Published by: World Tibet Network News Friday, December 26, 1997

Screenwriter Melissa Mathison speaks with the Dalai Lama about getting he script of Kundun right.

Kundun, a feature film depicting the Fourteenth Dalai Lama's early life and the events leading up to his escape from Chinese-occupied Tibet, is due for release this Christmas from Touchstone Pictures. It was shot in Morocco last fall by Martin Scorsese with an all-Tibetan cast. Writer Melissa Mathison first interviewed the Dalai Lama in 1991. Several months later, in April 1992, she traveled to India, where she discussed the first draft of the script with His Holiness. The following are excerpts from their conversation.

Mathison: We are now fifteen minutes into the movie. People have watched this boy and they need to hear the words "This is the Dalai Lama." So I used the scene in the tent with all the grandeur for the announcement. One other point is that in order to obtain emotional continuity between the person who's playing the Dalai Lama and the audience, we stay with the Dalai Lama. We never go away to the auspicious assembly for the events, but we stay always with the Dalai

Lama, with the boy. So, even if this is not the first announcement or the most dramatic announcement, we've overdramatized the moment. And your parents will hear the announcement at the same time as the audience.

Dalai Lama: At the assembly, it can be stated that the Regent declared, "We are very grateful that we found the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Now we are happy." That kind of statement.

Mathison: May we introduce the Oracle in these dramatic circumstances?

Dalai Lama: Sometimes the Oracle became so filled with emotion that he made a prostration in front of me. We can put that the Oracle prostrated in front of that small boy. That we can do.

Mathison: In this way we explain to the audience that what the Oracle thinks is important.

Dalai Lama: This is not untrue, not incorrect. At that time, one famous great scholar was very much educated about the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. So when the Dalai Lama came to that tent, and the Regent was there and the Oracle, he especially went there to observe. Then he saw me and stated that now he was completely relieved of all his concern, that the Dalai Lama was the true one.

Mathison: This was the old monk with the doubt in his eyes.

Dalai Lama: Yes, that's right.

Mathison: And we can see him again after we meet the Oracle and see that he looks satisfied or relieved and moved emotionally. So this is a big piece of work we've just done. And that last moment is the mother and the father reacting to the fact that their son is the Dalai Lama. We need to show how they react. We can do it all in one scene. In their faces we must see that they did not realize who their son was believed to be. Maybe that's a little overstated; they must have hoped and felt that he was the incarnation. But now it's done.

Dalai Lama: Maybe my parents had a peculiar experience. Because unlike other smaller lamas who were recognized, here their youngest son has now become the Dalai Lama and is completely surrounded by these officials who show great reverence.

--------------

Mathison: It was a complicated reaction. That's good. That's what movies are all about, complication.

Dalai Lama: A foreign dignitary, an Englishman, was there. Politically, this is very important.

Mathison: So you see that Tibet has relations independently with foreigners?

Dalai Lama: Yes. So I would like to indicate that the Englishman and the Chinese are in the same category of foreign dignitaries.

1950: The Dalai Lama, now fourteen years old, is informed of the Chinese invasion by the Lord Chamberlain.

Mathison: "'The governor reports a raid on the Tibetan radio by Chinese soldiers. General Thuthang is dead. We have one report that the Chinese have entered Tibet in six locations.'"

Dalai Lama: The Indians used the words "line of actual control." That means not the real border. The border is further east. The Chinese in the first invasion already took some area. And then in this case it's very clear. In 1912, the Tibetan army pushes the Chinese army quite deeply into eastern Tibet. Then, in the 1920s, the Chinese army comes. Then, the local people consider they are the subjects of Tibetan government. But then the Chinese controlled. They continue fighting there. One British missionary came as a mediator. That was considered

temporarily the border. So the Chinese invasion entered beyond that actual control area, not the real border.

Mathison: This information on the border and the control is very important for the rest of the piece. Could we create a scene where the general explains to you a little of this information?

Dalai Lama: Actually, when the officers met with me there was no exchange of words.

Mathison: This would be good to see. Maybe after the meeting, after they're all taking their leave, you call the officer back and say: I want to know what the situation is. But it could be done with things, like when you play with toy soldiers. A strategy. It could be very educational for the audience.

Dalai Lama: That's fine, yes.

Mathison: This information about the strength of the Tibetan army should come earlier. This happened on May 1950 and the actual invasion came in October 1950.

Dalai Lama: The important thing is that the Chinese entered Tibet on six occasions across the actual control line, not the border.

Mathison: I think we can make that clear in a previous scene with the officer, and then when the invasion happens, we'll understand. So let's skip down to the Dalai Lama's room. "Interior-Dalai Lama's room. Dusk. The boy sits alone, a small table beside him piled high with Buddhist texts. Incense smoke curls. His Holiness is meditating before the thangka. His eyes are closed, his palms lie gently open on his knees. He is quiet and still."

Dalai Lama: Meditating means the basic Buddhist practice. So a thangka of the Buddha.

Mathison: The Buddha of Compassion?

Dalai Lama: Buddha.

Mathison: "He is quiet and still. Our presence feels almost like an intrusion. It shows process of mind, rather than just rest." The idea of this scene is that you=D5re reflecting on this information. "Exterior-Norbulingka Garden. Night. A movie is being shown outside on a makeshift screen. It is Henry V. This is a treat for the sweepers, the gardeners, and the servants. Children sit on the grass, mesmerized by this incredible vision. The boy rubs his eyes wearily. He appears distracted. This line is spoken by an actor: "Heavy lies the head that

wears the crown." "Interior-Dalai Lama's room. Night. He is listening to Peking Radio. The boy tinkers with a clock as he listens. He is swiftly becoming a

master tinkerer. Radio: 'This week on the anniversary of Chairman Mao's victory over imperialist forces in the People's Republic of China, 80,000 People's Liberation Army soldiers crossed the Drichu River, east of Chamdo, and began the peaceful liberation of Tibet. Tibet is in the hands of imperialist enemies of the people. The Dalai Lama, a foolish reminder of an illiterate past, is the figurehead of this autonomous region of China. Accept our help, Tibet. The people shall be free.'"

Dalai Lama: It's technically correct. But it was never announced on the radio. Actually my brother was sent to me by the Chinese. That was in his autobiography. The Chinese asked him to go to Lhasa to try to stop the Dalai Lama from fleeing. Then, in the meantime, the Chinese came several times and brainwashed him. One official told him: If necessary, eliminate your younger brother.

Mathison: I have this scene coming up with your brother. So when we get to it, maybe you could advise us on how it happened. This is very important information.

Dalai Lama: The Regent informed me about the situation. Then he often told me that sooner or later you have to carry the full responsibility, so therefore you should be familiar with the situation.

Mathison: We should make this a private meeting.

Dalai Lama: Yes, that's right.

Mathison: So we'll have the Lord Chamberlain, the Regent, several other people there. "The Regent makes his report: 'Tibetan officials have retreated from Chamdo. The Chinese forces have destroyed the heart of our defense and with the fall of Chamdo and the fall of several other cities, it appears-'"

Dalai Lama: Not cities. Towns or villages.

Mathison: "'It appears that the road to Lhasa is wide open to the aggressor.' The Dalai Lama leans forward, catching every word. 'The Chinese troops stand waiting in the countryside while Peking demands we negotiate. There are three points we have been offered. One, Tibet must accept that it is part of China. Two, Tibet's defenses must be handled by China. Three, all political and trade matters concerning foreign countries must be conducted through China. The Regent has decided that Tibet should agree to point number one. We can concede that Tibet is part of China, we can guarantee that the Dalai Lama's name and authority will remain and the Tibetan government will continue to function as it is.' The men in the room are distraught. The Dalai Lama is visibly angry at this decision."

Tricycle speaks with Melissa Mathison

Tricycle: Kundun is a story that engages the viewer at multiple levels of involvement-personal, political, spiritual. How did your ideas about the scope of this project develop?

Mathison: My original intention was to write a movie about a little boy who becomes the Dalai Lama. It's a great story. I didn't know anything about the history of Tibet. But as time went on I met the Dalai Lama and received permission to go ahead with the project. I learned about Tibet and I became politically active, and that changed the emphasis of the movie.

Tricycle: How so?

Mathison: I still needed it to be a real "movie" movie. It still had to be a story about a boy whose life you wanted to follow and whom you cared about. But his loss became bigger and more pervasive. It was no longer about a boy who loses his country, or even just about a people's loss. It became a story about universal loss.

Tricycle: What is your objective for the film in terms of raising political awareness?

Mathison: It's very dangerous to use a movie for a political agenda, or even to think that a movie can lead to political action. But in this case, I think that one can hope that if people are moved by the past, that they will moved by the present. I would love for people to leave the theater asking themselves, "Where is the Dalai Lama now? What's happening in Tibet now? And what can I do?"

Tricycle: Where do you see the potential for positive action?

Mathison: My own personal hope is that the Dalai Lama be able to negotiate with the Chinese. That is all he's asked for. That is what has to happen. But in order for that to happen, our government must take a stand that makes it advisable for China to agree. Which means our citizens have to become vocal and put pressure on our government to make that happen. That's the way it's supposed to work here, and I think it can work to help Tibet.