Indochine (1991) DVD

I enjoyed it immensely. But here are two alternative views of Indochine expressed by Amazon reviewers.

Sitting through Indochine, Regis Wargnier's 1992 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film, is a bit like watching paint dry, despite its exotic locale and lead performance by the legendary Catherine Deneuve (Belle de Jour, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg). Deneuve plays a wealthy French landowner, born and raised in Indochina, from 1930 until 1955, the year of a Communist takeover. The brewing political changes bound to upset her fortune and destiny find an even more personal parallel in her relationship with an adopted daughter (Linh Dan Pham), who grows up and becomes independent. The outline of this scenario sounds pretty good but the film is flat and unworthy of its star. — Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

"This movie moved me in so many ways. There's the beautiful landscape of Vietnam. So exquisite in the cinematographer's hands that it makes you forget all those tragic images of American Vietnam war movies. Seeing them makes you understand why so many foreigners invaded this beautiful land. There's the blatant and honest look at the oppresion of the Indochinese under the hands of the French. It's in the background but nothing is glossed over. You will be apalled at the sight of these people being whipped and sold in the name of France. There's the factual depiction of the nationalist movement. The blood, the filth, the brutality...it's there for the audience to see." Amazon reviewer