The Cup
by Khyentse Norbu
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jamyang Lodro, Neten Chokling, Orgyen TobgyalDirector: Khyentse Norbu
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-11-13
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Festival Media
Movie Reviews of The Cup
Movie Review: He shoots, SCORE!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Cup is an innocent story of a childish infatuation, soccer. Filmed in India at the Chokling Monastery, The Cup tells the tale of Orgyen, a young monk who has been exposed to the game of soccer. Not only has he become infatuated with the sport, which is more than evident by the posters of his heroes plastered in his room, but he has made many other monks in the monastery fans of the sport as well.
For nights in a row, Orgyen and a few monks manage to ditch from the monastery to view matches at a local viewing place. One night, upon their return, they are caught. Immediately the fear of expulsion from the monastery is felt, and the monks are left in limbo until their fate is revealed.
All the while, a second story-line plays out. Being a Tibetan monastery in exile, the monastery receives many refugees making the perilous journey from Tibet through the Himalayas to India. Some of the elder monks are worried about two young boys they are expecting. They bring in the local "fortune teller" to see if he can tell if the boys are ok. The boys do eventually make it, a bit tired, but the trek was successful They are ordained on the spot and rooms are chosen for them. The older of the two boys ends up bunking with Orgyen, and with this is taught the ropes of soccer ad it's importance to Orgyen and the other monks.
After receiving their punishment, one month of cooking, the boys forget the punishment and start thinking of schemes to watch the final match of the World Cup. Without becoming to much of a spoiler for the movie, the boys try to raise money in order to rent a satellite dish and convince the abbott of Chokling to let them view the match. While raising money it is clear they will not have enough and have to turn to one of the two boys who recently arrived and ask him to let them "borrow" one of his prized possesions in order to make everyone else happy.
The story of soccer may not seem to have much of a lesson, maybe that even monks have attachments, but the kicker is the "borrowing" of the item, the importance it has to the boy and how Orgyen ends up feeling after "borrowing" said item and worrying about how he will get it back for the boy.
The Cup is based on a true story experienced by writer/ director and Tibetan Lama, Khyentse Norbu. All the actors are monks from the monastery in which is was filmed. There are comedic parts of the movie, beautiful cinematography via the location and a moral. There is a great bonus on the DVD called "Inside The Cup" where Khyentse Norbu talks about his ideas behind filming The Cup, his teaching the Dharma and more.
Summary of The Cup
Product Description "A beautiful, funny, moving film." Martin ScorseseBuddhism is their philosophy... soccer is their religion!
Prayer. Meditation. Rituals. Soccer?
World Cup soccer fever sweeps into a remote Himalayan monastery and centuries-old traditions are threatened the young monks will do just about anything to watch the final match, posing a unique challenge to the venerable lamas in charge. An inspiring tale of colliding cultures, midnight escapades and daring secret plots...
* A true story
* Filmed on location at Chokling Monastery, India
* Vibrant 16:9 transfer direct from film to HD master
Official Selection Directors Fortnight Cannes Film Festival
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival
Winner FIPRESCI PRIZE Pusan International Film Festival
Official Selection Toronto Film Festival
Official Selection International Buddhist Film Festival
BONUS FEATURES
* Inside The Cup (22 min. documentary adapted from Life As Cinema by Anika Tokarchuk)
* Director s commentary
* Printed production notes and interview with Khyentse Norbu
* 10 Buddhist film trailers
This sweet and genuine Tibetan comedy was promoted as a feel-good foreign flick--but anyone looking for guffaws and big feel-good moments will miss out on all the small, quiet pleasures The Cup has to offer. Set in a Tibetan monastery-in-exile in India, the movie follows a few young monks whose devotion to Buddhism is rivaled by their fervor for football (soccer to us blinkered Americans). They risk punishment to sneak out at night and watch games on a black and white TV in a neighboring house. One night they get into a squabble and are kicked out of the house; then, to make matters worse, they get caught by a stern monastery official named Geko. But the World Cup final match is the very next night! They beg the abbot of the monastery to let them rent a TV and satellite dish so they can watch the final game, and Geko and the abbot relent--now, if they can only gather the money and assemble the satellite dish, the game is within their grasp. The Cup contrasts the abbot's gentle musings about progress with the young monks' enthusiasm, but avoids being too didactic about its points. Instead, the movie favors light humor and quiet observations of character, slowly accumulating a bemused sense of the contradictions of modern life. The movie centers on a surly but immensely charming young monk and rabid football fan named Orgyen, whose implacable determination to see the World Cup match is tested when he realizes he's jeopardized what another young monk holds dear. A serene and lyrical movie. --Bret Fetzer
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