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Seven Years in Tibet

Play trailer Poster for Seven Years in Tibet PG-13 1997 2h 16m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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57% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Hired as an instructor, an egocentric Austrian mountaineer gradually learns selflessness from the young Dalai Lama.
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Seven Years in Tibet

Seven Years in Tibet

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Critics Consensus

Seven Years in Tibet tells its fascinating true-life story with a certain stolid grace, even if it never quite comes to life the way it could.

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Critics Reviews

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David Ansen Newsweek 03/06/2018
Unfortunately for Seven Years in Tibet, its focus is on the wrong guy. Harrer may be a fascinating figure in real life, but he never shows up here. The guy we're watching is never anyone but Brad Pitt. Go to Full Review
Mike Clark USA Today 01/01/2000
2.5/4
Pitt is no disgrace but is blown off the screen by a bright-eyed adolescent actor. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
2.5/4
The movie is about two characters and is told from the point of view of the wrong one. Go to Full Review
Dan DiNicola The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY) 01/10/2023
C
Too sluggish and fares better as a travelogue than a drama. Go to Full Review
Pico Iyer The New York Review of Books 08/17/2018
If the film seems a little like a fairy tale, what can one do with the story of an Olympic skier who ends up as tutor to a boy-king regarded as a god? Go to Full Review
Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com 01/05/2009
2/4
Pitt is smiling, taking his shirt off, brushing his blond locks with his hands, striking poses against the picturesque scenery--in short, being Brad Pitt. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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sofia B Oct 28 not a fan of brad pitt but still great movie See more Ethan S Aug 24 One of the great Epic movies of the 90's. I honestly don't understand how the ratings aren't higher. All-time for me. See more Frans B @FransB Apr 15 I loved this. Great cinematography, cast very good in character, amazing that it is actually based on true story, albeit dramatized cinema style. The fact that David Thewlis was permanently banned from entering China on account of his role in this, amazes me. Good viewing, will surely recommend See more Mar 20 Seemed longer. See more Jitendradas L Jan 14 I have heard so much about this movie. So many people speak of it so highly and when my spiritual community voted to watch it in our movie vote, I thought, ‘We’ll. Now would be a good time to give it a shot!’ I’m glad I watched it so I can tell anyone who sees this, don’t bother! Unless you’re just wanting to pass some time watching an old Brad Pitt flick, the movie is too long, with several scenes that should never have made the final product. The story is predictable and the screaming and yelling at the beginning and throughout was definitely too much. They only needed one or two screaming scenes but there were at least three or more. Brad Pitt’s character development took place in Lhasa with the Dali Lama. This would have been a more attractive angle to have approached the storyline from. They could have also shown more about the mysticism and prophetic nature of the Dali Lama. They could have delved into explaining the rituals that were going on. This film really missed the mark in so many ways for me. I cannot and would not recommend it at all. Go watch something else. That’s what I’d say. See more 05/28/2024 It's not Dr Zhivago but it still is a beautiful epic movie, following the footsteps of an ambitious Olympian athlete and mountain climber who became a prisoner of war in WW2, escaped and made his way all the way to Tibet and finally back home to Austria. A decade of history and spiritual journey, wrapped in 2 hours of great picturesque cinema. Well worth your time. See more Read all reviews
Seven Years in Tibet

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Movie Info

Synopsis Hired as an instructor, an egocentric Austrian mountaineer gradually learns selflessness from the young Dalai Lama.
Director
Jean-Jacques Annaud
Producer
John H. Williams, Iain Smith, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Catherine Moulin
Screenwriter
Heinrich Harrer, Becky Johnston
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment, TriStar Pictures
Production Co
TriStar Pictures, Mandalay Entertainment, Mandalay Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Some Violent Scenes)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 8, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$37.9M
Runtime
2h 16m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
35mm, Scope (2.35:1)
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