Monday, January 13, 2014

Indochine


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.

* 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.


Link of the Day
Noam Chomsky (2013) "Pedagogy of the Oppressed"

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