Rating: 
Summary: Forget what the Chinese Commisars Say...
Review: The most interesting thing about this group of user-reviews is not discussion about Harrer (vitally important though that discussion is), nor about whether it is Brad Pitt's "greatest performance" (he has some good performances and some awful stinkers, including "Troy", sorry, I don't really care what his buttocks look like unclad...). No, the most enlightening thing has been the two reviews (maybe there are more, I haven't read all seventy-four) obviously written by Chinese nationals, towing the party line about how Tibet is "part of China" and how the Tibetans are supposedly better off freed from the "Dalai Llama slavery."
I'm not going to bother with the myriad of arguments against your stances; suffice it to say that whatever shortcomings Tibet had under its previous theocracy (and I am no fan of theocracy) have been amplified a hundred times under the various forms of wrongdoing known as the Communist Chinese government.
Anyone remember Tianneman Square? The Cultural Revolution? Gang of Four? Mao? Child labor? forget you clowns...
See the movie, imperfect though it is, it depicts another chapter in China's vile history.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Good Dammit!
Review: i can't agree with someone who said that this is brad pitt's best acting performance.I don't think its true but i do think that he did very well in this film.i enjoyed the movie from the beginning to the end. its an emotional,political,adventurous rollercoaster of a movie. i can't believe the negative reviews about this movie. well that's surely due to the fact that many people are not well educated on the issue that was between tibet & china. im not gonna sit and tell you what the movie is about b/c its something you have to watch on your own. but one thing is for sure I ENJOYED THIS MOVIE ALOT.check it out, you won't be disappointed
Rating:
Summary: BRAD PITTS GREATEST PERFORMANCE
Review: I dont have much to say really about the film because I do believe that it could have been better. But not much better. The story centers around Brad as a hiker who leaves his wife despite her wishes. Blah, Blah, Blah I just want to get to the acting Brad Pitt delivers a heartwarming and powerful performance which he was abruptly overlooked at the Golden Globe Awards and Oscars. But dont worry Brad your an Oscar winner in my book!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad--some beautiful scenes, good acting.
Review: Jean-Jacques Annaud's film is a little too long, and parts of it are more evocative of a National Geographic Special than a movie with a plot, but all the same there are more than a few positive things about "Seven Years in Tibet." Heinrich Harrer, whose Nazi past lent an element of controversy to the film around the time it opened, apparently had a genuinely warm relationship with the present Dalai Lama, and this friendship is nicely depicted onscreen. Brad Pitt, in the role of Harrer, drew much criticism for his Austrian accent, but it's really not too bad (certainly no worse than the accents attempted by Gregory Peck and other American actors) and his performance, particularly in the second half of the film, is quite good. David Thewlis does fine work as Harrer's colleague, Peter Aufschnaiter, and it's nice to have (mostly) Tibetan actors actually portraying Tibetan individuals. Oddly, there is little development in the character played by B.D. Wong, in spite of the fact that he supposedly plays a key role in the fall of Lhasa to the invading Chinese forces. (That's not Mr. Wong's fault, but the script writer's.) It is interesting to see Mako (a Japanese-American whose lengthy career as a film and stage actor spans decades) in his few brief appearances as one of Harrer's Tibetan benefactors. The scenery is spectacular, and sets and costumes are well done. Unfortunately, the murky images of Chinese soldiers running rampant through Tibetan villages don't have enough emotional punch, and tell us little about the mass destruction perpetrated in the first years of the occupation. We are also left in the dark as to how Harrer made his way back to Austria. However, the conclusion of the film, in which Harrer pays a visit to the son he never knew, is moving, and one is left with the sense that one has viewed something worthwhile--not a masterpiece, but relevant.
Rating: 
Summary: Ironic issue
Review: This is a story about a stubborn and arrogant man who needs to push his body to its absolute limits, but who dedicates very little of his energy to his soul or intellect. Let us remember that films owe no debt to the books or the reality on which they are based (read the book "Monster" by the late screenwriter and author John Gregory Dunne if you need to get that straight).Brad Pitt is not too bad as Heinrich Harrer, but you may cringe occasionally at his Austrian accent. Let us remember that this film may not have been made at all without his interest and participation, and it wouldn't have been permitted the sort of budget that gave us the amazing landscapes which pervade the movie. I suppose once they had their big star, casting went for the very finest actors they could find regardless of their status: therefore, we have two beautifully resonant performances by David Thewlis as Pitt's climbing companion and Lhapka Tsamchoe as the Love Interest. Because this movie is about Heinrich Harrer, not the Dalai Lama, we ought not to whine about the time spent in the camp for enemy aliens (those were YEARS of his life) or the difficult scrabble to simply exist once he escaped. The shots of the Dalai Lama's early childhood are there not only to foreshadow the important role the Dalai Lama ultimately plays, but also to establish a link between the child who will befriend Harrer and the son who Harrer does not know. The authenticity and detail of Tibetan life, dress, buildings, and so forth is rare and overwhelming. Even if it was staged, it is a good record of a lost time. With respect to the Chinese invasion as it is filmed, let us recall what "virtues" were instilled in the Army of the People's Republic of China. If the soldiers behaved like "automatons" or "killing machines", that was precisely the point. Leaders rarely want their underlings to think for themselves, and in Communist China such an activity was a capital offense. I see no disregard of history. Further praise to the screenwriter (Becky Johnston) who translated a good book into a good movie. The addition of a few good laugh lines and the general development of character was well done. Heinrich Harrer is an interesting man and merits a movie about his life. Of course, the elements of living in Tibet and developing a friendship with the Dalai Lama are crucial to the interest. For my part, I've watched the movie several times not just for its other virtues, but because I get deliciously lost in the scenery.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Film
Review: Seven Years in Tibet is one of my favorite movies of all time (next to The Godfather). The photography is beautiful and the story engaging. The fact that it may not be historically accurate doesn't take away the enertainment value. Brad Pitt gives a fine performance, (he does a pretty good Austrian accent,) and this is saying a lot considering I've never been a huge fan. I believe part of what made this movie so engaging was its location. Tibet being such a secluded place, and Lhasa even more so, the depiction of it before oppression by the Chinese gave me a better understanding of just what was lost. I'd recommend this movie to anyone.
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