Little Buddha (1993)

After the death of Lama Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monks find three children - one American and two Nepalese - who may be the rebirth of their great teacher.

Director:

Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers:

Bernardo Bertolucci (story), Rudy Wurlitzer (screenplay)

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Bridget Fonda, Ruocheng Ying

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
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 | nonlinear timeline | buddhist | seattle washington | buddhism | 

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Taglines:

A magical journey to a place where the past and the present meet.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some disturbing images

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film in director Bernardo Bertolucci's "oriental trilogy", following The Last Emperor (1987) and The Sheltering Sky (1990).

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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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lama Norbu: Once upon a time, in a village in ancient India, there was a little goat and a priest. The priest wanted to sacrifice the goat to the gods. He raised him arm to cut the goat's throat, when suddenly the goat began to laugh. The priest stopped, amazed, and asked the goat, "why do you laugh? Don't you know I'm about to cut your throat?" "Oh yes," said the goat. "After 499 times dying and being reborn as a goat, I will be reborn as a human being." Then the little goat began to cry. The...
[...]

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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 At the Movies: The Cowboy Way/Beverly Hills Cop III/Renaissance Man/The Flintstones/Little Buddha (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.

Details

Country:

France Liechtenstein UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Little Buddha

Filming Locations:

Nepal

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$873,983, 30 May 1994

Gross USA:

$4,858,139

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,858,139

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1