Little BuddhaThe third film in Bertolucci's Eastern trilogy (alongside The Last Emperor and The Sheltering Sky), Little Buddha interweaves two narratives: a modern-day search by a Buddhist monk for his reincarnated teacher in contemporary Seattle and a vividly rendered recreation of the ancient story of Prince Siddhartha, the first Buddha or 'Awakened One'.
Bertolucci had fruitlessly been auditioning actors for the role of Siddhartha when he was struck by the lack of guile in Keanu Reeves' performance in Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho. Reeves was subsequently cast in the role of the Prince whose belief system is dismantled as he discards his privileged identity and journeys towards enlightenment (an 'Excellent Adventure', if ever there was one).
Vittorio Storaro's sumptuous cinematography capitalised on location shoots in Nepal and Bhutan, and Bertolucci enthusiastically embraced the possibilities of new technologies with a striking use of digital special effects.
New 35mm print.
"A crazily mesmerizing pop artifact.Photographed stunningly by Storaro, accompanied by Ryuichi Sakamoto's powerfully insinuating score, this film work[s] in genuinely mysterious ways" - The New York Times
