Seven Years in Tibet

The film based on his memoirs, Seven Years in Tibet, captures only a fraction of the adventure and the spiritual and social implications of Harrer’s journeys. However, the movie is still worth a look simply because it’s one of the most gorgeous flicks in recent memory. French director Jean-Jacques Annaud (Quest for Fire) makes terrific use of the locations (the Andes substitute for the Himalayas) and gives the movie a strong sense of wonder. The temples of Lhasa (the Tibetan version of Mecca) are recreated lovingly and many times Annaud and his crew amaze by getting the camera into places where it would seem impossible to film.

As drama, Seven Years in Tibet, falls short of its images. Harrer’s book says little about his own life (for example, he omits his recently disclosed involvement with the SS), and screenwriter Becky Johnston’s attempts at fleshing him out sometimes feel false, and Brad Pitt’s adequate but unspectacular performance doesn’t help. Without the involvement of a relatively bankable star like Pitt, this movie would probably never have been made. While one admires Pitt for embracing a fairly risky project (with its favorable depiction of the Dalai Lama, this thing is not going to play in China), it would have been interesting to see what a more capable thespian like Ralph Fiennes could have done with this role.

Toward the end, the film gains momentum as Harrer gets to know the Dalai Lama. Young Jamyang Wang Chuck gives a charming and energetic performance as the future Nobel Prize-winning leader. It’s an intimidating role. Chuck has to make the audience believe that he’ll grow up to be a great statesman and come across as a three-dimensional youngster. He not only succeeds, but he forces Pitt out of his trademark moroseness. As a result, the scenes between the two are the most moving and enduring in the film.

In fact, Seven Years in Tibet sometimes feels slow because it needs more scenes like these. Harrer recalls the Tibetans he knew warts and all. If the movie had this same approach, the eventual domination of the Tibetans by the Chinese might have had more impact.