The Horse Thief

Easy to see why Scorsese could feel some degree of director's envy for this, and while I haven't managed to see it yet, I imagine it played a hand in the way Kundun worked out. A very successful and measured cinematic work, light on plotting, but rich in local atmosphere. It's a long montage that looks effortless but must belie some painstaking construction. Admirable, especially as a representative of qualities particular to the medium.

It has a degree of authenticity to it and is competently filmed, but If you can't be bothered with repetitive religious rituals, or if you'd really rather not see actual live animals being treated cruelly then killed for your entertainment then I'd steer clear of this if I were you.