Seven Years in Tibet
Tags: violence, historical

Plot synopsis:
The introduction shows the young Dalai Lama receiving gifts from Tibetan monks. One gift he receives, an ornate music box, has special meaning to him, as he is still a young child.The progress of Heinrich Harrer through India and Tibet on his trek across the high plateau to Lhasa is interwoven with the story of the young Dalai Lama growing into an 8 year old boy who becomes the spiritual leader of Tibet, with a thirst for western knowledge and later into an adolescent. The Dalai Lama is portrayed by three different actors as he grows up.Harrer (Pitt) and his pregnant wife Ingrid (Ingeborga Dapkunaite) are briefly shown being driven to the train station in Graz, for Harrer's departure on an expedition to Nanga Parbat. It becomes evident that Ingrid resents his departure. At the station Harrer barges through the crowds, dragging his wife by the hand, and shows his resentment of Peter Aufschnaiter's selection as leader of the expedition.Harrer at the train station in 1939 appears hostile to the Nazi Party, taking their flag with reluctance. The real-life Heinrich Harrer admitted he had Nazi sympathies at the time which he later regretted. Harrer's arrogance and self-sufficiency become apparent as he sits by himself on the train journey to India.The expedition begins climbing the mountain Harrer, Aufschnaiter, and the expedition group begin climbing Nanga Parbat. Harrer falls, injuring his leg, but hides his injuries from the group. Harrer places Aufschnaiter's life in danger by his inability to pull him safely up a cliff due to the pain of his injury; this worsens their relationship. After an avalanche, Aufschnaiter orders the group to retreat back to the base, despite Harrer's determination to reach the summit.While descending from the mountain, Harrer encounters a Tibetan traveller who gives him a photograph of the Dalai Lama for his protection. On reaching the base, they learn that Germany has invaded Poland, and they are arrested by the British and taken by truck to Dehra Dun prison camp. Harrer writes to Ingrid in Austria, telling of his capture; she responds with divorce papers and tells him she wishes to re-marry. Harrer's son Rolf is now two. Harrer makes several unsuccessful escape attempts. Eventually Aufschnaiter manages to steal a British uniform and several of the prisoners escape. The members of the group go separate ways, with Harrer heading for northern India.On reaching northern India in 1943, Harrer steals food from a religious offering, but is later violently sick from food poisoning. The rest of the group, apart from Aufschnaiter, have been recaptured. Aufschnaiter plans to travel to China to find work.They cross the border into Tibet and set out east, but are met by two men on horseback who tell them they must turn back. Aufschnaiter attempts to speak to them in Tibetan, which he learned while in prison, but is told that foreigners are strictly forbidden in Tibet. On reaching the next town and requesting food, they are confronted by the same two men. They learn that one of them is the garpon, leader of the province, and that the reason that foreigners are forbidden from Tibet is that there is a threat of attack from outside forces. Harrer attempts to appease the garpon by offering him the photo of the Dalai Lama, but they are forced to return towards India, escorted by two guards who are told to shoot them if they try to escape.Harrer and Aufschnaiter are escorted to a small town near the border with India where they trade what little they have in return for food. Harrer persuades Aufschnaiter to trade a watch that he received from his father for climbing Mont Blanc. Seeing one of the guards trying on a Chinese army uniform, he offers him his "German army boots" while actually giving him crampons. The guard takes a liking to the "boots" and puts them on. Harrer and Aufschnaiter escape to the mountainside where the guards, clad in the heavy crampons and uniforms, are unable to follow.While recovering from the escape, Aufschnaiter discovers that Harrer has deceived him about not having a watch to trade, and is furious at Harrer's selfishness. Harrer, first indifferent, after a while begs forgiveness, offering Aufschnaiter all three of his watches and his wedding ring. Aufschnaiter declines the ring, but Harrer insists, stating "I didn't deserve it either." The two then start on their way over the high Tibetan plateau to Lhasa.The arduous journey to Lhasa (including footage secretly captured by director Jean Jacques Annaud in Tibet) causes Harrer to reflect on his son Rolf and the Tibetan custom that the longer and more difficult the journey in a pilgrimage, the greater the repentance of past sins. High in the Himalayas, Harrer and Aufschnaiter are abducted by bandits, but they escape on horseback. Harrer and Aufschnaiter are forced to kill their horses and eat the meat raw.In Lhasa, the pair encounter pilgrims travelling to Lhasa. They are only allowed to join the group after saying they have "special permission" and showing one of the pilgrims the instruction sheet from their first aid kit. As the Tibetan they show it to cannot read English, he allows the two men to join the pilgrims.In Lhasa, Harrer and Aufschnaiter cover their faces to avoid recognition as foreigners. When they try to steal food, Kungo Tsarong, played by Mako, seeing the condition of the travellers, invites them to stay at his home.Tsarong asks for permission for the explorers to remain in Lhasa. The conversation is overheard by the secretary to the regent, Ngawang Jigme (B. D. Wong). Jigme offers Harrer and Aufschnaiter a gift of new clothes, and at the guest quarters of Tsarong's home a Tibetan tailor named Pema Lhaki arrives to measure the two men. Not having seen a woman for several years, they immediately attempt to win her affections.Settled in Lhasa, Harrer continues his attempts to impress Pema Lhaki by demonstrating his climbing techniques and showing a scrapbook containing his achievements back in Austria in skiing and his gold medal at the 1936 Winter Olympics. Lhaki is seemingly unimpressed, stating that climbing is a foolish pleasure and informing Harrer that Western civilization is very different from Tibet, where a man is more respected for abandoning his ego.Harrer, still interested in the Tibetan tailor, rips out a jacket pocket as an excuse to visit her and have it repaired. Harrer enters the store to find Aufschnaiter already there. The three go ice skating together, and Harrer realises that Aufschnaiter has succeeded in winning the Tibetan woman's love.The foreigners have been observed through a telescope by the young Dalai Lama from the nearby Potala Palace. Ngawang Jigme visits the Chinese embassy in Tibet and becomes acquainted with the Chinese ambassador. He has been sent by the Tibetan government to persuade Chinese officials to stop sending financial gifts to Tibetan monasteries as they are becoming suspicious of Chinese intentions. The Chinese official hints that Jigme could gain advancement by offering his services to the Chinese.By May 1945, Harrer visits Aufschnaiter and Pema Lhaki to congratulate them on their marriage. They discuss the activities of the Chinese Communist Party. Lhaki asks Harrer about his life in Lhasa, and he reveals he is very busy and moved out of Tsarong's house five months ago into his own settlement. But he has not found love, and shows his resentment over Aufschnaiter's marriage.Returning to Lhasa, where he has been hired to survey the city, he is told by Ngawang Jigme that World War II is now over. Heinrich immediately begins packing for home when Kungo's elderly wife arrives with a letter for him from Austria. The letter is from his son Rolf, telling him to stop writing. A depressed Harrer receives another letter, this time from the `Great Mother` of the Dalai Lama.In a beautiful Deyangsar courtyard, Harrer greets the Great Mother (played by Jetsun Pema, the sister of the living 14th Dalai Lama). She gives him instructions on how to behave when in the presence of the Lama, who has learned of Harrer's presence in Lhasa and would like to meet him personally.Harrer enters the interior halls of the Potala Palace. Turning into a dark chamber, he sees the mysterious Dalai Lama seated on a throne at the end. Entering behind the Great Mother, he bows repeatedly, much to the amusement of the young Lama. Harrer walks up to the throne, and the Dalai Lama plays with Harrer's mop of blond hair, calling him a yellow head. Shortly afterwards, the Dalai Lama asks the surprised Harrer if he can build him a movie cinema at the palace. He also wants Harrer to teach him about western civilization and become his private tutor during the building process.Harrer immediately begins building the theatre, but encounters a problem, as the workers refuse to harm the worms in the earth while digging, believing that each could have been their mother or a loved one in a past life. Harrer again visits the Dalai Lama, who emphasizes that religious concerns are paramount, and that he must honor them and find a solution. As the movie house is built, Harrer begins tutoring the boy in world geography and the ways of the west.Harrer and Aufschnaiter with a number of important monks and ministers attend a festival near a river, where they meet Ngawang Jigme to celebrate his promotion to the position of minister. At a Christmas party, Harrer returns Aufschnaiter's old watch. Harrer had come across it by chance at a shop and retrieved it as a gift to Aufschnaiter, along with a note thanking him for his friendship. Soon afterwards, a Tibetan turns on the radio and a Chinese announcer proclaims that they plan to invade Tibet. The party breaks up, and an evil omen at night casts a shadow on what is to come.At a meeting with the cabinet, the regent states that Tibet recognizes no foreign sovereign and banishes all Chinese officials from Tibet, including those at the Chinese embassy. As the crisis grows, the Dalai Lama has a terrible nightmare of Chinese atrocities near the Tibetan border in Taktser, his birthplace, with monasteries being burnt down and monks being forced to kill each other. He seeks comfort with Heinrich Harrer, who tells him it was a dream, only to find soon after that the Chinese have indeed crossed the Tibetan frontier, burnt Taktser, and are advancing.Three Chinese generals fly to Lhasa to speak with the Dalai Lama, and against Harrer's request Ngawang Jigme raises the Chinese flag, saying that Tibet should embrace the enemy if it cannot defend itself. Monks have spent many days creating a sand mandala to welcome the generals, who show their disrespect by wiping their feet on it. Despite the Dalai Lama's speech to them that Tibet is a peace-loving nation, the head of the Chinese delegation dismisses religion as "poison", and war soon breaks out on the Tibetan frontier at Chamdo.Ngawang Jigme is sent to Chamdo with a small Tibetan army to defend against the Chinese attack, but many Tibetans are killed. Jigme makes the decision to surrender after just 11 days and then blows up the Tibetan ammunitions dump, destroying any hope of a counter-attack. During a treaty signing in Lhasa, Kungo Tsarong tells Harrer that if Jigme had not destroyed the weapons supply, Tibetan guerillas could have held the mountain passes, buying time to appeal to other nations for help. As the Chinese take control of Tibet and the Chinese flag flies at Lhasa, Harrer visits Ngawang Jigme to condemn him for his surrender, and insults him by returning the jacket he received as a gift.Despite the Chinese invasion, the Dalai Lama, now fifteen years old, is formally enthroned as the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet. Harrer pays a final visit to the Lama on top of the Potala and prays with him. As he leaves the palace, he is given a gift of the music box which was shown to be so dear to the Dalai Lama at the beginning of the film.Harrer bids farewell to Aufschnaiter and Pema and returns to Austria in 1951 to visit his son Rolf, now a young boy. Although his son initially refuses to see him, Harrer leaves the musical box as a gift for him and watches him lovingly from the crack in the door. In the film finale, Harrer gradually comes to know the son he has thought about all the years while he was in Tibet and trains him like himself in the art of climbing mountains. Having reached the top of a mountain, Harrer is shown with a Tibetan flag planted beside him at the peak.

Review: Admittedly his accent slips a bit in places, but he does a great job as Heinrich, both the unpleasant, arrogant character at the beginning, and the more gentle and wise man that he becomes as the film progresses.
It gives you a great sense of how people's stories intersect and how the whole world is connected.Overall, an unusual film, very involving and emotional without sentimentality, with wonderful music and outstanding cinematography.
I thought it was an excellent film that did a great job of conveying accurately what Lhasa looks like, having earlier seen a book of photographs from British expeditions around 1910.
Sporting an Austrian accent that got slammed by some critics, I thought Brad Pitt was pretty good as an arrogant Nazi who finds himself captured by the British during a failed expedition to the Himalayas and is later stranded in Tibet after escaping from a POW camp.
The heart of the movie is the relationship between the blond Aryan golden boy and the young "Kundun," with a performance by the young Tibetan actor playing the latter that is so charming he nearly steals the whole film.
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.
But the real story of Heinrich Harrer is better than anything a fictional author could have thought up.Brad Pitt is Harrer in Seven Years In Tibet and this has become my favorite film of his.
The rest of the film is the seven years he spent there, centered around the unique friendship he formed with the child ruler of Tibet, the Dalai Lama.
This in fact is the same Dalai Lama who today is possibly the world's greatest and non-aligned apostle of the gospel of peace.Brad Pitt is never better in the film than he is with the three child actors who play the Dalai Lama at various stages of his life.
But the spiritual journey he undergoes in his time there makes this one of the most unique adventure stories of the last century.One thing I liked about Seven Years in Tibet is that no effort was made to cover up Harrer's Nazi background.
Brad Pitt, David Thewlis, director Jean Jacques Arnaud are all persona non grata in the People's Republic of China for making this film.
Not to mention the breath taking views of the Himalayas.Yes, Brad Pitt's accent wasn't exactly his best but it's forgivable when watching the movie.
And the whole Nazi part in Austria was completely unnecessary.Besides a few minor details, the movie is well worth the 2 1/2 hours especially if you are interested in the Chinese seizure of Tibet and the Tibetan culture and people.(Free Tibet!).
His own philosophical journey is a reflection of political machinations of the time, the ontogeny recapitulating phylogenetic change of western civilization resulting in a complex modern world forever coiled for violence and warfare.This film has a European pace unsuitable for those addicted to action figure movies with huge budgets and high body counts.
Even though this probably was a just a propaganda piece for the Dali Lama, I found it a surprisingly good story.Nice to see Brad Pitt in such a restrained role.
Unlike Christianity, the religious matter here is treated with reverence by Hollywood but that aside, it remains an interesting story of Henrik Harrer (Pitt) his adventures getting to Tibet with his friend " Peter Aufschnaiter" (David Thewlis) and then his relationship to the young Dali Lama.The film is as pretty as you would expect from one in such mountainous surroundings .
He winds up spending seven years in Tibet, hence the title.Finally, I thought the soundtrack was good, too, featuring an instrument I don't know but love its sound.
It's not that I can't handle movies that are that long, but when watching longer movies, I expect that it has something to say during that extra time and that's where it sometimes went wrong with "Seven Years in Tibet".
It just seemed to keep dragging on forever without contributing to the story.It needs about 2/3 of the time to show what a bad guy Heinrich Harrer actually is and only 1/3 of the time to show how he changes and gradually becomes a good man.
He even knows to get the attention of the very young Dalai Lama and becomes friends with him during the period that the Chinese took over power in Tibet.I don't know if all that is shown in this movie actually happened or to which extent some parts have been made up.
Of course it is all a bit politically 'colored' (the Tibetan question is still not solved until today and so there will always be people who will choose China's side and say that what is shown here is completely wrong), but that doesn't mean that this movie doesn't carry a powerful message.
His encounter with Tibet, its culture and people is highlighted very well by the excellent director Annaud and the scenery is incredible.Brad Pitt excels in one of his first solid roles and makes this a worthwhile experience along with David Thewlis, B.D. Wong, Mako, the beautiful Lhakpa Tsamchoe and the young actor playing Dalai Lama.
The wonderful background drops and scenery and equally dramatic music are superb as the story follows the progress of Heinrich Harrer (still living today) and his relationship with the current Dalai Lama, as a young boy.
The way the story was written and performed great, and it also contains a message!What I really liked was that Brad pitt brought some fun into his character form example when they chase the two inhabitants from tibet away.
This biographical movie is about real-life Austrian (and Nazi) mountaineer Heinrich Harrar (Pitt) who is unfortunately scaling peaks in British India when WWII breaks out in 1939.
There the two men make friends, including the young Dali Lama, and find enlightenment.The best thing about Seven Years in Tibet is the breathtaking high mountain scenery.
..partly because i watched it without subtitles and had difficulty in understanding the dialogues.and hence the plot..partly because i was a different person then..But i sure am a different person now coz i recently watched this movie a few days ago and a liked it so much that i watched it almost five times in a week..and i like myself more now to know that now i like this movie,in fact i love it..There is nothing wrong in this movie,obviously there are some goofs which you can only find out about on this site,but leaving them aside,the movie is amazing..i can say that the movie is an esoterica given the rating,that absolutely belies the magnificence of this movie..I felt sorry when i found out that it is only 6.7 but then i think that the movie was never intended for that purpose..this movie is only for wanderers and spiritualists and that is way Jean-Jacques Annaud intended it..someone who's looking for entertainment or inspiration or something else would find the movie rather dull..The movie is just about the journey of two mountain climbers who are forced to make their way into tibet,forming an unlikely friendship on the way,only to find out that they would rather be there than in their own country..And how one of them forms an even more unlikely friendship with the spiritual leader of Tibet..You grow as the characters grow in the movie..Brad Pitt is at his amazingly best,I like him a lot more after this movie..and David thewlis,I cannot think of a man who would have been as much befitting for the role as this superbly talented actor..I hope he gets more accolades for his work in the future..the music of the movie is amazing as is the screenplay and they make you feel as if you are in Tibet only..I had never known that Tibet is so beautiful and now i make it a point that I will definitely go make a visit once in my life..Go ahead and watch this movie for a purifying experience..If you don't like it,then try to give it a see after every four years..may be you will lucky enough realize the beauty of it as I did...
On the acting side, Brad Pitt was not quite totally believable as a German but, accent-quibbles aside, he did inhabit the character in a way that was compelling and interesting.
Of course, the trickiest part is how to handle the spiritual and political aspects of the story, so what we do is this: we have the Dalai Lama befriend the now-reformed Nazi because the latter is so good at fiddling with film projectors, radios, antique cars, and any other devices with represent the freedom of the capitalist west.
And last but not least, we hang a statistic onto the end of the film about how appallingly the Chinese have treated the Tibetans (which is certainly true), thus opening ourselves up to charges that we have made a "political" movie, even though it is nothing of the sort.
Any way you look at it, in spite of its faults this film is an engaging, intimate portrayal of a young spiritual leader in his formative years and the people of Tibet in a time of cultural metamorphosis and impending political subversion.
Brad Pitt's performance as the Austrian Heinrich Harrer is commendable, if not the highlight of the film.
The film never really flows, it limps along, takes a sudden leap, then limps again.Brad Pitt isn't too bad but the supporting cast is pretty hopeless, the acting quality would barely compete with a daytime soap opera, and the elevator music soundtrack just makes thing worse.If you like a bit of culture and funky scenery then it might be worth a look, but otherwise Seven Years in Tibet will feel like seven years in solitary confinement..
Heinrich Harrer's written account of his time spent in Tibet is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read, but clearly was not easily adaptable to the big screen, since many details in the movie have been fabricated for dramatic effect (for example, Harrer's personality comes across very differently in the book).
The challenge undertaken was all the more impressive that the main characters portrayed in the movie (Heinrich Harrer and the Dalai Lama) were still alive at the time the movie was made (50 years after the facts !), because of the political sensitivities involved in the making of the movie and (as a partial result) the various locations involved in the film-making.
At the Dalai Lama's bidding, Heinrich introduces movies to the Tibetans, and he teaches the young spiritual leader all he can about the Western world.
Perhaps the most appealing thing about this true-to-life story is the casting of Brad Pitt as Heinrich.
Austrian Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt) is climbing the world's 9th highest peak Nanga Parbat in British India.
This movie is about a journey of a arrogant and selfish man named Heinrich Harrer(Brad Pitt) and after he is taken captive as a prisoner of war.
There is a long waiting period before Heinrich Harrer makes it to Tibet and than it's when the movie kick off and becomes heartfelt and touching.
I loved Seven Year's in Tibet.I taped it and watched it four times.I loved the story and the movie location.
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.
I love Brad Pitt in many films like 12 Monkeys and Fight Club, but here he is not in his best form.
I have seen the comments of others on movie 7 years in Tibet and would like to say my opinion.
Brad Pitt is excellent, the cinematography is amazing, the story is great, the photography is stunning, it is brilliantly directed and has a beautiful nature.
All of you out there who didn't like this film, you must agree with what I just said!Seven Years In Tibet isn't just about a Dalai Lama and another man's relationship, it is a touching story.
I like Brad Pitt as an actor so it is difficult to believe it took me this long to finally see this.movie.
It's a good film based on the real experiences of an Austrian explored and the dalai lama during some difficult period in Tibetian history(basically Chinese Occupation).
It's a good film based on the real experiences of an Austrian explored and the dalai lama during some difficult period in Tibetian history(basically Chinese Occupation).
It's a good film based on the real experiences of an Austrian explored and the dalai lama during some difficult period in Tibetian history(basically Chinese Occupation).
It's a good film based on the real experiences of an Austrian explored and the dalai lama during some difficult period in Tibetian history(basically Chinese Occupation).
It's a good film based on the real experiences of an Austrian explored and the dalai lama during some difficult period in Tibetian history(basically Chinese Occupation).
It's a good film based on the real experiences of an Austrian explored and the dalai lama during some difficult period in Tibetian history(basically Chinese Occupation).
There is, however, a lot to like about Pitt's character and the way he comes to see the Dalai Lama (still a boy upon meeting him) as a surrogate son.
Set in an intriguing snippet of Tibet's history, World War 2 halts our main character at every turn (played by Brad Pitt).
With many twists and turns, the story of Seven years in Tibet keeps you glued in as an epic adventure, that rightly required a film, unfolds before you.Occasionally the mystique of the film is somewhat broken by Brad Pitt's unusual attempt at a Austrian accent, and I feel at a run time of over 2 hours, in sections it feels like it can drag.
This film follows the course of the German climber Heinrich Harrer, who travels to Tibet in order to climb a mountain.
Brad Pitt does a more than good job and the rhythm of story is perfect to discover a metamorphose of a man looking himself.
Despite the sumptuous photography, and a score - almost unnoticeable - by John Williams, this movie can only be recommended to fans of Tibetan culture or those interested in the history of the Chinese invasion of Tibet.
It is based on the true story of the 1940's Tibetan sojourn of Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber.
Although Pitt did a great job of portaying the Austrian climber, Seven Years in Tibet is not a movie worth watching.
But the film was concentrated on the person of Harrer at the expense of the Tibetans and Tibet..
Amazing - a Brad Pitt movie I didn't like..
Once again Pitt tackles a role involving a foreign accent (of sorts) and does an admirable job; appearance-wise it certainly wasn't difficult to impersonate an Austrian skiier, but the sequence of the changes that took place within the persona of Heinrich Harrer over the years as the story unfolds was well portrayed.
You can't inspect this from film, which has a word of "Tibet" in its name and also Brad Pitt as a main actor there.
And the movie is not only mountaineer Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt) story.
Every Brad Pitt movie is a long awaited event for me, and with Tibet I wasn't disappointed.
But either the story line of this film or that of Kundun is bogus.I suspect that the Brad Pitt character was far less important to Tibetan history that suggested here, but perhaps more so than in Kundun, which shows NO Western tutors or acquaintances of the Dalai Lama.I saw both films and would say that this one has better scenery and the plot was more suspenseful.
"Seven Years in Tibet" is possibly one of the best movies I've ever seen.
As the movie ends, this takes on an overtly anti-Chinese (or, at least, an anti-People's Republic of China) feel, as the Chinese brutally invade and conquer Tibet - an occupation lasting to this day.)Brad Pitt was good in the role.
Yes, there are some Interesting Cultural Displays but a lot of it is Superficial and Boring (like the ice skating) and have Little to do with the Encroaching Chinese and Spiritual Beauty within the 14th Incarnation that is the Personified and Deified Dalai Lama, Tibet's Spiritual Leader.The Actor Portraying the 14 Year Old Lama could have Taught Brad Pitt something about Acting.
The Film is Focused throughout on all the Wrong Things and it renders the Movie Limp and Long with more Filler than Fact, and the Result is a Noble if Failed Effort to make the Case for the Tibetan People and the Dalai Lama.
I have to say that the photography of this film is great.Heinrich Harrer (Pitt) is an Austrian mountaineer who leaves his pregnant wife in Austria in 1939 in order to climb the Nanga Parbat in India but once there he is going to be arrested with his team mates because Germany attacked Poland (WW2) , he will get to escape with a team mate and his way of seeing life will change forever when they get to the city of Lhasa ..6 stars = regular.
Having starred in "Se7en", Brad Pitt then starred in another 7: "Seven Years in Tibet", about Austrian explorer Heinrich Harrer.
So, even though Brad Pitt's Teutonic accent isn't the most believable, the movie does a good job showing how a person can change.
To enjoy this film, you have to look past some boring parts, Brad Pitt's bad accent and David Thewlis' lackluster performance.
The story is about an austrian mountain climber, who becomes friends with the Dai Lai Lama at the time of China's conquest of Tibet.