Little Buddha - Movie

KungaTashi

Let me start this off by saying I am not the most literal person in the world so don't mind my lack of skills in reviewing this movie.

Right off the bat I was skeptical. On the cover it showed Keanu Reeves and I hoped he wouldn't be playing Siddhartha's role but low and behold he did. So needless to say my expectations were low because of that. From what I have learned about Siddhartha's life it seems to be a pretty close portrayal, they even added in some of the little "myths" like when a tree bowed to his mother and protected her while she gave birth, and also that he immediately walked and talked upon being brought into the world.

The story-line is about a lama that had passed and other lama's are searching for his rebirth. They find 3 different children who they think may be the rebirth and they put them all to the test. There are quite a few Tibetan actors used here. It also stars Chris Isaac as one of the kids fathers as well as Bridget Fonda as the mom of one of the kids (Chris Isaac's wife in the movie). While I did like the movie alot and watch it on occasion I really had a hard time with Keanu Reeves trying to portray Siddhartha. He was ok to a point I guess but his accent was horrible and it seemed like he was playing Siddhartha with a little Ted-like overtone (you all saw Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure right?). It doesn't ruin the movie though so don't get me wrong, it just gets irritating at times.

Has anyone else seen it that cares to add more?

Simonthepilgrim

Fortunately, I had not seen Keanu Reeves before I saw Little Buddha.

One of the reasons that I enjoyed it was the sight of Sogyal Rinpoche' s smiling face: he plays Kenpo Tenzin, a rather minor role.

It suffers from being a bit glossy and glib in places but is a good 140 minutes-worth, particularly "Lama Norbu" reciting the Heart Sutra.

Palzang

You might find it interesting that the only actor playing a Tibetan lama was the one playing Lama Norbu (he's an excellent Chinese actor who was also in The Last Emperor). All the rest were actual Tibetan monks and lamas. Of course, Sogyal Rinpoche is not the nutty monk that he played in the movie. His real personality is very different, very restrained, almost majestic. So it was quite a treat to see him hamming it up so well.

One of my favorite things about the movie is the cinematography. You're watching the work of perhaps the greatest cinematographer in the business here, and the masterful use of color (bright, saturated reds, yellows and earth colors for the spiritual East, cool blues and greens for the materialistic West) adds greatly to the story being told. Also the parallels between the story of the Buddha that Jessie is reading to what is going on in the lives of the characters is no accident.

As for Keanu Reeves, I thought he did an amazing job. Do you know he virtually starved himself for weeks before the scene where he was an esthete sitting under a tree by the river? That's not makeup, folks! I'd say he was perfect for the role. His ambiguous sexuality, his reactions to seeing the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death are dead on, and he makes a good looking Buddha besides.

You have to remember that this is a morality tale, not a slice of reality, and as such I think it succeeds marvelously. One reviewer at the Washington Post, Desson Howe, described it as "only superficially superficial." Don't let it's simple story fool you. This is a great movie, and I watch it whenever I need a lift. The scene where little Jessie bows back to Lama Norbu never fails to push my buttons. Oh, that it could happen to me some day!

Palzang

Magwang

I have grown to like Keanu over the years.

We are so lacking in films about the Tathagata, that I am grateful for Little Buddha, whatever its flaws. How many films have been made about him? Any guesses?

I reviewed this one last year: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

::

Brigid

I still haven't seen "Little Buddha" or "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter". I can't get them at my local video store. Dying to, though.

Palzang, can you tell me who Lama Norbu is?

Palzang

Do you mean in the movie or in real life? In the movie he is the lama sent to find the tulku of Lama Dorje, who had died in Seattle and whose reincarnation was thought to have been born there (little Jessie). In real life his name is Ruocheng Ying (or, as he's credited in the movie, Ying Ruocheng), a well-known Chinese actor.

He did a great job in the movie and was obviously well-coached on how lamas behave. For instance, in one scene he is doing the "nine round breathing", which is the same as we use in our ngondro (preliminary) practice, and he uses a mudra where he loops his middle finger over his index finger to form a half dorje (or vajra) when he closes one nostril. That's the first time I had seen that mudra, and I still use it today. If anyone asks where I got it, I just say, "From Lama Norbu," smirking when they have no idea who "Lama Norbu" is!

Palzang

Palzang

BTW, if anyone watches this movie for the first time, make sure you watch it all the way through to the end of the credits. You get a little surprise that, if you understand it, puts the whole movie into perspective.

Palzang

Adiana

Palzang,

I look forward to seeing these movies. I have heard so much about them.

Adiana:wavey: :usflag:

Brigid

Thanks, Palzang. There's a man on MySpace who uses the name Lama Norbu and I was wondering if it was the name of a famous teacher or something.

Xrayman

okay I feel perhaps that one of the best movies has been overlooked.

Have any of you seen The Elephant Man? the movie is aparently very close to the actual reality of his life, (Joseph Merrick-not John as stated in the movie).

I'd love to write a review if anyone is interested.

love, Xray

buddhafoot

Write it, baby.

Write it.

-bf