Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

reviewed by
James Berardinelli


SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.5
Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****
United States, 1997
U.S. Release Date: 10/10/97 (wide)
Running Length: 2:09
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence, mature themes)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Brad Pitt, David Thewlis, Jamyang Wangchuk, Lhakpa Tsamchoe, B.D. Wong, Mako, Danny Denzongpa, Victor Wong, Ingeborga Dapkunaite Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud Producers: Jean-Jacques Annaud, John H. Williams, Iain Smith Screenplay: Becky Johnson based on the novel by Heinrich Harrer Cinematography: Robert Fraisse Music: John Williams U.S. Distributor: TriStar Pictures

Hollywood has a habit of producing multiple films about the same topic in a short span of time. The tale of the Dalai Lama is the latest example of this, following in the wake of such recent double-dip subjects as Christopher Columbus (CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: THE DISCOVERY, 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE), Wyatt Earp (TOMBSTONE, WYATT EARP), volcanic disasters (DANTE'S PEAK, VOLCANO), and Prefontaine (PREFONTAINE and the soon-to-be-released PRE). So SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET, Jean-Jacques Annaud's adaptation of Heinrich Harrer's 1953 autobiographical work, isn't the only 1997 film to cash in on the new wave of Buddhism. Martin Scorsese's KUNDUN, a look at the life of the Dalai Lama before he went into exile, is due out on Christmas day. Both films have significant historical and thematic overlaps.

The focus of SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET isn't the spiritual leader of Tibet, but the Austrian who would become his tutor and friend. In 1939, Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt) is a Nazi golden boy. An Olympic medalist and mountain climbing champion, Harrer is invited to be a part of a German expedition to the top of Nanga Parbat, one of the tallest mountains in the Himalayas. The summit is never attained, however, because the group's leader, Peter Aufschnaiter (David Thewlis) calls a halt after a close call with an avalanche. When the climbers return to their camp at the mountain's base, they are arrested by British soldiers and interred in a prisoner of war camp.

After numerous unsuccessful escape attempts, Harrer finally gets out, and, along with Aufschnaiter, makes his way through the mountains of India into Tibet, the highest country in the world. Eventually, after a difficult trek, the two men enter Lhasa, the Tibetan holy city, where they are accepted as pilgrims who have achieved a great feat by completing such a journey. There, they vie for the affection of an comely tailor (Lhakpa Tsamchoe) and Harrer attracts the attention of the 11-year old Dalai Lama (Jamyang Wangchuk). Soon, Harrer has not only met Tibet's young spiritual leader, but is spending hours a day with him, teaching him geography, English, and what the West is like.

Those expecting a heavy dose of Buddhist mysticism may be disappointed by SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET, which keeps its religious elements low-key. This is essentially the story of Harrer's redemption, and, until the film's final quarter, Annaud keeps the proceedings centered on him. In fact, it's during SEVEN YEARS' last act, which depicts China's ruthless submission of Tibet during the 1950s, that the film's focus wavers. This attempt to broaden the movie's scope detracts from its primary story. The extra scenes serve only to divert our attention from Harrer and prolong a movie that would have been more enjoyable with some additional pruning.

SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET also tries a little too hard to underscore Harrer's transformation by overemphasizing his negative traits at the beginning. When SEVEN YEARS opens, he's a selfish prig who abandons his pregnant wife to go on the Nanga Parbat expedition. During the climb, he endangers the others by concealing an injury. And, all the while, he shows the arrogance of someone who believes himself to be infallible and who practices blaming others rather than examining his own culpability. However, by the closing scene, he's a virtual saint. Of course, the end points of a spiritual journey matter less than the actual trek. So, although Harrer starts out the movie as a cliche, his character is permitted enough growth to allow him to become progressively more human as the story advances.

SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET is at its strongest during those sequences when Harrer is crossing the Himalayas, adapting to Tibetan society, and forging a friendship with his surrogate son, the Dalai Lama. The latter scenes are especially effective, due in large part to a remarkable performance by Jamyang Wangchuk, whose fine acting makes it possible to believe that this boy, with all the natural curiosity of someone his age, has access to the wisdom of ages. Next to Wangchuk, Pitt comes across as rather pedestrian -- his portrayal isn't exactly uninspired, but it's nothing special, and his inconsistent accent is a source of irritation. Of the other actors, only Lhakpa Tsamchoe manages to forge an impression. David Thewlis, who has been on a downhill slide since NAKED, is even more unremarkable than Pitt.

Nevertheless, although he may not have the strongest leads, Annaud compensates for the deficiency with stunning photography. Cinematographer Robert Fraisse has used the glorious mountainscapes to their best effect, almost always affording the viewer with the opportunity to see something spectacular, such as a scene where two climbers are ascending a mountainside while silhouetted against a glorious sunset. It's a little ironic that, because of Asian politics, Annaud couldn't do any filming in the Himalayas, and was forced to use the South American Andes as stand-ins.

Ultimately, however, Annaud's desire to create an epic tale actually harms the production, since it results in unnecessary scenes that pad the running length to more than two hours. The best moments in SEVEN YEARS are the quiet, intimate ones, and while there's some enjoyment to be gained from the more adventurous sequences, they pale in comparison to the interaction between Harrer and the Dalai Lama. Those are the times when SEVEN YEARS is at its best; I just wish there had been a few more of them.

Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli
e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net

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