Seven Years in Tibet is a 1997 war drama film based upon the experience of Austrian mountaineer, Heinrich Harrer. The film stars Brad Pitt and David Thewlis are banned from entering China due to their role in Seven Years in Tibet.
The biographical film explores Harrer’s experience in Tibet in the period of 1944 to 1951, covering World War II as well as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s invasion of Tibet in 1950.
The movie was condemned by the Chinese government, as they claimed that Communist Chinese military officers were portrayed as rude and arrogant. The negative light of the Communist Chinese military officers were contrasted with the film’s positive portrayal of the 14th Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama has been a source of controversy in China, as the government claims that the Dalai Lama has been plotting to separate Tibet from mainland China. He has been the reason that Tibet’s struggles are known globally. The separation of Tibet is a highly sensitive situation for the Chinese government, who also disapproved of the use of “occupation of Tibet” in the course of the movie.
The movie is recommended for those who are interested in understanding the Tibetan occupation, and watching Brad Pitt adopt to the local Tibetan culture. It is a heartwarming, humorous, and poignant story that would enlighten both Western and Eastern audience, and leave the audience inspired.
The Rolling Stone also concluded:
Annaud recovers by illuminating the horror that forced the Dalai Lama into exile when Mao’s soldiers busted into Lhasa to destroy monasteries and kill monks. In showing how this now-lost Tibet transformed Harrer (no one denies his humanitarian efforts after his return home), Annaud’s film rebukes critics who would dismiss it as Tibetan chic — another trendy, half-understood cause for celebrities to rally around. Seven Years in Tibet, however flawed, has feeling and purpose. It bears witness.
Watch the trailer of Seven Years in Tibet below!
Learn more about the China-Tibet relations and its current situation from the suggested videos and links below!
A brief rundown of the cause and consequences of the China-Tibet dispute:
UPDATE: As of 2018, Dalai Lama has been caught in the middle of India and China’s reboot. Read more about it here.
Dalai Lama also said that China seems to be more concerned of his successor than himself. But he thinks he will be the last Dalai Lama, ending the four century tradition. Read more about it here.
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