Kundun is a 1997 film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese, both of whom (along with several other members of the production) were banned by the Chinese Government from ever entering Tibet as a result of making the film. It is based on the life and writings of the Dalai Lama. It did poorly at the box office, but was generally praised by critics. Some criticized the movie as hagiographic, but many found it exceptionally moving and stunning, even within Scorcese's impressive oeuvre. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (450x648, 57 KB) This image is of a movie poster or title card, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the movie or the studio which produced the movie in question. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (450x648, 57 KB) This image is of a movie poster or title card, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the movie or the studio which produced the movie in question. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII in Roman) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... Melissa Mathison (born 3 June 1950) is an American screen scriptwriter. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Martin Scorsese at Cannes in 2002 Martin Scorsese (born November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American film director. ... Tenzin Gyatso The fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་ Wylie: Bstan dzin Rgya mtsho) (b. ... Hagiography is the study of saints. ...

The majority of the film was shot in Morocco.

Plot

Except for brief sequences in China and India, the film is set entirely in Tibet. It begins with the search by Reting Rimpoche (the regent of Tibet) for the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Reting, following a vision he has had, discovers the location of a promising candidate: a child born to a poor herding family near the Chinese border. Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: བོད་, Bod, pronounced pö in Lhasa dialect; Chinese: 西藏, Pinyin: Xīzàng or Chinese: 藏区, Pinyin: Zàngqū [the two names are used with different connotations; see Name section below]) is a region in Central Asia and the home of the Tibetan people. ... // High public office A regent, from the Latin regens who reigns is anyone who acts as head of state, especially if not the monarch (who has higher titles). ... Past Lives redirects here. ... The 14th and current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (born 1935) The 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso (1876-1933) In Tibetan Buddhism, the successive Dalai Lamas (Tibetan: ཏ་ཱལའི་བླ་མ་ taa-la’i bla-ma; Chinese: 达赖喇嘛 Dálài Lǎmā) form a tulku lineage of Gelugpa leaders which trace back to 1391. ... In religion, visions comprise inspirational renderings, generally of a future state and/or of a mythical being, and are believed (by followers of the religion) to come from a deity, directly or indirectly via prophets, and serve to inspire or prod believers as part of a revelation or an epiphany. ... A child (plural: children) is a young human, or someone who has not yet reached puberty (someone who is prepubescent). ... A man herding goats in Tunisia Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group, maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. ... Border stone at Passo San Giacomo between Val Formazza in Italy and Val Bedretto in Switzerland Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, states or subnational administrative divisions. ...

Reting and other lamas administer a test to the child in which he must select from various objects the ones that belonged to the previous Dalai Lama. The child passes the test; he and his family are brought to Lhasa, where he will be installed as Dalai Lama when he comes of age. Lamas debating in Tashilhunpo Monastery. ... Lhasa prefecture-level city in Tibet Autonomous Region Lhasa (Tibetan: ལྷ་ས་; Wylie: lha-sa; Simplified Chinese: 拉萨; Traditional Chinese: 拉薩; pinyin: Lāsà), sometimes spelled Llasa, is the traditional capital of Tibet and the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

During the journey, the child becomes homesick and frightened, but he is comforted by Reting, who tells him the story of the first Dalai Lama -- whom the lamas referred to as "Kundun". The story is touching, but it is also intended to show the interconnectedness of all incarnations of the Dalai Lama up to and including the child himself. Homesickness is generally described as a feeling of longing for ones familiar surroundings. ... Story has several different meanings as described below. ... Interconnectedness is one of many concepts gaining popularity as part of the terminology of a worldview which sees a oneness in all things. ... According to Buddhism, there is a cycle of death and rebirth that can be transcended by the practice of the Eightfold Path. ...

As the film progresses, Kundun matures both in age and learning. Following a brief power struggle in which Reting is imprisoned and dies, Kundun begins taking a more active role in governance and religious leadership. Fishers of Men, oil on panel by Adriaen van de Venne (1614) Various religious symbols Religion is commonly defined as a group of beliefs concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions, and rituals associated with such belief. ...

Meanwhile, the Chinese Communists are making noises about Tibet being a "traditional" part of China and their desire to "unify" it with the motherland. Eventually, despite Tibet's pleas to the United Nations and the United States for intervention, China invades Tibet. Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛泽东思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), is a variant of Marxism-Leninism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893–1976). ... Motherland is a term that may refer to a mother country, i. ... United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The 1944 Invasion of Normandy An invasion is a military action consisting of armed forces of one geo-political entity entering territory controlled by another such entity, often resulting in the invading power occupying the area, whether briefly or for a long period, and sometimes permanently. ...

The Chinese are initially helpful, but when the Tibetans resist communist reorganization and re-education of their society (the Tibetans are particularly repulsed by the Communists' ban on religion), the Chinese become oppressive. The Tibetan people are a people living in Tibet and some surrounding areas. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Human relationships within an ethnically diverse society For other uses, see Society (disambiguation). ... A ban is, generally, any decree that prohibits something. ... Oppression is the negative outcome experienced by people targeted by the arbitrary and cruel exercise of power in a society or social group. ...

Following a series of increasingly horrific atrocities suffered by his people (and several attempts on his life) the Dalai Lama resolves to meet with Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing, feeling sure that Mao will make things right. However, during their face-to-face meeting on the final day of the Dalai Lama's visit, Mao makes clear his view that "religion is poison" and that the Tibetans are "poisoned and inferior." To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Beijing (Chinese: 北京, , IPA:), a city in northern China (formerly spelled in English as Peking or Peiking), is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ...

Upon his return to Tibet, the Dalai Lama learns of even more awful horrors perpetrated against his people, who have by now repudiated their treaty with China and begun guerrilla action against the Chinese. Finally, after the Chinese make clear their intention to kill him, the Dalai Lama is convinced by his family and his Lord Chamberlain to flee to India. A treaty is a binding agreement under international law concluded by subjects of international law, namely states and international organizations. ... Guerrilla War redirects here. ... The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the great offices of state. ...

After consulting the oracle about the proper escape route, the Dalai Lama and his staff put on disguises and slip out of Lhasa under cover of darkness. During an arduous journey, throughout which they are pursued by the Chinese, the Dalai Lama becomes very ill and experiences several visions of the past and future. Finally, the party makes it to a small mountain pass on the Indian border. As the Dalai Lama walks to the guard post, an Indian guard approaches him, salutes, and inquires: "May I ask, are you the Lord Buddha?" The Dalai Lama replies with the film's final line: "I think that I am a reflection, like the moon on water. When you see me, and I am trying to be a good man, you see yourself." An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion; an infallible authority, usually spiritual in nature. ... A Guard may be a person or an organisation. ...

Awards

Kundun was nominated for four Academy Awards: for Art Direction, Cinematography (Roger Deakins), Costume Design and Original Score (Philip Glass) Academy Awards The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent film awards in the United States and most watched awards ceremony in the world. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Roger Deakins (born May 24, 1949 Torquay, Devon, England) is a cinematographer. ... A film score is the background music in a film, generally specially written for the film and often used to heighten emotions provoked by the imagery on the screen or by the dialogue. ... Philip Glass looks upon sheet music in a portrait taken by Annie Leibovitz. ...

External links

• Kundun at The Internet Movie Database