What remains is the exotic spectacle, which in the case of Little Buddha is tied to a simple didactic aim. To teach children about such things is noble in theory . . . But given Bertolucci's market value, which is based on the adult sexual, social, and psychological themes of his earlier work, how many children are likely to see Little Buddha--much less prefer it to Aladdin or Ace Ventura: Pet Detective? And what are these children likely to take away from the film about Buddhism?
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Haziran 3, 1994