Kundun

"The destiny of a people lies in the heart of a boy."

1997 2h 14m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 515

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

From childhood to adulthood, Tibet's fourteenth Dalai Lama deals with Chinese oppression and other problems.

“The destiny of a people lies in the heart of a boy.”

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Cast

Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong
Dalai Lama (Adult)
Tencho Gyalpo
Mother
Tsewang Migyur Khangsar
Father
Gyurme Tethong
Dalai Lama (Age 12)
Robert Lin
Chairman Mao
Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin
Dalai Lama (Age 5)
Tenzin Yeshi Paichang
Dalai Lama (Aged 2)
Tenzin Topjar
Lobsang (5-10)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Melissa Mathison
Languages: English, Mandarin, Tibetan
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 20% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Mandarin, Tibetan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Martin Scorsese, shot by Roger Deakins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Philip Glass. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thelma Schoonmaker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong and Tencho Gyalpo and Tsewang Migyur Khangsar carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The destiny of a people lies in the heart of a boy.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Martin Scorsese directs. Roger Deakins behind the camera. Philip Glass scores. Thelma Schoonmaker cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Mandarin, Tibetan.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 20% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
229 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Mandarin, Tibetan.
4Directed by Martin Scorsese, shot by Roger Deakins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Philip Glass. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Thelma Schoonmaker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong and Tencho Gyalpo and Tsewang Migyur Khangsar carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The destiny of a people lies in the heart of a boy.".
9IMDB entry: tt0119485 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Original score: Philip Glass
Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker
Production design: Dante Ferretti
Costume design: Dante Ferretti
Makeup / hair: Fabrizio Sforza
Sound: Tom Fleischman
Runtime: 134 min · 2h 14m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $28,000,000
Box office: $5,684,789
Return: 20% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Kundun (1997)

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Martin Scorsese

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-09-06
★ 7/10
If anyone were ever to question the undoubted skill of cinematographer Roger Deakins, then they need only watch this beautifully crafted story of the youth of the 14th Dalai Lama. Filmed in the Moroccan Atlas mountains, for obvious reasons, Martin Scorsese provides us with a lavish, colourful and thought-provoking postulation on just how this young man was selected, after a four year search, to become the venerated spiritual leader of a peaceful nation of farmers and monks, buried deep in the Himalaya mountains. The boy was but two, but already there was a fear amongst these folks for whom time has largely stood still, that their neighbour has designs on their homeland. As the boy ages into youth, those threats manifest themselves more practically and by the end, the man has little choice but to embark on a perilous journey to safety in India. The actors are perfect for their roles - the three iterations of the principal character morph seamlessly together as he must learn to tread a very thin line and attain the level of political acuity necessary to deal with the disarming, but ruthless, Chairman Mao (Robert Lin). Philip Glass scores well too - grand and intimate orchestrations complimenting well the beautifully coloured costumes and the rising political temperature. It does take it's time, but it is a subtly delivered hypothesis, this. It suggests more than it imposes on history and that makes for a more complete film to enjoy. Sure it has a message, quite a few as it happens, but they are there for us to develop ourselves - Scorsese doesn't tell us what to think. He invites us. Deakins was nominated for an Oscar for this, and to appreciate that fully then do try to see it on a big screen. In any case, it's well worth a watch offering plenty of food for thought.

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