Kundun

Kundun Soundtrack

It would be a mistake to call Kundun a disappointment, or a film that director Martin Scorsese was not equipped to create. Both statements may be true to some viewers, but they ignore the higher purpose of Scorsese's artistic intention and take away from a film that is by any definition unique. In chronicling the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, Kundun defies conventional narrative in favor of an episodic approach, presenting a sequential flow of events from the life of the young leader of Buddhist Tibet. From the moment he is recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937 to his exile from Tibet in the wake of China's invasion, the Dalai Lama is seen as an enlightened spiritual figurehead. This gives the film its tone of serenity and reverence but denies us the privilege of admiring the Dalai Lama as a fascinating human character. There's a sense of mild detachment between the film and its audience, but its visual richness offers ample compensation. In close collaboration with cinematographer Roger Deakins, Scorsese filmed Kundun with great pageantry and ritual, and meticulous attention to details of costume, color, and the casting of actual Buddhist monks in the scenes at the Dalai Lama's palace. Certain images will linger in the memory for a long time, such as the Dalai Lama's nightmarish vision of standing among hundreds of dead monks, their lives sacrificed in pacifist defiance of Chinese aggression. Is this a film you'll want to watch repeatedly? Perhaps not. But as a political drama and an elegant gesture of devotion, Kundun is a film of great value and inspirational beauty--one, after all, that perhaps only Scorsese could have made. --Jeff Shannon

Stars: Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Gyurme Tethong, Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin, Tenzin Yeshi Paichang
Production: Buena Vista Internationa
  Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.0
Metacritic:
74
Rotten Tomatoes:
76%
PG-13
Year:
1997
134
Website
2,602 Views
#SongDuration
1Sand Mandala4:06
2Choosing2:14
3Fish2:11
4Distraught3:00
5Projector2:05

Share your thoughts on Kundun's soundtrack with the community:

0 Comments

    Quote of the Day Today's Quote | Archive

    Would you like us to send you a FREE inspiring quote delivered to your inbox daily?

    Please enter your email address:

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this movie page to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Kundun Soundtrack." Quotes.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.quotes.net/soundtrack/kundun_soundtrack_6343>.

    Quiz

    Are you a quotes master?

    »
    Who said: "In politics stupidity is not a handicap"?
    A Al Capone
    B Albert Einstein
    C Napoleon Bonaparte
    D Sigmund Freud