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Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
8 October 1997 (USA)
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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. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe.
Another 3 wins
&
6 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(25 articles)
Robert Pattinson, Brad Pitt And More Overnight Sex Symbols
(From MTV Movie News. 29 September 2009, 2:52 AM, PDT)
Bad Accents In Film
(From FilmShaft.com. 22 September 2009, 10:42 AM, PDT)
(From MTV Movie News. 29 September 2009, 2:52 AM, PDT)
Bad Accents In Film
(From FilmShaft.com. 22 September 2009, 10:42 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
If it hadn't been that unnecessarily long, this would have been a masterpiece
more (95 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | 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) |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some violent sequences.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
136 min
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Because of their roles in the movie, David Thewlis and Brad Pitt are banned from ever entering China.
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Goofs:
Errors in geography: When Heinrich Harrer uses a globe to explain time zones to the young Dalai Lama, he spins the globe the wrong way (clockwise - from East to West), and says "So if the sun is just rising in Lhasa, that means it is just setting in New York City, perhaps." But the Earth spins counterclockwise, and Harrer should have spun the globe the other way, saying "So if the sun is already setting in Lhasa, that means it is just rising in New York City, perhaps." Another possible correct statement would be to say "So if the sun is just rising in Lhasa, that means it is just setting in New York City yesterday, perhaps."
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Quotes:
Ingrid Harrer:
[in a letter] Dear Heinrich. Please sign the divorce papers and send them to my lawyer. Horst and I intend to be married as soon as the divorce is finalized. As for your letter, yes, your son Rolf Harrer was born while you were climbing the mountain. He is now two years old and calls Horst papa...
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Hide and Seek (#6.19)" (2009)
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Soundtrack:
Clair de Lune
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (95 total)
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It's too bad that the movie had to be 139 minutes long. 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. All he thinks about is his career as a mountain climber. In 1939, just before World War II, his wife is pregnant with their first child. Harrer doesn't want to take up his responsibility and 'flees' from her by going to Tibet, where he will try to conquer Mount Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas. Because he is an Austrian and because the Nazi's already have taken over power in Austria, they will use his successes to prove that the Germans are the best race (I hope I don't have to explain the entire Nazi ideology to you, but that you paid enough attention during history class). During his attempt to reach the summit he is arrested by the British and taken to a POW-camp. After several attempts to escape he finally succeeds and together with Peter Aufschnaiter he succeeds to reach Tibet. First he is his old, bad self, but gradually he changes his lifestyle and becomes more 'Tibetan'. 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. But even without this message of being a good husband and not being a career driven jerk, the philosophical Tibetan approach to problems... this movie is very nice eye candy. The landscapes are absolutely stunning and Tibet really looks like a place that certainly is worth a visit. The acting is very good and it all looks very believable.
So despite the fact that this movie dragged on from time to time and that it should have been a bit shorter, this still is a very nice film. I give it a 7/10, perhaps even a 7.5/10.