The Auteur Director and the Buddhist Philosopher

It’s not necessary to search very far for the Dalai Lama this week. A day after the compassionate and charismatic Tibetan leader completed a lecture series in Pasadena, a penetrating and insightful documentary, “In Search of Kundun With Martin Scorsese,” begins a limited engagement today at the Laemmle Monica.

The Michael Wilson film sheds light on Scorsese’s unique encounters with the Tibetan people and the Dalai Lama during the making of the underrated 1997 biopic “Kundun.” The documentary makes a marvelous companion piece to the Scorsese film, which ambitiously conveys the innermost thoughts and dreams of this Buddhist philosopher, forced into exile after the Chinese invasion of Tibet 40 years ago.

Indeed, “In Search of Kundun” helps us understand the Dalai Lama’s lasting influence and the profound impact he had on the legendary director.

“Doing a portrait of Marty on the set is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while,” Wilson says. “I’ve known Marty since his European tour for “Mean Streets” in ’73. That was the beginning of a dialogue that continues with every new film. We tried to work something out during the first attempt to make ‘The Last Temptation of Christ,’ but it didn’t work out. It’s interesting that both ‘The Last Temptation’ and ‘Kundun’ were shot in Morocco. And it’s fitting that the documentary started out as a Christ project and ended up as a Dalai Lama project.”

The Franco American critic and filmmaker previously collaborated with Scorsese in 1996 on “A Personal Journey,” a documentary commemorating Scorsese’s favorite American films in honor of the centenary anniversary of the cinema.

“The documentary [“In Search of Kundun”] was conceived on the set of ‘Casino’ in Las Vegas,” Wilson says. “We were working on ‘Personal Journey,’ watching clips in his trailer of movies by [D.W.] Griffith and [Erich von] Stroheim. One night he mentioned that Melissa Mathison had written this script about the Dalai Lama, and I was immediately fascinated that Marty could become involved.”

Although “Kundun’s” distributor, Disney, passed on the documentary, Wilson had no problem getting financial backing from a French film distributor, Canal Plus. Although it’s in limited theatrical release, “In Search of Kundun” will be available Nov. 16 on home video from Hollywoodn’t, which is also distributing the film in U.S. theaters.

Film Captures the Many Sides of Scorsese

The documentary reveals many facets of Scorsese: his boyish enthusiasm on the set, his patience with the nonprofessional Tibetan actors, his reverence for the Dalai Lama and a lost culture he was trying to preserve on film, and his frustration with circumstances beyond his control.

“It was logistically difficult,” Scorsese admits in a recent phone interview. “There were five different languages being spoken on the set, and you couldn’t get horses to respond the way you’d like them to. But it was mostly a joy. I loved the desert, Morocco, the Tibetans. Location shooting took longer than expected. My mother was ill. Would I finish before she died? I flew back for a weekend to see her, and she passed away after we finished shooting. It was like she was waiting for me.”

If there is something missing from this portrait of Scorsese the filmmaker, it is his renowned hyperkinetic personality. For the most part, he appears relaxed and good-natured, full of laughter. Wilson believes it was the influence of the Tibetans.

“It was so clear that they were guiding him through the process, through that culture. It was very touching, actually, to see that relationship develop. Not only with the advisors, but with the kids. It was almost like Marty was becoming a medium for them. Through him, their world would be re-created, and they understood that. They were guiding him.”

‘Kundun’ Experience Has a Lasting Effect

“ ‘Kundun’ is a film about acceptance,” Scorsese offers. “It has taught me to accept more easily things I have no control over. Now I put things more in perspective and handle things better. I’m like a record spinning out of control with multiple projects. But I try not to get so irritated and frustrated. I balance out the days better. It’s not only a matter of getting more work done, but [of] getting more value out of that work.”

The solemn effect of “Kundun” lingers with Scorsese, along with the death of his mother, affecting his latest film, “Bringing Out the Dead,” which opens Oct. 22.

“It’s about a man, a paramedic, who cracks up during a three-day Labor Day marathon in Hell’s Kitchen, haunted by the ghost of a homeless girl,” Scorsese explains. “He begins questioning what it all means. It’s about trying to be compassionate in the face of violence and death.”

Not surprisingly, the documentary took on a life of its own when Wilson began observing the shooting of “Kundun.” It shifted from Scorsese to the Tibetans to the Dalai Lama.

“The relationship between Marty and the Tibetans was a very emotional one to observe,” Wilson says. “Which meant there would be a third layer, because all these Tibetans were connected to the Dalai Lama. They were either part of his family or part of an entourage--an extended family, if you will.

“After just a few days on the set, I realized that my other protagonist had to be the Dalai Lama,” Wilson says. “So I had to go to India to see him, which I did.”

Wilson’s visit with the Dalai Lama in India revealed the accuracy of “Kundun’s” depiction of his spiritual nature. “Some of these dreams, some of these visions, some of these intimate feelings came through in our discussions. The more dreamlike ‘Kundun’ became, particularly as Marty started editing it, the more it became the Dalai Lama’s inner vision.”

And Wilson’s own encounter with the Dalai Lama was revealing beyond his expectations. The man’s warmth and compassion, his love and affection for all living beings helped Wilson better understand the Buddhist religion and philosophy.

“You don’t expect someone who touches you physically, who is laughing all the time,” Wilson says of the Dalai Lama. “He’s so many personas rolled into one. He’s a 10-year-old child, he’s E.T., he’s Winston Churchill, he’s the pope and he’s St. Francis of Assisi.”

It was the Dalai Lama’s emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation that most perplexed the documentary filmmaker, prompting him to discuss the theme in a much broader context. “I was amazed at how he could talk about forgiveness, particularly how it relates to the Chinese. When I said that, he got so excited and said you must talk to [Nelson] Mandela and think about [Mohandas K.] Gandhi and Dr. [Martin Luther] King.

“We started casting and talking about a new documentary on the spot, examining how, at the end of the century and the millennium, nonviolence can be effective. I guess that has become a new project.”

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* “In Search of Kundun With Martin Scorsese” starts today at Laemmle Monica 4-Plex. 1332 2nd St., Santa Monica. (310) 394-9741.