It is understandable that some movies or shows might touch a nerve and casts long-lasting effects. Netflix has brought one such movie, which affected the lead actor Brad Pitt. Seven Years in Tibet is a biographical war drama, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. Let us find out what was it that made the Chinese government so angry that they banned Brad Pitt and Jean-Jacques Annaud from ever entering China.

Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet

Seven years in Tibet is a biographical war movie, based on an Australian mountaineer and SS officer Heinrich Harrer’s 1952 memoir of the same name. The memoir talks about his experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951.

In the 1930s, Harrer (Pitt) and fellow Austrian Peter Aufschnaiter (Thewlis) was mountaineering in British India. At the beginning of WW2 in 1939, their German citizenship ended in their imprisonment at a prisoner-of-war camp in Dehradun in the Himalayas. Harrer and Aufschnaiter escaped from the prison and crossed the border into Tibet, passing through the treacherous high plateau in 1944. Then, initially, when they were ordered to return to India, they were welcomed at the holy city of Lhasa.

They became absorbed into an exotic way of life there. Harrer is introduced to the 14th Dalai Lama, who was still a boy and became one of Harrer’s tutors. During this time together, Harrer becomes a close friend to this young spiritual leader. Until the Battle of Chamdo in 1950, Harrer and Aufschnaiter stay in the country.

Why did China ban Pitt?

The government of the People’s Republic of China censored Seven Years in Tibet prior to its release. They stated that they have intentionally portrayed Communist Chinese military officers as rude and arrogant, brutalizing the local people.

The government of China also condemned the film’s positive portrayal of the 14th Dalai Lama. Annaud, Pitt, and Thewlis were banned from entering China since then. However, the government of China welcomed back Annaud once in 2012 to chair the jury of the 15th annual Shanghai International Film Festival. Pitt also subsequently visited China in 2014 and 2016.

Isn’t it exciting to see Brad Pitt from 26 years ago? Netflix has brought this movie that 2 decades ago resulted in the ban of our favorite Brad Pitt along with others. Watch the inspiring movie only on Netflix and share your views here.