Little Buddha (1993)

Lama Norbu comes to Seattle in search of the reincarnation of his dead teacher, Lama Dorje. His search leads him to young Jesse Conrad, Raju, a waif from Kathmandu, and an upper class ... See full summary »

Director:

Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers:

Bernardo Bertolucci (story), Rudy Wurlitzer (screenplay),

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Ruocheng Ying, Chris Isaak

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keanu Reeves	...	Siddhartha
Ruocheng Ying	...	Lama Norbu (as Ying Ruocheng)
Chris Isaak	...	Dean Conrad
Alex Wiesendanger	...	Jesse Conrad
Raju Lal	...	Raju
Greishma Makar Singh	...	Gita
Sogyal Rinpoche	...	Kenpo Tenzin
Ven. Khyongla Rato Rinpoche	...	Abbot
Bridget Fonda	...	Lisa Conrad
Ven. Geshe Tsultim Gyelsen	...	Lama Dorje
Jo Champa	...	Maria
Jigme Kunsang	...	Champa
Thubtem Jampa	...	Punzo
Surekha Sikri	...	Sonali (as Surehka Sikri)
T.K. Lama	...	Sangay

Storyline

Lama Norbu comes to Seattle in search of the reincarnation of his dead teacher, Lama Dorje. His search leads him to young Jesse Conrad, Raju, a waif from Kathmandu, and an upper class Indian girl. Together, they journey to Bhutan where the three children must undergo a test to prove which is the true reincarnation. Interspersed with this, is the story of Siddharta, later known as the Buddha. It traces his spiritual journey from ignorance to true enlightenment.

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Plot Keywords:

reincarnation | enlightenment | buddhism | misery | seattle washington | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some disturbing images

Details

Country:

Italy France Liechtenstein UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lille Buddha

Filming Locations:

Bhutan

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$4,858,139 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), CiBy 2000, Serprocor Anstalt

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Digital (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eric Stoltz was considered for the role of Dean Conrad.

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Goofs

When Raju is playing with the Game Boy you can hear music from Tetris, but it's actually not turned on at all.

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Quotes

Siddhartha: [speaking to Mara] You are pure illusion, you do not exist. The earth is my witness.

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Crazy Credits

(Opening disclaimer) This film is inspired by the true life stories of several children and their extraordinary voyage of discovery.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood vs. Religion (1994)

User Reviews

Great Cinematography, Two Different Films

The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking and alone worth the price of admission. On the other hand, trying to integrate the past with the present didn't work too well for me. The story of Siddharta needed to be expanded on and made a film on its own merits. I for one, wanted to learn more about this figure, and yes, I thought Keanu Reeves was just fine. The present day story didn't do anything for me except for the wonderful character Lama Norbu, he was fabulous. I felt this was a person I actually would like to meet.