Little Buddha

Little Buddha
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bernardo Bertolucci
Produced by	Jeremy Thomas
Written by	Rudy Wurlitzer Mark Peploe
Story by	Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring	Keanu Reeves Bridget Fonda Chris Isaak Ruocheng Ying Rudraprasad Sengupta
Music by	Ryuichi Sakamoto
Cinematography	Vittorio Storaro
Editing by	Pietro Scalia
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date(s)	25 May 1994
Running time	140 minutes
Box office	$4,858,139 (USA)

Little Buddha is a 1994 feature film by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Bridget Fonda and Keanu Reeves. Made by Bertolucci's regular partner, British producer Jeremy Thomas, it marked the team's return to the East after The Last Emperor.

Plot

Little Buddha is a story about the quest of a group of several monks, led by Lama Norbu (Ruocheng Ying), to seek out the rebirth of his great Buddhist teacher, Lama Dorje (Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen). Lama Norbu and his fellow monks believe they have found a candidate of Dorje's rebirth within a boy named Jesse Conrad (Alex Wiesendanger) in Seattle. While Jesse is fascinated with the monks and their way of life, his parents, Dean (Chris Isaak) and Lisa (Bridget Fonda), are wary, and that wariness turns into near-hostility when Norbu announces that he would like to take Jesse back with him to Bhutan to be tested. Jesse's father changes his mind however, after one of his close friends and colleagues commits suicide because he got broke, seeming to realize that there could be more to life than work and money. He then decides to go to Bhutan with his son. In Nepal, two children who are also candidates are encountered, Raju (Rajuh Lal) and Gita (Greishma Makar Singh).

In the story, the Lama Norbu relates Buddha's life story, which is also enacted as a story line within the movie. In this depiction, a Hindu prince called Siddhartha (Keanu Reeves) sets on a journey to achieve greater awareness. As he progresses, he learns profound truths about the nature of life, consciousness, and reality. Ultimately, he battles Mara (a demon representing the ego), who repeatedly tries to divert and destroy Siddhartha. Through concentrated non-attachment and final realization of the illusory nature of his own ego, Siddhartha attains enlightenment.

In the end, it is found that all three children are rebirths of the Lama Dorje, separate manifestations of his body (Raju), speech (Gita), and mind (Jesse). A ceremony is held and Jesse's father also learns the facts about Buddhism. Lama Dorje's rebirth represents the three most important aspects of life. His work finished, Lama Norbu enters a deep state of meditation and dies of his own will. As the funeral ceremony begins Lama Norbu speaks to the children, seemingly from a higher plane, telling them to have compassion. Just before the credits roll the children are seen distributing his ashes in various places.

At the very end of the film credits, the sand mandala that was seen being constructed during the movie is destroyed, "with one swift stroke."

Production

The Buddha flashback scenes of Little Buddha were photographed in 65 mm Todd-AO by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The rest of the film was filmed in 35 mm anamorphic Technovision.

Jeremy Thomas later remembered making the film:

It was an interest in the story of Siddhartha, and what Tibetan Buddhism meant in Western society after the expulsion from Tibet. It was a very ambitious film, and largely shot in Kathmandu and Bhutan on location. You couldn’t shoot again in Nepal currently, unfortunately that is somewhere off the shooting map. And Bhutan, it was a joy to film in Bhutan... But like many things when you look back of course, trying to promote a film about Buddhism as an epic is maybe a tall order.

Thomas formed a bond with the Buthanese Tibetan Buddhist Lama Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche who was an advisor on the film, and went on to help him make several other films such as The Cup (1999) and Travelers and Magicians (2003).

In addition to Kathmandu, another prominent Nepalese location used in the film was the city of Bhaktapur.

Soundtrack

Little Buddha
Soundtrack album by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Released	14 June 1994
Genre	Classical
Label	Milan Records

The soundtrack for the film was entirely composed by Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Track listing

All compositions are conducted by Sakamoto.

1. "Main Theme" 2:50
2. "Opening Titles" 1:47
3. "The First Meeting" 1:50
4. "Raga Kirvani" 1:28
5. "Nepalese Caravan" 3:01
6. "Victory" 1:45
7. "Faraway Song" 3:18
8. "Red Dust" 4:38
9. "River Ashes" 2:25
10. "Exodus" 2:33
11. "Evan's Funeral" 4:28
12. "The Middle Way" 1:50
13. "Shruti Sadolikar - Raga Naiki Kanhra - The Trial" 5:25
14. "Enlightenment" 4:28
15. "The Reincarnation" 1:52
16. "Gompa - Heart Sutra" 2:38
17. "Acceptance - End Credits" 8:57

Casting of Tibetan lamas

Sogyal Rinpoche and Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche — both Tibetan teachers identified as reborn lamas or tulkus — appeared in the film. Sogyal Rinpoche plays in the earlier segments the role of Khenpo Tenzin, and Khyentse Rinpoche appears near the end when Lama Norbu is shown meditating overnight. Khyentse Rinpoche served as a consultant to Bertolucci for the film. In a later documentary about Khyentse Rinpoche entitled Words of my Perfect Teacher, his role in the film is discussed along with a short interview with Bertolucci.

The Venerable Khyongla Rato Rinpoche plays the part of the Abbot of the monastery.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews and was only a moderate box office success. It was nominated for one Razzie Award, Worst New Star for Chris Isaak.

External links

• Little Buddha at the Internet Movie Database
• Little Buddha at Rotten Tomatoes
• Dharma site review of film