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Seven Years in Tibet

  • 1997
  • PG-13
  • 2h 16m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
150K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,244
236
Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
Official Trailer
Play trailer1:54
2 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureBiographyDrama

True story of Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai Lama at the time of China's takeover of Tibet.True story of Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai Lama at the time of China's takeover of Tibet.True story of Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai Lama at the time of China's takeover of Tibet.

  • Director
    • Jean-Jacques Annaud
  • Writers
    • Heinrich Harrer
    • Becky Johnston
  • Stars
    • Brad Pitt
    • David Thewlis
    • BD Wong
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    150K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,244
    236
    • Director
      • Jean-Jacques Annaud
    • Writers
      • Heinrich Harrer
      • Becky Johnston
    • Stars
      • Brad Pitt
      • David Thewlis
      • BD Wong
    • 191User reviews
    • 65Critic reviews
    • 55Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 8 nominations

    Videos2

    Seven Years in Tibet
    Trailer 1:54
    Watch Seven Years in Tibet
    Seven Years in Tibet
    Trailer 2:33
    Watch Seven Years in Tibet

    Photos133

    Brad Pitt and Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk in Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Brad Pitt and Ingeborga Dapkunaite in Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Brad Pitt and Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk in Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Sonam Wangchuk in Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Brad Pitt at an event for Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Kathy Bates at an event for Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Mariah Carey at an event for Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Mariah Carey at an event for Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Minnie Driver at an event for Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Larry King and Shawn Ora Engemann at an event for Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
    Jared Leto at an event for Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Brad Pitt
    Brad Pitt
    • Heinrich Harrer
    David Thewlis
    David Thewlis
    • Peter Aufschnaiter
    BD Wong
    BD Wong
    • Ngawang Jigme
    • (as B.D. Wong)
    Mako
    Mako
    • Kungo Tsarong
    Danny Denzongpa
    Danny Denzongpa
    • Regent
    Victor Wong
    Victor Wong
    • Chinese 'Amban'
    Ingeborga Dapkunaite
    Ingeborga Dapkunaite
    • Ingrid Harrer
    Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk
    Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk
    • Dalai Lama, 14 Years Old
    Lhakpa Tsamchoe
    Lhakpa Tsamchoe
    • Pema Lhaki
    Jetsun Pema
    Jetsun Pema
    • Great Mother
    Ama Ashe Dongtse
    Ama Ashe Dongtse
    • Tashi
    Sonam Wangchuk
    Sonam Wangchuk
    • Dalai Lama, 8 Years Old
    Dorjee Tsering
    • Dalai Lama, 4 Years Old
    Ric Young
    Ric Young
    • General Chang Jing Wu
    Ngawang Chojor
    • Lord Chamberlain
    • (as Ven. Ngawang Chojor)
    Duncan Fraser
    Duncan Fraser
    • British Officer
    Benedick Blythe
    Benedick Blythe
    • Nazi Official
    Tom Raudaschl
    • Lutz Chicken
    • Director
      • Jean-Jacques Annaud
    • Writers
      • Heinrich Harrer
      • Becky Johnston
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jetsun Pema is the real-life sister of The Dalai Lama. In this film she plays the mother of The Dalai Lama and hence her own mother.
    • Goofs
      When Peter bargains with his watch about how much food they should get he shows the 3 with three fingers (the British way) and not two fingers and the thumb (the German/Austrian way).
    • Quotes

      Dalai Lama: We have a saying in Tibet: If a problem can be solved there is no use worrying about it. If it can't be solved, worrying will do no good.

    • Crazy credits
      As the end credits roll, a view of the mountains of Tibet is seen.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Seven Years in Tibet/RocketMan/Boogie Nights/Gang Related/Washington Square (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      Purification Et Benediction
      Performed by Monks of Namgyal Monastere

    User reviews191

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    If it hadn't been that unnecessarily long, this would have been a masterpiece
    It's too bad that the movie had to be 139 minutes long. It's not that I can't handle movies that are that long, but when watching longer movies, I expect that it has something to say during that extra time and that's where it sometimes went wrong with "Seven Years in Tibet". It just seemed to keep dragging on forever without contributing to the story.

    It needs about 2/3 of the time to show what a bad guy Heinrich Harrer actually is and only 1/3 of the time to show how he changes and gradually becomes a good man. All he thinks about is his career as a mountain climber. In 1939, just before World War II, his wife is pregnant with their first child. Harrer doesn't want to take up his responsibility and 'flees' from her by going to Tibet, where he will try to conquer Mount Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas. Because he is an Austrian and because the Nazi's already have taken over power in Austria, they will use his successes to prove that the Germans are the best race (I hope I don't have to explain the entire Nazi ideology to you, but that you paid enough attention during history class). During his attempt to reach the summit he is arrested by the British and taken to a POW-camp. After several attempts to escape he finally succeeds and together with Peter Aufschnaiter he succeeds to reach Tibet. First he is his old, bad self, but gradually he changes his lifestyle and becomes more 'Tibetan'. He even knows to get the attention of the very young Dalai Lama and becomes friends with him during the period that the Chinese took over power in Tibet.

    I don't know if all that is shown in this movie actually happened or to which extent some parts have been made up. Of course it is all a bit politically 'colored' (the Tibetan question is still not solved until today and so there will always be people who will choose China's side and say that what is shown here is completely wrong), but that doesn't mean that this movie doesn't carry a powerful message. But even without this message of being a good husband and not being a career driven jerk, the philosophical Tibetan approach to problems... this movie is very nice eye candy. The landscapes are absolutely stunning and Tibet really looks like a place that certainly is worth a visit. The acting is very good and it all looks very believable.

    So despite the fact that this movie dragged on from time to time and that it should have been a bit shorter, this still is a very nice film. I give it a 7/10, perhaps even a 7.5/10.
    helpful•24
    16
    • philip_vanderveken
    • Jan 31, 2005

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    FAQ7

    • Is 'Seven Years in Tibet' based on a book?
    • Where/what is Nanga Parbat?
    • When were Heinrich Harrer and the Dalai Lama born and when did they meet for the first time?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 10, 1997 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Mandarin
      • Tibetan
      • Hindi
    • Also known as
      • Siete años en el Tibet
    • Filming locations
      • La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Production companies
      • Mandalay Entertainment
      • Reperage & Vanguard Films
      • Applecross
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $70,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $37,957,682
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,020,378
      • Oct 12, 1997
    • Gross worldwide
      • $131,457,682
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 16 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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