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Seven Years in Tibet

FILM · 1997 · USA

Seven Years in Tibet

19 archived facts 2 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

  • Seven Years in Tibet — production image

19 Interesting Facts About Seven Years in Tibet

Interesting Facts (17)

  1. #001

    Jetsun Pema is the Dalai Lama's real-life sister. In this film she plays the Dalai Lama's mother, and therefore her own mother.

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  2. #002

    David Thewlis and Brad Pitt were banned from entering China because of their roles in the film, but Brad Pitt visited China in 2016 to promote a film.

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  3. #003

    The yaks had to be imported to the shooting location in Argentina. Each yak had its own passport, complete with a photograph and tooth marks.

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  4. #004

    The city of Lhasa in Tibet was recreated at the foot of the Andes in Argentina.

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  5. #005

    When Heinrich confronts Ngawang, director BD Wong was not told that the script called for Brad Pitt to throw him into the mud. Wong's reaction is entirely genuine.

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  6. #006

    The real Heinrich Harrer joked, "Brad Pitt was a terrible choice to play me. I was much better looking than him at that age."

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  7. #007

    When asked about Time magazine's stance on the China/Tibet issue, Brad Pitt replied, "Who cares what I think China should do about Tibet? I'm a fucking actor… I'm a grown man who puts on makeup."

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  8. #008

    In the film, adapted from Heinrich Harrer's autobiography, he is sent to a British prisoner-of-war camp despite hating the Nazis because he holds German citizenship. In reality Harrer was a Nazi of a rank equivalent to sergeant. He had to ask Heinrich Himmler for permission to marry and attended the ceremony in a Nazi uniform. Most of the facts came to light in 1997, just before this film was released. The director said he suspected Harrer had a "possible connection" to the Nazis but did not investigate enough (possibly because it was too late to leave the film). Harrer was never linked to a war crime, and the Dalai Lama remained his friend even after learning of this.

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  9. #009

    Brad Pitt's Austrian accent was ranked third on Empire magazine's list of the worst film accents of all time.

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  10. #010

    The government of the People's Republic of China condemned the film after its release. They claimed Communist Chinese officers were deliberately portrayed as rude and arrogant. They also objected to the positive portrayal of the Dalai Lama.

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  11. #011

    The film glosses over the fact that Heinrich Harrer was a Nazi and an SS member before setting out for Tibet. Harrer later admitted his Nazi membership and said it was a youthful mistake.

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  12. #012

    Heinrich Harrer was 34 years old when he first met the 14th Dalai Lama in 1945. Brad Pitt, the actor who plays Heinrich Harrer, was also 34 in 1997, the year the film was released.

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  13. #013

    Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk and Sonam Wangchuk are the sons of a Bhutanese diplomat.

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  14. #014

    Heinrich Harrer's book 'Seven Years in Tibet' was filmed twice: first as a documentary shot by Hans Nieter in 1956, and second as Jean-Jacques Annaud's 1997 film.

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  15. #015

    This was one of two films about the Dalai Lama released in 1997. The other was Martin Scorsese's Kundun (1997).

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  16. #016

    The song in the Dalai Lama's music box is Clair De Lune, the same piece that plays at the end of Ocean's Eleven when the whole crew parts ways by the fountain. Brad Pitt starred in Ocean's Eleven.

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  17. #017

    Heinrich Harrar is portrayed as a hero who documented human rights abuses in Tibet in the 1940s and, five years later, befriended an SS officer. A revelation that emerged after the film was completed forced last-minute changes, and following protests by Jewish organizations Harrar's Nazi past was made explicit.

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Characters & Cast (2)

  1. #018

    Richard Gere was considered for the role of Heinrich Harrer. Although he did not end up appearing in the film, Gere did the producers a favour and sent the script to the Dalai Lama to get his approval. The Dalai Lama did read the script and was pleased with it.

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  2. #019

    Ralph Fiennes and Daniel Day-Lewis were considered for the role of Heinrich Harrer.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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