martin scorsese's films used to intimidate me . 
because of his reputation , i felt obligated to appreciate them as deep film art rather than as great flicks . 
as much as i enjoyed them , i usually felt like i missed something . 
i learned from scorsese's casino that whatever techniques he uses are merely there to enhance the story . 
no mystical interpretation is required to appreciate his movies . 
for example , in casino he uses subtitles when robert deniro and joe pesci are using code words with each other . 
there was no meaning more exotic than that subtitles were the most succinct way for him to tell the audience what was really going on . 
or toward the end , when he uses three quick dissolves to compress a scene of a car backing away from a building . 
again , the simple , mundane explanation is that it helped the pacing . 
i don't mean to say that his techniques are not creative or good-looking . 
but he simply uses the best tool for the job . 
it shouldn't have surprised me , then , that kundun , a film about a mystical religion , actually turned out to be quite straightforward . 
the movie follows the life of the 14th dalai lama , the spiritual and political leader of tibet . 
the movie's title is another name for the dalai lama which means " ocean of wisdom . " 
his story is told in strict chronological order and there are only a few cinematic visions to embellish the literal story . 
 ( one of which makes an interesting statement : pay attention to the film's opening shot and watch where it is repeated . ) 
we first glimpse the dalai lama when he is two years old . 
his curiosity and self-assuredness capture the attention of a monk wandering in search of the new lama . 
a test is arranged to see if this boy really is the reincarnation of the 13 dalai lamas who have gone before . 
several items belonging to the previous dalai lama are laid before the boy alongside some other items . 
the child is asked if he recognizes any of the items as his own . 
the boy picks correctly , proving that he is the new , and the old , dalai lama . 
scorsese and long-time editor thelma schoonmaker were kind enough to allow the possibility that the child was taking his cues from the monk . 
before selecting an item , he would look at the monk , perhaps for some sort of confirmation . 
sometimes he picked right the first time , and sometimes he made a second choice . 
either way , whether through reincarnation or quick human perception , the tibetans were assured of choosing a boy who could be a wise , perceptive leader . 
>from this point on , the boy is raised as the reincarnation of the lama's spirit and the future leader of a nation . 
it is a great weight to put on the mind of a child . 
in the u . s . it might be grounds for a call to social services . 
but the young lama accepts his destiny without any apparent emotional damage . 
neither the great power nor the awesome responsibility keeps him from becoming a genuinely likeable , well-rounded person . 
certain patterns take shape over the years . 
for example , the dalai lama is fascinated by technology . 
radios , clocks , and telescopes are some of his favorite toys . 
when he is old enough to accept his leadership , he makes plans to modernize isolated tibet . 
he also has a soft spot for creatures who are suffering or in pain , including herd animals . 
it's nearly a running gag that he will buy sheep to keep them from being herded to slaughter . 
but the most ominous constant throughout his life is the presence and threat of tibet's gigantic neighbor , china . 
tibet and its leaders prove correct in fearing china , as , first the propaganda , then the political pressure , and finally the armies , come across their common border . 
the chinese invasion is so successful that the lama's life is in danger if he stays . 
the movie ends when , after much agonizing , the dalai lama leaves tibet for india . 
the story doesn't lead up to a cinematic climax as strongly as most feature films do . 
it just doesn't fit that mold . 
if it were forced into such a shape it would have been a completely different movie ( perhaps more like seven years in tibet , which is good in its own right ) . 
the pacing of kundun is more calm and level than that . 
the structure of the film is made to fit the characters and events , not vice-versa . 
perhaps because the pace is slower , we have more time to notice the beautiful art , vestments , and architecture of tibet . 
a mandala , ( tibetan sand painting ) with beautiful , vibrant colors is shown throughout the movie . 
the robes and hats of state are bright red and gold . 
the bricks are a rich reddish brown , not unlike the skin tone of the tibetans . 
even the touchstone pictures logo before the movie ( which is usually light blue ) is the red and gold of tibet . 
philip glass composed the music for kundun , and he was the perfect choice . 
for those who don't know of glass , his music is like a tibetan mandala . 
his building blocks are lots of small notes , tiny grains of music , which are first grouped , then repeated in patterns . 
these patterns create interesting textures which are themselves part of a larger composition . 
people won't be flocking to kundun for it's great ending , or talking about its outstanding plot , but it does have a lot to offer : an interesting lifetime , exotic sights , rich cinematography , and innovative music . 
it gives interesting insight into tibetan buddhism and takes a warm look at the dalai lama as a person . 
on top of it all is the cinematic mastery of martin scorsese , who gives the film a strong , beautiful , consistent look .