The Film:
Like most people, the first person I think of when I hear about a film called Seven Years In Tibet is Brad Pitt. Well, if you're expecting something similar here, I hate to disappoint, as this isn't the film, but a documentary showcasing Heinrich Harrer on which the film was based. Also, again to disappoint, this 76 minute documentary isn't as enjoyable as the Brad Pitt film. For those that don't know the story of Heinrich Harrer, he was an Austrian mountain climber who had been captured at the beginning of the second world war and detained in a prisoner of war camp in India. He was then courted by Adolph Hitler's SS because of his magnificent mountaineering skills. However, he somehow managed to escape the camp and he crossed the Himalayas befor ehe entered Tibet, a forbidden country. He was expressly forbidden to enter the country by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, yet continued on his jopurney anyway, where eventually Heinrich Harrer would enter the holy city Lhasa, and teach local school pupils English over a period of seven years (hence the title Seven Years In Tibet). Whilst in Tibet, he also became friends with the young Dalai Lama and acted as his tutor. As their friendship grew, Heinrich Harrer become the first ever Westerner to be given permission to document the country through 16mm film and photography. The film that he took is included in this documentary which also includes Harrer himself reconstructing various scenes including his arduous trek into Tibet. We are also given footage of the young Dalai Lama's escape into India from China so he could escape the invasion in 1950 from the Chinese. Although this documentary is very interesting, it is also very boring. It seems to drag from scene to scene and Harrer's acting isn't exactly great either during the reconstruction scenes. This documentary is for history fans and fns of the the Brad Pitt film who would like to learn more about the background.
The DVD:
Video:
Network have provided an adequate transfer for the documentary presented in the OAR of 4:3. However, there are many problems. The picture suffers from a large amount of grain throughout and there appears to be a lot of vertical scratches on the print. The picture also seems very dark in places, and in others a bit washed out. Although the picture isn't great, I'd be pretty certain that there isn't any better quality source material around. The above problems are a long way off from making the film unwatchable, but they can sit in the back of your mind when you're watching the film. As usual with Network releases, no English subtitles are included.
Audio:
The original English track in Dolby Digital mono has been included on the disc. Unfortunately, some scenes were not consistent in their sound levels but overall the dialogue and music were clear. Although the inconsistency of the sound levels exist, it isn't to bad and will only be noticed by those that watch lots of films and are, in general, audiophiles.
Extras:
None.
