Trailers and television ads make “Seven Years in Tibet” look like the next great, sweeping international saga that will touch your heart and change your life. In truth, “Seven Years” is a quality biopic about a guy who deserves to have a movie made about him, but nothing more.
That guy is Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian athlete and Nazi SS member (this aspect of his life didn’t make it into the film) who leaves his impregnated girlfriend and homeland. He goes to climb a mountain in the Himalayas that has stymied European climbers for years.
Harrer (Brad Pitt in the movie) is arrogant, and wants little to do with the rest of the expedition, despite the fact that his life is saved by another member of the group (David Thewlis) on a number of occasions.
The trek, however, goes from failing to failed when the members are captured by members of the British military in India, informing the captives that the British Empire has declared war on Germany and will keep all German citizens as prisoners of war until its conclusion.
After several failed solo escape attempts, Harrer finally gets out with the help of his former climbing-mates. Peter Aufschneiter (Thewlis) and Harrer are the only two of the group that have any hope, so together they make their way into Tibet.
Remember the movie is entitled “Seven Years in Tibet.” A full half hour (if not more) has been spent before this point, before anyone even mentions Tibet. The only moving story in the movie happens there, and too much time is wasted getting there.
To make a too-long story short, Harrer and Aufschneiter trek into Tibet, pass into the holy city of Lhasa, and Harrer befriends the Dalai Lama. The essential story here seems to be the bonding between Harrer and the Dalai Lama, but by the time the movie gets there, the audience has been lulled half asleep.
Also annoying is the constant reference to a lost son back in Austria. Harrer is constantly speaking of him, and the young Dalai Lama becomes something of a replacement for him. It is an interesting and needed side note, but it follows the flaw of the rest of the film - too much, too long.
Disappointingly, the musical score is perhaps the least obtrusive music John Williams has ever written. Famous for big, brassy themes like “Star Wars” and known for more passionate work like “Schindler’s List” and “Rosewood,” this score hardly ever makes itself known - truly a shame, given the contribution Williams has made to so many films in the past.
I’m afraid I sound too critical. “Seven Years in Tibet” is not a bad movie. It just doesn’t live up to the expectations that everyone seemed to set for it. It is no “English Patient” and it is no “Forrest Gump.” Interestingly enough, it doesn’t even try to be, when in fact the proper effort could turn it into just the kind of sweeping international saga it was touted as.
Grade: C+