Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Writers (WGA):

Heinrich Harrer (book)
Becky Johnston (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

At the end of the world his real journey began.

Plot:

True story of Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai Lama at the time of China's takeover of Tibet.

Plot Keywords:

Mountain | Dalai Lama | Austria | Tibet | Himalaya

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Brad Pitt	...	Heinrich Harrer
David Thewlis	...	Peter Aufschnaiter
B.D. Wong	...	Ngawang Jigme
Mako	...	Kungo Tsarong
Danny Denzongpa	...	Regent
Victor Wong	...	Chinese 'Amban'
Ingeborga Dapkunaite	...	Ingrid Harrer
Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk	...	Dalai Lama, 14 Years Old
Lhakpa Tsamchoe	...	Pema Lhaki
Jetsun Pema	...	Great Mother
Ama Ashe Dongtse	...	Tashi
Sonam Wangchuk	...	Dalai Lama, 8 Years Old
Dorjee Tsering	...	Dalai Lama, 4 Years Old
Ric Young	...	General Chang Jing Wu
Ngawang Chojor	...	Lord Chamberlain (as Ven. Ngawang Chojor)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violent sequences.

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Mandarin | Tibetan

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Malaysia:U | Brazil:Livre (DVD rating) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Applecross

Trivia:

Brad Pitt was paid $8 million for appearing in the film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When everyone is skating, all of them are skating on modern hockey blades. Some of the people can be seen with white plastic blade attachments.

Quotes:

Heinrich Harrer: That's the Olympic gold medal. Not important.
Pema Lhaki: This is another great difference between our civilization and yours. You admire the man who pushes his way to the top in any walk of life, while we admire the man who abandons his ego.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Big Bang: (#1.1)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Clair de Lune

Excellent

This masterpiece, still makes me curious every time I see it. Brad Pitt does an amazing job portraying an Austrian, even down to his accent. The cinematography is extraordinary, and the direction is quite good. I love watching it every so often, and learning new things that I missed the times before.

The film has a great amount of interesting facts, and takes place in the 1930's through '50's. There are times when it is; magical, spiritual, enlightening, sweet, sad and poignant.

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys interesting and true stories. If nothing else watch Pitt with his masterful portrayal of this real life character, who faces hardships, physically, spiritually and emotionally.