Customer Reviews

Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an astonishing experience for those interested in Tibet, Buddhism
or other cultural forms of worship. The early footage of His Holiness The Dalai Lama is deeply moving to see his love & care for the exile community in India. Graham Coleman's approach to documentary - bearing witness simply to what is unfolding brings a profound sharing of rituals and the mystical realm. As a fellow filmmaker I am in awe of what he accomplished. This is essential viewing. Bravo!

I'm really happy that I purchased Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy. This video is a rare glimpse into Tibetan Culture. The segment on the Dalai Lama addressing his people is not only instructive but heart warming. Hearing the sounds of Tibetan music, language and seeing the people's living environment gives a real sense of Tibetans re creating their culture outside of their homeland. The segment on the intellectual training of monastic studies showed the quick thinking and understanding needed to master the required skills of debate. This video can be seen again and again with new perspective each time. I do recommend this video. There is a freshness and an aliveness to the video that will educate and inform generations of people. I'm so glad the videographer had the foresight to create this documentary. We are all the better for having this kind of quality of documentary in our lives. contributed by: Jacqueline

I was excited to see Tibet but a bit disappointed that in spite of the title it was actually filmed in the Tibetan regions of India and Nepal in the 1970's. There is a powerful initiation ceremony that stretched my sense of time, and a wonderful scene of a much younger Dalai Lama offering blessings to the exiled Tibetans in India. The final part is an emotionally challenging but moving scene of of the death and funeral of a member of the Buddhist community in Ladakh with incantations of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. If you have an interest in Tibetan Buddhism this is recommended.

Two things they don't bother to tell you is that this intensely boring doc was made in the mid '70's and feels like it, plus not a frame of it was actually shot in Tibet. Isn't this totally misleading?

The film was shortened from its original 4 hour length which further contributes to its vacuousness and lack of direction. Maybe some feel that the torpor induced by this film is akin to a meditative trance.

I felt ripped off by buying this film as it represents itself as something very different. The few positive reviews are from 30 years ago. Buyer beware, unless you wish to be bored into another dimension.

This film provides a good insight into buddhist monks's rituals and everyday life as well.