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Catherine Deneuve,
Catherine Deneuve,
Vincent Perez,
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Regis Wargnier,
Regis Wargnier
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: Columbia TriStar
: Foreign, France
: 156 min.
: French
: English, Spanish, French
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Regis Wargnier's epic about French Indochina -- from the years of French colonial imperialism to the days when American presence made itself felt and the country became known as Vietnam -- is a story of romance and separation told through the backdrop of a country in turmoil. The film centers on the relationship of the beautiful and imperious Eliane (Catherine Deneuve), a French rubber-plantation owner, and Camille (Linh Dan Pham), her adopted Indochinese daughter. The mother and daughter are very close until a diffident naval officer, Jean-Baptiste (Vincent Perez) enters their lives. Eliane is in love with him, but Jean-Baptiste and Camille become attracted to each other and fall in love. Thinking that she is doing Camille a favor, Eliane arranges to have Jean-Baptiste transferred to the far-away Tonkin Islands. But Camille flees the plantation to go to the man she loves. As she travels the country, she gains a greater knowledge and respect for the people of her homeland. When the government tears her from Jean-Baptiste and their infant child and arrests her for crimes against the state, she becomes politicized and becomes a supporter of the communists in the country's civil war. As the country rocks in turmoil, Eliane becomes a personification of France, coolly walking amid her peasant workers, neither bowed nor afraid, grimly looking westward. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
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| Very Complete Story
by JMVerville
October 20, 2004 - 7:30 AM PDT
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1 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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If you are looking for a complete and touching story of Vietnam under colonialism, this would be one of the better films to watch. I found the setting and the portrayal of Viet Nam to be very thought-provoking and historical, and I felt that the roles that the characters played were compelling.
The human story is very complete in its' portrayal, at the end leaving you fulfilled with the time that you have invested. It is quite thought-provoking and emotional, from start to finish.
The evolution of the film and the growth of its' characters left nothing to be desired, and it was definitely well-executed with a historical, haunting background. |
| Colonial Melodrama
by squad
July 11, 2004 - 11:53 PM PDT
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4 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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"Indochine" is at once a broad and sweeping melodrama, and also a meditation on change. There is money to be made and power to be gained from the natural resources and lush climate of Southeast Asia. The film includes several classes of opportunists in their struggles to ascend and maintain. Witness here the oft repeated irony of the child who benefiting from the struggles of the parents, goes on to alter the
old order that nurtured them. Change is often turbulent and new solutions bring new problems. That is the flow of things. This film is a visual feast with exaggerated characters, thus melodramatic. Reviewers elsewhere have criticized the always perfect lighting and the unconvincing characterizations, exagerated as they are, but this is history viewed large, a cinematic summation. It's concessions to genre served the acclaim received. An in-depth explanation (and spoiler, read it after viewing) can be found at, http://www.vincentperez.com/nicholls.html. Two more thoughts: 1. The change in the culture of the United States since the 1960s has similarities of new order emerging from the old. 2. Ponder that our industrialized farming is in no small part the result of sons and daughters of farmers who went to University seeking a better way, and subsequently largely ended the family farming system. So the irony is never lost in revolution. New solutions, new problems, and always change. "Indochine" illustrates that beautifully, no matter which end of the change spectrum in which you may find yourself, i.e., a member of the old order, a revolutionary, or most likely a leaf being tossed in the turbulence. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.72)
130 Votes
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| French for the hard of hearing |
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| French films with French subtitles that closely match the spoken dialog. Useful for learning French language and pronunciation. Should be some here for all tastes. I'd love to know of others! |
Chyekk
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| Past Foreign Film Oscar Winners |
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| These are all the Foreign Language Oscar winners available on DVD, with my particular favorites so noted. The award has been given out annually since 1947. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll see how universal it is to sigh. Updated frequently. |
underdog
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