Asian hanging lanterns from Indochine

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 [...]

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 [...]

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..

Graham Greene Into the intrigue and violence of Indo-China comes Pyle, a young idealistic American sent to promote democracy through a mysterious “Third Force”. As his naive optimism starts to cause bloodshed, his friend Fowler, a cynical foreign correspondent, finds it hard to stand aside and watch.

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 [...]