Why I Saw This Film:
Even though I’m not myself French, my curiosity in this film
was nonetheless aroused when I heard from a couple different sources that this
film was considered required viewing for French expatriates in Indochina.
Positives
* Filmed on
location in Vietnam—gorgeous scenery.
Negatives
* So, I think a fair amount of this film must be getting
lost in translation, but even taking that into account, this film has some of
the corniest, cheesiest dialogue I’ve ever heard.
*If the only way for the director to convey the characters' emotions is to have the characters constantly explicitly stating their emotions, then I consider this poor story-telling.
*If the only way for the director to convey the characters' emotions is to have the characters constantly explicitly stating their emotions, then I consider this poor story-telling.
* Portrays the French themselves as the main heroes of
anti-French Imperialism in Vietnam.
The Review
I thought
this film was a ridiculous over-the-top melodrama.
And the
dialogue! All the characters felt the
need to constantly be telling everyone else about their emotions!
I half
wonder if my failure to appreciate this film was just because I’m not used to
French films, and perhaps it’s a cultural difference? Maybe.
The first
half-hour of the film was boarder-line unwatchable, but then you just learn to
give in to the cheesiness of it, and it’s alright after that.
Other Things I Would
Talk About If I Wasn’t Limiting Myself to 100 Words
My experience travelling in
Vietnam, and seeing in person some of the places depicted in the film.
Links:
Growing Up as a French Teenager in Phnom Penh-- One of my sources that all French expatriates
living in Indochina have seen this movie.
Also, I’m mostly in agreement with Roger Ebert’s review of
this film: The film seems to suggest that the French still do not quite understand what happened to them in Vietnam. Well, they're not alone.
Link of the Day
Noam Chomsky (2013) "Pedagogy of the Oppressed"
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