Remarkably unlike the book

Rating: 6/10 (4 January 2005)

There is a theory that if choosing between a book and a movie made from that book one should see the movie first because if the book is read first the movie is bound to be a letdown. While there are rare exceptions to this adage ("The Green Mile" e.g.) none is more true than "Seven Years in Tibet." Brad Pitt shows his acting chops, but the departures from the story of the book will cause hand wringing in the unsuspecting viewer.
In the actual story: (Note SPOILERS ahead): -Harrer was not married, had no child to write to, no wife to leave behind and seek a reunion with. -Harrer was not particularly arrogant a person or in conflict with his fellow mountaineers before their capture. He seemed to be apolitical despite recent revelations of Nazi membership and simply self-absorbed. Thus, he did not need the "redemption" of his personality that the movie depicts. -There was no beautiful woman competing for the affections of the two Westerners. Aufschnaiter apparently never married, or if he did, Harrer made no mention of it and told of his own lack of inclination to form relationships with women there. -There was no palace intrigue related to the Chinese invasion. -The Dalai Lama appears only peripherally until near the end of the story. Although he and Harrer clearly bonded, this bond was described at the end of the book and did not form the basis for Harrer's immersion into Tibetan culture.
One could ask what Harrer himself, in hindsight, thought of Germany's treatment of foreigners, particularly in view of the way the British treated him despite his many escape attempts ("sporting"); what he felt at the defeat of Naziism; how he might compare his feelings about Chinese aggression with his feelings about Germany's policies; what he sees of Germany's position in the post-war world, such as its democratic government and its United Nations roles in the Tibetan issues of Chinese occupation. None of this is mentioned in the book or its Epilog, though sufficient time has passed that a coda to the movie would have been possible and valuable.
The move seems to have taken the title and run with it, but the story was left behind. Nice scenery, though.