masterful portrayal of this real life character, who faces hardships, physically, spiritually and emotionally.

spirituality felt throughout the film crescendos to a moving close. You are left with the feeling that you must know more and that wisdom transcends all. Watch it and watch it again and again.

i guess they'd had to be, that sometimes during the film you feel like , getting on with the story, while there drinking tea or something . ..bottomline great movie, but ya gotta be in to the genre!

character at the beginning, and the more gentle and wise man that he becomes as the film progresses. His relationship with the young Dalai Lama a very impressive actor is an unusual one and refreshingly unsentimental. The film is well edited; scenes are not drawn out any longer than they need to be. As a whole, it is fast paced but also peaceful, tender and moving. You don't get bored but you're not bombarded with pointless action scenes either.It's a pleasant surprise to see a Hollywood film where women and other cultures aren't treated as objects, and are allowed to be full, complex characters. It could be argued that this film has a Western perspective, but after all, it is adapted from a book written by a European living in Tibet, and intended for Western audiences. It treats the Tibetan culture with a great deal of respect, so I don't really see a problem with that. Similarly, those who have complained that it doesn't tell you enough about the Dalai Lama and too much about Heinrich, ultimately it is Heinrich's story, and that is its strength: that it is one man's tale, and not a political polemic. It gives you a great sense of how people's stories intersect and how the whole world is connected.Overall, an unusual film, very involving and emotional without sentimentality, with wonderful music and outstanding cinematography. Highly recommended.

I'm going to buy it immediately. I love uplifting epic types of movies and this is truly one of the better ones I've seen in a while. In fact, it's one the better movies I've seen in a while.

unnecessary.Besides a few minor details, the movie is well worth the 2 1/2 hours especially if you are interested in the Chinese seizure of Tibet and the Tibetan culture and people. Free Tibet!

recapitulating phylogenetic change of western civilization resulting in a complex modern world forever coiled for violence and warfare.This film has a European pace unsuitable for those addicted to action figure movies with huge budgets and high body counts. I recommend it as a "good view" similar to a good read.

Austrian accent," rather than, "That's Heinrich Harrer." And that whole subplot about Harrer missing the son he's never seen doesn't work.Still, there is much to like in this film. In many of these "white men in strange country" movies, the emphasis is on what the white man teaches the people in the other country, and that's somewhat condescending; here, it's on what the people in the other country teach Harrer, yet his story isn't made more important than the story of the Tibet people. Also, though his accent doesn't convince, Pitt is convincing as Harrer in the physical sense; he looks like a former skier and like the blond, blue-eyed ideal of the Nazis. And finally, he's convincing in taking us through Harrer's transformation.Two more things; one, someone in their comments wondered how the Dalai Lama knew so much about Western culture. According to the book, Harrer found the Dalai Lama to be quite curious about the world around him, so he studied what he could. Also, the film meets head-on the controversy about Harrer being a former Nazi; it doesn't soft-pedal his past at all, which makes his transformation that much more convincing.

other person who caught my attention is the traitor... his character shows the plight of many in the Indian subcontinent. On the whole, this film gives a real account of what actually happened... no embellishments... no down-playings. If you are tired of all the superhero action flicks or the Almighty American Animations, this one is for you.