Subtitled Film – Viet Nam

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17th parallel: Days and nights (Vĩ tuyến 17 ngày và đêm)

1972, 177 minutes
Director: Hai Ninh
Cast: Tra Giang, Ho Thai, Lam Toi, Doan Dzung, Lai Phu Cuong
Cinematography: Nguyen Xuan Chan
Script: Hai Ninh, Hoang Tich Chi
Following the Geneva Agreement, Ben Hai river becomes the provisional dividing line for Viet Nam between the North & South.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Bar girls (Gái nhảy)

2002, 109 minutes
Director: Le Hoang
Cast: My Duyen, Minh Thu, Kieu Thanh, Anh Vu
Cinematography: Pham Hoang Nam
Script: Nguy Ngu
A gritty film about drugs and prostitution in Viet Nam. Hanh is a 23 year old and the main character of the film. Hoa is a teenager and both women are prostitutes. Circumstances have pushed both women to the edge and the results are not pleasant. Hanh pleads with the audience at an HIV conference held in Viet Nam, “I don’t want to die, please save me.”

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Bitter Love (Vị đắng tình yêu)

1991, 100 minutes
Director: Le Xuan Hoang
Cast: Thuy Tien, Le Cong Tuan Anh, Le Tuan Anh
Cinematography: Tran Ngoc Huynh
Script: Le Hoang, Viet Linh
Phuong is a student of the conservatory and in love with Quang, a poor student of medicine. Phuong’s mother wants her to marry the music teacher, Binh. Phuong has a small piece of shrapnel in her head and the problems it causes pushes these three in and out of each other’s lives.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Deserted Field (Cánh đồng hoang)

1979, 90 minutes
Director: Hong Sen
Cast: Lam Toi, Thuy An
Cinematography: Duong Tuan Ba
Ba Do, his wife, and their son live in a cottage on the water in the Dong Thap Muoi region. They are responsible for communication, picking up soldiers, and growing rice. In this region American helicopters scout and patrol night and day trying to track opposition movements. Finally, the soldiers in the helicopters discover and destroy Ba Do’s rice fields, but Ba Do and his family are able to elude capture.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005).

Dong Loc crossroads (Ngã ba Đồng Lộc)

1997, 88 minutes
Director: Luu Trong Ninh
Cast: Thuy Huong, Van Anh, Ha Thanh, Hong Tham
Cinematography: Nguyen Huu Tuan
Script: Nguyen Quang Vinh
A young all female volunteer squad enlisted to keeping the Dong Loc crossroads open for troop transport. The women were responsible for repairing the road and defusing the unexploded bombs.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005).

Fairytale for 17 year olds (Truyện cổ tích cho tuổi mười bảy)

1986, 80 minutes
Director: Nguyen Xuan Son
Cast: Le Vi, Thanh Tu, Thanh Phong, Tran Hanh
Cinematography: Truong Minh
Script: Trinh Thanh Nha
An (Le Vi) is a senior in high school when she meets Mrs. Thu whose husband and son have gone off to war. Mrs. Thu gave An the address of her son Thai and An writes quite sentimental letters, with the love of a 17 year old girl, even though she has never met Thai.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005).

Holy Days (Ngày lễ thánh)

1976, 164 minutes
Director: Bach Diep
Cast: Tra Giang, Tran Phuong, Nhu Quynh
Cinematography: Nguyen Dang Bay
Script: Bach Diep
In a Christian area Nhan (Tra Giang) and Ai (Nhu Quynh) are living unhappy lives.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Little girl of Hanoi (Em bé Hà Nội)

1974, 72 minutes
Director: Hai Ninh
Cast: Lan Huong, Tra Giang, The Anh
Cinematography: Tran The Dan
Script: Hoang Tich Chi, Hai Ninh, Vuong Dan Hoan
After being bombarded by B-52s on Kham Thien Street, Ngoc Ha’s family is shattered. Her mother has been killed trying to save kindergarten children. Her younger sister is seriously hurt and brought to the hospital for treatment. Ngoc Ha wanders around hoping to find her father. While searching, she meets an anti-aircraft soldier, who tries to help her. With the support, love, and care of her neighbors, Ngoc Ha finds the needed help to overcome great suffering and loss.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Lives of sand (Đời cát)

1999, 87 minutes
Director: Nguyen Thanh Van
Cast: Don Duong, Mai Hoa, Hong Anh, Cong Ninh, Tran Thi Be
Cinematography: Nguyen Duc Viet
Script: Nguyen Quang Lap
Canh returns to his native village after being away for more than 20 years fighting in the war. Canh’s wife Thoa has been patiently waiting for him to return unfortunately, Canh started another family in the South and has a daughter with his younger wife, Tam. The love triangle causes anxiety and difficulties and Canh must choose between the women.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Living in fear (Sống trong sợ hãi)

2005, 105 minutes
Director: Bui Thac Chuyen
Cast: Tran Huu Phuc, Hanh Thuy, Ngoc Phuong, Nam Yen, My Uyen, Mai Van Thinh
Cinematography: Hoang Tuan Phat
Script: Bui Thac Chuyen, Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc
Tai (Tran Huu Phuc) has no job because he is a former soldier of the Southern Army and with the reunification of Viet Nam he is resigned to his life of hardship. Due to the war he was separated from his wife, he remarried and now loves them both. He does his best to follow the rules in the resettled land he is assigned, and makes his money collecting scrap metal in the minefields. Because of mistakes in the fields by others, he is forbidden from going into the fields. However, with no other marketable skills, he is soon pressured into going back into the fields in violation of the rules.
This film is based on a true story and was funded in part with the NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation).

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Marriage without a license (Hôn nhân không giá thú)

1997, 90 minutes
Director: Pham Loc
Cast: Mai Thu Huyen, Tran Luc, Chieu Xuan, Xuan Tung, Minh Tam
Cinematography:
Script: Nguyen Kim Anh
This film was adapted from the work of Nguyen Kim Anh about the burning issue of marriage in the 1990s.

Missing object (Của rơi)

2002, 97 minutes
Director: Vuong Duc
Cast: Duc Khue, Hue Minh, Le Vu Long, and Mai Hue
Cinematography: Nguyen Huu Tuan
Script: Nguyen Viet Ha
Thang is a Hanoi intellectual and graduates from university with high distinction causing his former teacher, Dao, to invite him to work in a mathematics institute of odd algorithms. He has problems because of his personality and refuses to give up his mathematical perspectives. He distinguishes himself as a person of integrity, which also causes problems for him.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Mrs. Dau (Chị Dậu)

1981
Director: Pham Van Khoa
Cast: Le Van, Anh Thai, Hoang Duong, Le Anh Tu
Cinematography: Nguyen Dang Bay
Script: Pham Van Khoa
Mr. Dau is incarcerated because he didn’t have enough money to pay for his taxes. Mrs. Dau does everything she can to settle the debts, including selling her daughter, but falls further behind when she is held responsible for the taxes of her dead brother-in-law. She finally gets a job as a nursemaid, but finds out it is for the very old patriarch of a wealthy family.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Nguyen Ai Quoc in Hong Kong

2003, 90 minutes
Director: Nguyen Khac Loi, Vien The Ky
Cast: Tran Luc, Hoang Phuc, Oleg Krapchenko, Mac Tu Giang, Phuong Han Dinh
Cinematography: Tran Quoc Dzung, Trinh Khang Chan
Script: Huu Mai
In 1931, Nguyen Ai Quoc (Ho Chi Minh) was seized by the Hong Kong police for the French. He is charged and faces a death sentence if convicted. With the help of a British lawyer he beats the charges.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

On the same river (Chung một dòng sông)

1959, 90 minutes
Director: Hong Nghi & Hieu Dan
Cast: Phi Nga, Manh Linh, Huy Cong, and Danh Tan
Cinematography: Nguyen Dac
Script: Cao Dinh Bau, Dao Xuan Tung
Following the Geneva Accords, Ben Hai river became the provisional line dividing the North and South regions. Unfortunately, this division also obstructed the relationship between Van, who is from the northern side, and Hoai, who is from the southern side. Van and Hoai fell in love with each other while taking part in the anti-French resistance. Their love is a struggle that parallels the nation.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Passerine Bird (Con chim vành khuyên)

1962, 43 minutes
Director: Nguyen Van Thong and Tran Vu
Cast: Tu Buu, To Uyen, and Thuy Vinh
Cinematography: Nguyen Dang Bay
Script: Nguyen Van Thong
Little Nga and her father survive by fishing and ferrying people across the river. However, Nga’s father has a secret duty of carrying revolutionary cadres across the river for their missions. Nga wants to do whatever she can to help her dad, but the French troops have suspected Nga and her father of coordinating with the revolutionaries.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

Play your cards (Ván bài lật ngửa)

1982-1987, 85 minutes
Director: Khoi Nguyen
Cast: Nguyen Chanh Tin, Thanh Lan, Lam Binh Chi
Cinematography: Nguyen Hoe
Script: Nguyen Truong Thien Ly
This was a made for television series that had Luan (Nguyen Chanh Tin) working as a detective and investigator.

Source adapted from: Viet Nam Film Institute, (2008). Catalogue of Vietnamese Awarded Films (1949-2005). Ha Noi: Viet Nam.

That day in Vu Dai village (Làng Vũ Đại ngày ấy)

1982, 90 minutes
Director: Nguyen Tu Huy
Cast: Nguyen Huu Muoi, Thanh Hien, Kim Lan, Bui Cuong, Duc Luu
Cinematography: Do Van
Script: Doan Le
Melodrama set in Viet Nam in the 1930s. Follows the class struggle in a village as Vietnamese resistance to French rule develops. Based on the Vietnamese literary stories: Song Mon, Chi Pheo, Old Man Hac (Lao Hac), and the life story of Nam Cao, the author of Chi Pheo and Old Man Hac.

Source adapted from: www.lasalle.edu

The Lotus (Bông Sen)

1998, 105 minutes
Directors: Tran Dac & Amar Laskri
Cast: El-Mellouhi Niddal, Nguyen An Chinh
Cinematography: Phi Tien Son, Rachid Merabtine, Ahmed Messad
*Vietnamese, Arabic, and French with English subtitles
In the 1950s, the French Army sent thousands of indigenes, soldiers conscripted from colonies in North Africa, to fight in the so-called “Dirty War” in Indochina. Set against the growing Vietnamese struggle for independence is a love story involving Ali (portrayed by Algerian actor El-Mellouhi Niddal) and Lien (Nguyen An Chinh), a beautiful Viet Minh guerrilla. As the war progresses and Ali witnesses the growing abuse of the Vietnamese people, he questions the horrible war he and his fellow soldiers have been fighting on behalf of the French. Lien (whose name means “lotus”) inspires Ali and his Algerian comrades to abandon their French officers and join the Viet Minh at the famous battle of Dien Bien Phu.

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