KUNDUN
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: **1/2 OUT OF ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 12/25/97 (limited), 1/16/98 (wide) Running Length: 2:08 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Gyurme Tethong, Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin, Tenzin Yeshi Paichang, Tsewang Migyur Khangsar, Tencho Gyalpo, Sonam Phuntsok, Gyatso Lukhang, Tenzin Trinley, Jigme Tsarong, Robert Lin Director: Martin Scorsese Producer: Barbara De Fina Screenplay: Melissa Mathison Cinematography: Roger Deakins Music: Philip Glass U.S. Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
With KUNDUN, director Martin Scorsese has taken a chance. Unfortunately, that risk goes no further than the film's casting and premise. What reaches the screen is less a narrative than it is a travelogue or a political statement for the re-installation of the Dalai Lama in Tibet. This film is sadly lacking in a number of important areas: passion, energy, and drama, to name a few. And, while KUNDUN boasts impressive cinematography (by Roger Deakins) and an effective score (by Philip Glass), the images and music aren't enough to hide the picture's essential hollowness.
Scorsese is best known, of course, for movies about violence and corruption. When his name is mentioned, most viewers immediately recall the likes of RAGING BULL, GOODFELLAS, TAXI DRIVER, and CASINO. KUNDUN is not the director's first major departure from this familiar territory -- he has previously done period pieces (THE AGE OF INNOCENCE) and spiritual dramas (THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST). But, because KUNDUN involves no familiar faces (the actors are all Tibetans with no previous professional acting experience) and takes place half a world away, it's unlike anything Scorsese has attempted.
Unfortunately, it doesn't really work, and the reason is evident. The director exhibits far too much reverence for the subject of this biography. While there's no debating that the 14th Dalai Lama is a fascinating and important twentieth century figure, Scorsese reduces his history to a series of lifeless anecdotes. Because KUNDUN regards its subject as an all-knowing font of wisdom, he is presented virtually without flaws, and that makes for a thin and uninteresting individual. Contrast KUNDUN's main character with the Messiah in LAST TEMPTATION, and it's easy to see the difference. Christ transcended the two- dimensional screen because he was beset on all sides by doubts and temptations. It's rare for a similar spurt of vitality to awaken KUNDUN from its perpetual slumber.
The film opens in 1937, when a Holy Man roaming Tibet discovers that the Dalai Lama, the secular and spiritual leader of the country, has entered his 14th incarnation and is presently a two-year old boy. The child proves his identity by flawlessly picking "his" possessions (those that belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama) out of a jumble of real and fake miscellany. Several years later, the five-year old is brought to the city of Lhassa, where he is schooled in the teachings of Buddhism in preparation for fulfilling his mission: to protect his people. But conflict is close at hand. Once the Communists come into power in China, Chairman Mao decides that the time is right for his country to absorb Tibet, and, when the Tibetans resist, they are ruthlessly slaughtered. The Dalai Lama then faces a choice: remain, capitulate, and risk his life, or flee to India, perhaps never to return.
Despite casting all amateurs, Scorsese has assembled a believable group of actors. Of the four to play the lead role -- Tenzin Yeshi Paichang (Age 2), Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin (Age 5), Gyurme Tethong (Age 10), and Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong (Adult) -- none is less than convincing. Most of the supporting players, including Tsewang Migyur Khangsar as the Dalai Lama's father, Tencho Gyalpo as his mother, Sonam Phuntsok as Reting Rimpoche, the man who finds him, Gyatso Lukhang as the Lord Chamberlain, and Tenzin Trinley as Ling Rimpoche, the Dalai Lama's spiritual teacher, are equally credible. The problems lie not in the performances, but in the bland script.
From time-to-time, KUNDUN manages a memorable moment. One scene in particular stands out. In it, the Dalai Lama is having a nightmare about the growing death toll in Tibet as a result of the Chinese invasion. The camera pulls back to show him standing amidst a sea of his dead, red-robed countrymen -- the very people he has promised to protect. It is a powerful, provocative image -- but too little of KUNDUN reaches this level of mastery. Most of the film is dull and soporific. Breathtaking photography without emotional involvement can take an audience only so far.
One of KUNDUN's advantages is that there's no Brad Pitt (of SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET). And, while Scorsese is not in top form, at least he's sincere about the project. Anyone who stays until the last seconds of the closing credits will understand why the film is as respectful (and nearly worshipful) as it is. Although Melissa Mathison is credited with the screenplay, Scorsese thanks "His Holiness the Dalai Lama" for cooperating with and contributing to the production. That almost qualifies KUNDUN as an autobiography, and would anyone expect the religious leader to represent himself as less than saintly?
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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