The Killing Fields [1984] 15 DVD

This harrowing but rewarding 1984 drama concerns the real-life relationship between New York Times reporter Sidney Schanberg and his Cambodian assistant Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor), the latter left at the mercy of the Khmer Rouge after Schanberg--who chose to stay after American evacuation but was booted out--failed to get him safe passage. Filmmaker Roland Joff³, previously a documentarist, made his feature debut with this account of Dith's rocky survival in the ensuing madness of the Khmer Rouge's genocidal campaign. The script of The Killing Fields spends some time with Schanberg's feelings of guilt after the fact, but most of the movie is a shattering re-creation of hell on Earth. The late Haing S. Ngor--a real-life doctor who had never acted before and who lived through the events depicted by Joff³--is outstanding, and he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Oscars also went to cinematographer Chris Menges and editor Jim Clark. --Tom Keogh

Apocalypse Now (redux) DVD

Following the example set by his old pals Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola has revisited a classic that no one ever thought needed enhancement and produced Apocalypse Now Redux, a remastered and extended version of his hallucinogenic Vietnam nightmare that adds some 50 minutes of extra material. On the plus side, certain extended sequences--such as Kilgore's bombing-cum-surfing raid and the final battle of nerves between Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando--add greater depth to our appreciation of the film. On the debit side, the lengthy French plantation interlude and the squalid fate of the Playboy bunnies simply underscore what we already know about war and hell and the depressing futility of it all.

Cyclo [1996] 18 VHS

The Cyclo Boy lives honestly and works hard to survive in the backstreets of Ho Chi Minh City. His life takes a downturn when he is mugged and drawn into the world of organised crime. Vietnamese dialogue with subtitles.

"Taxi Driver meets the most amazing colourist painting."

Buy from Amazon, Cyclo new and used from £7.00

Three Seasons [1999] VHS

Through the lives of four ordinary people, the hopes and fears of a nation are highlighted emphasising the differences between the old traditions and modern American influences in the 'new' Vietnam. Vietnamese dialogue, English subtitles..

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