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Very well executed

Better than most people think

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This was a controversial film upon release and if I am not wrong its outright banned in China. 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). Brad Pitt plays the lead character and is pretty alright. David Thewlis plays his mate. The child playing the young Dalai Lama steals the show though and the scenery of Tibet is a plus point. Great topic but an average film.

Seven Years in Tibet (1997): Dir: Jean-Jacquacs Annaud / Cast: Brad Pitt, David Thewlis, B.D. Wong, Victor Wong, Mako: It seems like it took seven years to view, or perhaps I drifted off to sleep (not difficult under the circumstances) and woke up during the following presentation of the film. Title regards seven years of a man's life and what he turned his back on. Had the director turned his back on this film then perhaps viewers would have been spared the extreme boredom. Set in 1939 Brad Pitt joins an expedition to scale Nanga Parbat. They are taken prisoner by His Majesty's Government in India where Pitt makes several escape attempts with inappropriate comic appeal. One capture takes no more than a quick stabbing then he is off and running again. When in Tibet they compete for a female tailor. Then the Dalai Lama enters the picture etc, etc. Throw in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and this film would be complete. Predictable and disjointed with horrible directing by Jean-Jacquacs Annaud. Pitt is miscast and Thewlis is cardboard. Together they turn in one of their worst performances and are joined by veteran actors B.D. Wong, Mako and Victor Wong who also ought to fire their agents after being part of this crap. Theme regards consequence particularly when Pitt is denounced by his son. Viewers should do the same with the film. Score: 3 / 10

I have never read Heinrich Harrer's book so I have nothing to compare the film to and no way to know to what degree the film has been fictionalized. So I have to rate this film as "a dramatized or fictionalized biographical film".I saw this movie when it first came out in 1997. This is actually the last movie I have ever seen in a movie theater. (Yes it's been that long since I have been to the theater).This is one of those movies I liked better than I thought I would - it was better than the previews lead me to believe. I thought the movie was actually good. It was heartwarming, a bit adventurous, and quite an interesting story.My rating is based on "just a Hollywood film" and not on if it is a perfectly accurate account or true to the book.8/10

First of all, I wanna say that it is not easy for a mainland Chinese to watch such movie that were strictly banned domestically. Just because the recent protest occurred in Tiananmen Square made me eager to discovering the truth behind the so-called "news". I've heard from my US colleagues that Brad Pitt has been refused to mainland China ever since his acting in this film, and I once told my US friends that the only place I wanna pay for a visit within this country is Tibet and Xinjiang, of course, both are notably "question area" with a great deal of political related conflicts. Tibet, with its beautiful scenery and culture and religious charm, has attracted a lot of people all over the world to see this heaven land, the highest plateau on earth, the closet place to reach the gods in sky. I was amazed by the stunning views in this movie, as well as the mysterious religious-based culture it showed, the ceremonies and the kindhearted people there. And it truly broke my heart when comes to the plots that the liberty troops invaded this holy place and made it as part of people's republic of China. Though without showing the audience too much bloody scenes, the moment that the communist party delegates step on the gorgeous prints the humble monks are praying for, is just like a needle stamp into my brain nerves and I trembled. Furious with such bandits to ruin others' religious belief so easily and without regret, angry about how they are acting and no wonder that so many years has passed, these group of people are just exactly the same as 60 years ago. A lot of officials nowadays are just the way like the delegates in this movie- rude, arrogant, disrespectful, no manners at all. Shame on me, oh gosh. I don't know why the paramount leaders always have this desire to control other race and expand the territory. Those people have their own culture and religious beliefs, they are totally different with Han ethnicity, from head to toe. Why bothers controlling their homeland and trying to brainwash to make everyone like an ethnicity that actually has no religious no beliefs at all? I cannot understand any single one massacre in human history, though I know the saying, every nation is built on blood and tears. And as a result of retrieve Tibet, there are Han Chinese crowd in Lhasa and as a consequence of protests that never stops in Tibetan, there are tons of liberty troops quarter in Tibet autonomous region and can put down every single "counter-revolutionary" riot by military force immediately. I know there are racial discrimination between Tibetan and Han ethnicity nationwide, Dalai lama's expelled from his people and homeland (which is a taboo topic within red China), how situation deteriorates to today is never my or a peace-loving person's wish. Apart from the politics inner depth of this movie, the loving and honesty Tibetans moved me a lot. How I wish this holy place, the reputable nearest city (Lhasa) to heaven, will never ever destroyed by anything from outside world, neither party itself nor Western civilizations. The world needs colorful cultures and races and religious beliefs, thus will leave something valuable to our offspring.