SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET: Blu-Ray (Columbia/Mandalay 1997) Sony Home Entertainment


Shot mostly in Argentina, Canada, Nepal and Austria, and based on Austrian mountaineer, Heinrich Harrer's detailed autobiography, director Jean-Jacques Annaud's Seven Years in Tibet (1997) is the kind of sweeping and glamorous epic that harks back to the days of David Lean. That the end result is a lot less Lean-esque, and very much intent on convincing us its star, Brad Pitt can carry off a German accent is a shortcoming from which, arguably, the movie never entirely recovers. Mercifully, there is lots here apart from Pitt’s performance to admire, chiefly, Robert Fraisse’s cinematography which manages to conceal the fact a lot of the movie was not photographed in indigenous locales. Ditto for Hoang Thanh At’s production design and John Williams’ magnificent score. When all else fails – and it doesn’t, much – Seven Years in Tibet is always a visually arresting experience.  The screenplay by Becky Johnston develops an interesting alter-narrative to Harrer's biographical account of his journey into the Himalayas – chalk it up to artistic license – while still managing to capture the essential flavor and mood of the piece. Unable to shoot in Tibet, director, Annaud achieved a minor coup by sneaking a second unit in to capture approximately 20 min. of legitimate footage in and around the Forbidden City of Lhasa.
This being Hollywood’s version of the truth, there are discrepancies worth noting, beginning with the dissociation of Harrer from the Nazi party. By all accounts, Harrer was unabashedly proud of his status as a Nazi Schutzstaffel NCO. Yet, in the movie, he gets misrepresented as a reluctant 'sympathizer' of the Nationalist Socialist agenda, even correcting an interviewer who refers to him as a German hero – “thank you, but I’m Austrian.” Harrer agrees to plant the Swastika atop the Tibetan high plateau as a symbol of the climb on their behalf.  In all likelihood, the real Harrer viewed this assignment as a great honor. The movie also makes an issue of Harrer’s connection to his son even though in his book the real Harrer makes no reference to either his wife, Ingrid (Ingeborga DapkÅ«naitÄ—) or child. While Harrer was already divorced by the time he set out to conquer the Himalayas, this movie infers his decision to climb just prior to Ingrid giving birth is at the crux of the couple’s eventually dissolution – further confirmed when, upon Harrer’s return home after seven years absence, he discovers Ingrid since remarried; the boy, with no recollection of his real father, reared by his stepfather. In reality, Harrer’s ex-wife’s new husband was killed in the war and Harrer’s son was raised by his maternal grandmother. In Harrer’s autobiography he further infers there was nothing to tie him to home, hence his decision to remain in Tibet.
Arguably, for the sake of the movie’s continuity, much of the actual historical timeline is taken out of sequence and context. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama (first portrayed in the movie by Dorjee Tsering, age 4; next, Sonam Wangchuk, age 8, and finally, Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk, age 14) was actually enthroned as the temporal leader of Tibet on November 17th, 1950. After China invaded across the Jinsha River in Oct. of that same year, a Tibetan delegation was sent to Beijing to discuss the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama was forced to flee, taking refuge on the border with India and Sikkim, but later, coming home to Lhasa. Loosely covering the years between 1944 and 1951, Seven Years in Tibet opens with Harrer and his wife, Ingrid quarreling over his latest mountain-climbing venture. Unsympathetic to Ingrid's emotional and physical state (she is pregnant with their first child), Harrer entrusts his good friend, Horst Immerhof (Gerardo Ebert) to look after Ingrid while he is away. Egotistical, pompous and self-righteous to a fault, Harrer joins his expedition team, fronted by Peter Autschanaiter (David Thewlis). Alas, their relationship is tempestuous from the outset, mostly due to Harrer's inability to consider himself as part of a team. Regrettably, Harrer's over-zealousness to conquer the Himalayas turns rancid during a harrowing storm and avalanche. At the outbreak of WWII, Harrer and the rest of the climbers are declared enemies of the British Empire, arrested and taken to an internment camp in India. Over the next several years, Harrer stages several daring escapes – all, to end with his recapture.
Peter and several members from the climbing team devise a more devious plan to impersonate British officers and local Indian laborer. And although Harrer considers this plan most foolhardy – mostly, because he did not think of it first, at the last possible moment he elects to join his fellow escapees. The ruse gets Peter and Harrer past the camp. But now, Harrer’s old habits return. Considering himself outside the parameters of the group, he pares off, declaring he is better off alone. After nearly starving to death and enduring a brutal bout of dysentery from eating spoiled food left as a religious offering, Harrer and Peter are reunited. Peter plans to seek work in China, a prospect that sounds promising to Harrer as well. But again, the two men are taken hostage – this time, by marauding bandits. Again, they manage a harrowing escape by night. To sustain themselves, Harrer and Peter slaughter their horses and consume the raw meat. Left for dead in the middle of nowhere, Harrer and Peter next encounter pilgrims en route to the forbidden city of Lhasa.
Their presence is hardly welcomed by the locals who consider Europeans the devil. Only the Lord Chamberlain (Ngawang Chojor) and Gnawwang Jigme (B.D. Wong) advisor to his Holiness, the Dali Lama (Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk) take a personal interest in these weary travelers - the former, offering them the comforts of his modest home, the latter, making Harrer and Peter a gift of new clothes hand-sewn by local tailor, Perma Lhaki (Lhakpa Tsamchoe). Harrer is smitten with Perma, strutting at every opportunity to win her affections. Perma is hardly impressed. She quickly makes it known to Harrer that her heart is not stirred by such ostentatious behavior. Moreover, she is much drawn to the more reserved and introspective Peter. Time passes. Peter and Perma are wed, relocating to a remote farm on the outskirts of the Forbidden City. It is a bitter pill for Harrer to swallow until he is informed by Great Mother (Jetsun Pema) of the Dali Lama’s express wishes to meet with him. From here the movie’s narrative shifts its focus almost exclusively to Harrer's paternal affections toward the enlightened one, associating their friendship as a surrogate for Harrer's guilt and to justify having abandoned his own son back home.
In the meantime, the winds of change have brought political unrest to Lhasa's inhabitants. A visit from the People's Republic of China, Gen. Chang Jing Wu (Ric Young) is hardly reassuring, particularly after the General and his advisors desecrate an intricate floor mosaic the Tibetan monks have been toiling over for more than a month as a gesture of goodwill toward their Chinese invaders. Ngawang Jigme makes a critical error by surrendering a mere eleven days after several villages are attacked, blowing up the Tibetan ammunitions’ depot and thereby dismantling all hope of a counter attack. As Chinese forces take hold of Tibet, Harrer condemns Ngawang Jigme as a traitor to his Holiness. Now, Harrer returns to the High Lama with a plan of escape. This, alas, is thwarted when the Lama explains to Harrer he cannot leave his people when they need him most. It is through the Lama's compassion, understanding and finally, blunt assertion to Harrer - he never considered him as a father – that finally convince Harrer it is time to leave Tibet and return home, to Austria. Becky Johnston’s screenplay concludes on a note or restrained optimism. Harrer is reunited with his son, Rolf (Sebastian Zevalia as a child/Phillip Kreichbaum as a teenager). A bond begins to form, with the implication being that Harrer has found renewed purpose in his life as a father-figure. In reality, Harrer would remain estranged from his son for the rest of his life.
Despite its artistic alterations, Seven Years in Tibet remains a masterful entertainment, marginally marred by its miscasting of Brad Pitt as Harrer, who so incredibly fractures his ‘Austrian’ accent there is not a word to escape his lips that can be believably absorbed as truth. Pitt would have done better to forego the accent entirely, as Robert Redford had done when playing Denys Finch Hatton – a Brit – in Out of Africa (1985). But no – we get Pitt trying desperately to affect an accent he only picks up in a few words, but otherwise mangles as rank parody. His pronunciation of the ‘Himalayas’ is ruthlessly awful. History does not escape Hollywood’s artistic scrutiny. As example: China's Gen. Wu is depicted as a heartless Communist who equates religion to poison and encouraged his soldiers in their desecration of the Tibetan village. But this too is a fabrication of Becky Johnston's imagination, as the picture’s third act needed a villain. So enraged were Chinese officials after pre-screening Seven Years in Tibet, that Jean-Jacques Annaud and his star, Brad Pitt were officially banned from ever entering China. Finally, Johnston's screenplay lacks in expressing Harrer's contributions while in Tibet. Instead, Harrer's pomposity is meant as a counterbalance to Peter’s generosity, his ultimately enlightenment before the final fade out, made admirable for fiction, if virtually to emasculate the real Harrer's flaws. These are far more detailed in Harrer’s autobiography - and arguably, far more captivating as they illustrate a sincerity to reflect upon his life with a genuine and critical eye. Pitt’s Harrer suffers not from such genuine introspection. Oh well, as Hitchcock would say, “It’s only a movie.”
Sony's Blu-Ray is a marvel, perhaps not altogether surprising since, even in the early days of hi-def remastering, Sony was at the forefront – having, not only established the Blu-ray format as the clear winner of the hi-def format war, but also, under Grover Crisp’s asset management, to serve as a guiding exemplar of how to properly preserve and restore Columbia/Tri-Star’s movie catalog to disc for home video consumption.  Seven Years in Tibet is a visual masterpiece, given over to a rich, bold and vibrant presentation in hi-def Blu-ray. Colors pop. Flesh tones have been accurately reproduced. Fine detail takes a quantum leap forward. The audio is DTS 5.1 and very aggressive in spots - most noticeably in its music cues. Dialogue is natural sounding and crisp. SFX are well integrated. Extras are limited to a brief ‘puff piece’ featurette and trailers. Bottom line: while not historically accurate, Seven Years in Tibet is an oft absorbing motion picture meant to be experiences in hi-def. This Blu-ray, does the movie justice. Recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
3.5
VIDEO/AUDIO
4.5
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