Tibet Cry of the snow lion

This moving and extremely well-made film documents the history of Tibet's struggle with its giant neighbor, China. It features superb cinematography, excellent use of archival footage, and an all-star cast for narration (Martin Sheen) and voice-overs (Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, and Ed Harris) that is interspersed with clips of the Dalai Lama and other notables. The Tibetan story is tragic: one in six Tibetans have died since the Chinese occupation in 1954, and 6,254 monastic universities and monasteries-the basis of Tibetan culture and belief-have been destroyed. Every year 3000 Tibetans risk their lives to join His Majesty, the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan community of exiles. The issues surrounding the occupation are not going to go away. As Howard French wrote in the New York Times, as recently as December 8, 2004, "China is not only racing to catch up to the West in economic growth and development. it is also pushing to dominate vast spaces on its frontier that have eluded its control for millenniums." The Tibetan message of nonviolence in the face of oppression is a strong one. Although this video is outstanding and very moving, the graphic nature of the violence and torture scenes makes it unsuitable for most school settings. The political emphasis of the film would make it of great value in Asian studies courses and those that support political science, colonization, separatism, and Tibetan autonomy. Highly recommended.-Susan M. Clark, Univ. of Maryland Univ. Coll. at the Yokosuka Navy Base, Japan (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.