Martin Scorsese’s visually stunning film Kundun (1997) depicts the life story of the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, spanning from his discovery as the Buddha of Compassion in 1937 to his exile from Tibet in 1959 due to the violent Chinese invasion. New York Times’ film critic Stephan Holden writes, “[Kundun] unfolds like a sustained hallucination.”
Fittingly, this screening comes at a relevant and exciting time as talks between Tibetan officials and global leaders have been going on in recent months. By the end of January, envoys of the Dalai Lama resumed talks with Chinese officials after nearly 15 months of silence, leading a positive step towards solidifying open communication between both parties. However, the upcoming talk between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama on February 18th has remained highly controversial. The Chinese government, which views the Dalai Lama as a separatist, has warned the US against such a meeting, claiming it will further damage relations between the U.S. and China. President Obama, however, has chosen to overlook the Chinese’ warnings and has continued with the meeting as planned.
Kundun encapsulates this ongoing tension between politics and intercultural progress in recent Tibet. It poignantly expresses the struggle between oppressors and the oppressed, the conflict between the traditional Buddhist ideal of nonviolence and basic human necessity of self-preservation. The Dalai Lama remains conflicted between his upbringing as a devout Buddhist and his duty to protect the Tibetan people by any means necessary. In one instance, he discusses the Chinese invasion with one of his guards and states that “nonviolence takes a long time,” and he does not know if he has enough time to accomplish his goals by abiding his principles.
The Tibetan invasion, which led to a massacre of monks and civilians, brings this moral dilemma to focus as the Dalai Lama questions his role and the responsibilities that come along with it.
He is ultimately forced to abandon his people or risk becoming another Tibetan casualty. Overall, the film elicited great emotional response from viewers, due in part to its sublime cinematography and Philip Glass’ entrancing musical score.
Although the Dalai Lama has remained in exile for nearly 50 years, the film’s message still resonates with audiences. At the conclusion of the movie, many audience members still remained in their seats, entranced, straight through the closing credits.
While it is a great film, Kundun would be even more spectacular if it had extended further the history of the Dalai Lama. The film ends abruptly after the Dalai Lama arrives safely as a refugee in India, and the closing shot is one of him staring off at the Himalayas wistfully through a telescope.
It may be cinematographically beautiful, but the ending leaves the viewer feeling somewhat cheated in the otherwise epic grandeur of the film. The film leaves no hints of his life in exile and the Tibetans’ eventual fate. Ultimately, Kundun’s moving portrayal of the Dalai Lama’s life is unfortunately weakened by what the film is missing: how his decisions as a young leader continue to resonate today.
