Featured Movies
Partners
Little BuddhaBertolucci revisits the territory he mapped out so successfully with The Last Emperor, this time with less pleasing results. Comprising two distinct strands, Little Buddha details the reaction of Seattle parents Bridget Fonda and Chris Isaak to the news that their nine year old son Alex (Weisendanger) may be the reincarnation of a great Buddhist leader. Running parallel to this is a sort of Buddhism For Beginners, documenting the spiritual journey of Siddhartha (Reeves) journey from pampered prince to enlightened sage.
Bertolucci's regular cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, ensures the film never looks anything less than magnificent. Emaciated but serene, Reeves' scenes are bathed in a warm wash of reds and yellows, lotus leaves springing up in his footprints and hermits praising his purity. But when Alex's parents consider taking their son to Tibet to be tested by monks, the bounds of credibility start to strain, and Bertolucci himself seems unsure whether he's making a fairy tale, a religious biopic or an ad for a New Age retreat.
|
