two-and-a-half year old boy from a simple family in Tibet was recognized as the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, and destined to become the spiritual and political leader of his people. Director Martin Scorsese brings to the screen the true story of the Dalai Lama. Told through the eyes of His Holiness, "Kundun" brings to life the account of the Dalai Lama's early life, from childhood through the Chinese ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times	"An act of devotion, an act even of spiritual desperation, flung into the eyes of 20th century materialism. The film's visuals and music are rich and inspiring (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Alex von Tunzelmann The Guardian	ç2Martin Scorsese's biopic of the 14th Dalai Lama is a visual feast but it is reverent to a fault (...) Almost everyone in the movie is either a placid Tibetan monk or a mean Chinese general"	NEU
United Kingdom	Ian Freer Empire	"The movie is propelled via Philip Glass' exhilarating score and a stream of richly textured powerful images (...) The net result is difficult and demanding viewing yet strangely thrilling (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Stephen Holden The New York Times	"To call 'Kundun' the most visually stunning religious storybook ever filmed is not to say it's a great movie"	NEU
United States	Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"This nonreligious movie about a religious leader is beautiful, abstract, charged with mystery, but never pretentious."	POS
United States	Emanuel Levy Variety	"A majestic spectacle of images and sounds. But pic is bogged down by a routine screenplay that fails to provide a fresh perspective on Tibet's nonviolent culture"	NEU
United States	Peter Stack SFGATE	"Stunning, odd, glorious, calm and sensationally absorbing, director Martin Scorsese's 'Kundun' is a remarkable piece of work with vital colors and a wrenching message."	POS
United States	Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly	Kundun is at once spectacular and inert (...) Scorsese never gets close to the conflict at the heart of Buddhism"	NEU
United States	Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times	"Careful and respectful, it is everything a movie about the Dalai Lama should be except dramatically involving."	NEU

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