EXPEDITION TO LHASA (EXCERPT)

Year Published: 1949

Description:

This silent film appears to be an excerpt (or possibly raw footage) from Lowell Thomas’ 1949 documentary “Expedition to Lhasa, Tibet” and shows the Sho Dun festival at Norbulingka Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The film shows excellent color shots of people in Tibetan traditional clothes from different regions. This is followed by a procession of monks and the start of the festival. The festival features several elaborate Tibetan Opera performances. There are also some scenes showing Lowell Thomas Jr. recording performances with a microphone.

0:00 people riding on horses, 0:32 people walking in matching Tibetan traditional clothes walking towards a destination, 1:43 close-ups of men and women on horses, 2:14 people riding past a small audience on horses, 2:30 people going through the western gate of Lhasa Pargo Kaling, 3:01 view from above of people in traditional clothes walking along the same path, 3:23 close-up of a girl and her little brother, 3:45 a family sitting by a lake playing a game of Sho, 4:03 people in different traditional clothes posing for the camera, 4:39 close-ups of women and their jewelry, 5:03 close-ups of men, 5:26 the gate to Norbulingka Palace, 5:37 a monk walking around a courtyard with people watching, 6:02 dancers performing, 6:22 a procession of monks and officials enters the palace, 7:43 Operas singers performing with dancing and acting, 9:06 large crowds enjoying the performance, 9:34 close-ups of the Opera singers as they perform, 10:00 Lowell Thomas Jr. recording performers with a microphone, 10:20 Yogurt being poured, 10:43 Opera singers performing, 11:05 close-up of Lowell Thomas Jr. with officials, 11:33 Lowell Thomas and two men looking over a map of South Asia, 12:06 a Tibetan man paints.

Thomas Lowell Sr. is best known for publicizing Lawrence of Arabia. In 1949, Thomas was the first foreigner to be invited to Tibet and he met with the Dalai Lama to discuss US support for Tibetan independence. He was accompanied by his son, Lowell Thomas Jr. who later became a senator for Alaska. In 2006, the Dalai Lama bestowed the International Campaign for Tibet's Light of Truth Award on Lowell Jr and referred to him as "one of the grandfathers of modern day Tibet.” "Expedition to Lhasa"" was a film made by the father and son team in 1949. The film was about their 400-day expedition to Lhasa, Tibet, which was the last time Westerners reached the city before the Chinese invasion. Thomas also wrote a book about the expedition, Out of This World, which was published in 1950.