Kundun
Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Kundun reveals a new direction for director Martin Scorsese, whose previous films include such classics as Taxi Driver and Goodfellas. A film on a scale such as this requires a very skilful film-maker to achieve success, and Scorsese here reveals that he is such a film-maker.
Kundun tells the story of the 14th Dalai Lama, from his identification at two years old as the latest reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, to his exile from Tibet in 1959 at the age of 24 as a result of the Chinese invasion. The story is told from the point of view of the Dalai Lama himself, played by four Tibetan actors in the different stages of his early life. The Dalai Lama (“Kundun”) is a precocious child, born into a family in rural Tibet. We see him develop into a sensitive, devout and overall compassionate young man, who feels deeply the pain of his people when the Chinese communist army of Chairman Mao Zedong takes over his country. He remains true to the Buddhist principles of non-violence, even at Tibet’s darkest hour.
Visually, the film is utterly stunning. The richness of the scenery, costumes and sets is breath-taking and the cinematography is superbly compelling. The soundtrack too, composed by Philip Glass (Koyaanisqatsi) adds a further dimension to the film. It is a true epic in cinematic terms. And yet, while the whole effect was designed to draw the viewer into the world of the Dalai Lama, I was never completely captured. Something about the epic style seemed to create a certain distance between the events on the screen and myself as the viewer. Having said that, it was still entrancing, and some of the images have amazing power. It is extraordinary that a film of this quality was almost denied a release in Australia, reportedly because of the distributor’s fear of offending Chinese authorities. Now that we have the opportunity to see it I urge you to do so.
Helen Chandler
