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.

---

Plot Keywords:

reincarnation | enlightenment | buddhism | misery | seattle washington | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

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

The film is dedicated to Francis Bouygues, a French industrialist who was to produce this film before he died in 1993.

---

Goofs

Early in the movie, when Kenpo and the 3 other Tibetan monks are driving north on the top level of WA-99 the movie cuts to a separate shot of the same group now traveling north on Interstate-5 and then again south on the lower level of the WA-99 viaduct. However, as the scene continues, the group ends up atop the Queen Anne neighborhood, which is a northern part of Seattle.

---

Quotes

Lisa Conrad: [while watching Jesse when he is in the bath] C'mon, now your toes.

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Connections

Featured in Hollywood vs. Religion (1994)

User Reviews

worth watching...

This was a very enjoyable movie. If for nothing else, it is worth watching for the beautiful scenes. I was fascinated watching Keanu as Siddhartha. He really seemed to lose himself in the role. I would really recommend this movie when you are in the mood for something gentle, beautiful to look at and at the same time, providing an interesting insight into the Buddhist world.