Little Buddha

A sweeping telling of the tale of Prince Siddartha, the man who became the Buddha, through a Tibetan monk's search for the reincarnation of a Buddhist lama. His search takes him to Seattle where he befriends a boy and his parents, taking them to Bhutan to see if the child is the one he's searching for. Filmed on location in Seattle, Nepal, India and Bhutan. See "Ossian - American Boy Tibetan Monk."Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci makes a semi-triumphant return to the Far East in the lavish drama "Little Buddha." On one hand, it's the story of a young Seattle boy who is thought to be the reincarnation of a Buddhist lama, and on the other hand it's the ancient tale of Siddartha, the sheltered prince who through a mystical search becomes the Buddha. Either plot would have sufficed, but the combination gives maddenly short shrift to both. This is particularly true for the more compelling "second" story, beautifully shot on location in Bhutan and making surprisingly good use of Reeves as the serene founder of Buddhism. Despite the jarring shifts from ancient Tibet to modern Seattle, this drama is worth watching for at least one of its two stories, though the whole is somehow less than the sum of its parts.Shot in Technicolor, Panavision, and 70mm.

Synopsis: An old monk comes to Seattle in search of his reincarnated master, the Buddha. Buddha's life story is interwoven with that of a young boy, whose parents must decide if they will send their son to Bhutan to discover his spiritual heritage.