Seven Years in Tibet (1997) / Brad Pitt Filmography

Summary: World War II... An emotionally remote Austrian mountain climber (Brad Pitt) journeys to the holy city of Lhasa, Tibet in search of peaks to tame and finds instead an unexpected friend in the form of the young Dalai Lama. Under the influence of the holy leader, the mountaineer--and, not coincidentally, Nazi Party member--begins a personal journey that leads to a greater self-awareness and inner wisdom. Adapted from the eponymous memoir by Heinrich Harrer.

The film's most interesting relationship is between Thewlis and Pitt, but it is abandoned once they enter Lhasa. The scenes of Harrer with the Dalai Lama make the good point that in this friendship, Harrer is the emotional child while the 14-year-old Kundun is the adult. In one of Seven Years in Tibet's rare moments of insight, the Dalai Lama is seen studying the citizens of Lhasa through his telescope. The image emphasises the sense of curiosity and distance he must have felt growing up in such isolation.

Brad Pitt is often maligned, but he's pretty well cast in this film as the poster boy for Aryan supremacy: blond, blue-eyed and beautiful. His performance in the role of Austrian mountaineer Harrer is adequate though overshadowed by the terrific performances of Wang Chuck (as Dalai Lama at 14) and Thewlis (as Harrer's guide and friend Peter Aufshnaiter). Seven Years in Tibet aims to be about explorations: physical (the Himalayas) emotional (Harrer is a father who has abandoned his family) and spiritual (half the movie takes place in Lhasa, after all). Unfortunately, moments of illumination are rare.

Genres: Drama

Runtime: 139 min.

Release Date: October 8, 1997

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violent sequences.

Country: USA

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Distributor: Columbia TriStar

Cast and Credits:

Starring: Brad Pitt, David Thewlis, Jamyang Wang Chuck, B.D. Wong, Mako

Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud