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Kundun

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Kundun is a 1997 American epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso (known also as Kundun), the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. A grandnephew of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, stars as the adult Dalai Lama, while the Dalai Lama's niece Tencho Gyalpo appears as his mother.

Film · TMDB

6.8

The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

Released: 1997-12-25134 minDir: Martin ScorseseDrama, HistoryBudget: $28.0MBox office: $5.7M

Cast

  • Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong as Dalai Lama (Adult)
  • Tencho Gyalpo as Mother
  • Tsewang Migyur Khangsar as Father
  • Gyurme Tethong as Dalai Lama (Age 12)
  • Robert Lin as Chairman Mao
  • Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin as Dalai Lama (Age 5)

Themes

  • china
  • buddhism
  • buddhist monk
  • mountain
  • tibet
  • lhasa
  • buddha

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Ratings

IMDb

7/10

32,251 votes

Year
1997
Runtime
134 min
Genres
Biography, Drama, History

via IMDb

Key facts

Film.name
Kundun
Film.image
Kundun film poster.jpg
Film.caption
Theatrical release poster
Film.director
Martin Scorsese
Film.producer
Barbara De Fina
Film.writer
Melissa Mathison
Film.music
Philip Glass
Film.cinematography
Roger Deakins
Film.editing
Thelma Schoonmaker
Film.distributor
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland)Canal+ Image International (International)
Film.runtime
134 minutes
Film.country
United States
Film.budget
$28 million
Film.gross
$5.7 million

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Duration
134
FilmAffinity ID
369534
Image
Dalai Lama boy.jpg
Show 6 more facts
Commons category
Kundun
publication date
1998-03-19
title
Kundun
budget
28000000
box office
5532301
review score
74/100
Sources (8)

via Wikidata · CC0

~16 min read

Article

15 sections
Contents
  • Plot
  • Cast
  • Production
  • Soundtrack
  • Track listing
  • Charts
  • Release
  • Reception
  • Critical reception
  • Accolades
  • In popular culture
  • See also
  • References
  • Works cited
  • External links

Kundun is a 1997 American epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso (known also as Kundun), the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. A grandnephew of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, stars as the adult Dalai Lama, while the Dalai Lama's niece Tencho Gyalpo appears as his mother.

The film's release greatly angered the Chinese government, which objected to its content and threatened to block distributor Disney from accessing the Chinese market as a result. Disney consequently apologized and limited distribution of the film.

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