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Summary: An awesome movie!
Review: I saw this movie recently and I have to say it is one of the best films I have ever seen. Usually I don't like subtitles but they didn't even bother me. It was a beautifully moving romantic film about a young servant girl, I loved it. If you like romantic, heart stiring movies you will love this one.
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Summary: my most poetic video experience .
Review: I saw this movie while zapping after midnight for something worth staying up for . On France2 I saw a poetic combination of sound , colour and motion , dealing with the simple life of a 10 year old Vietnamese girl . Superb camera work and close-ups plus the constant presence of these tropical sounds. I stayed up till the end of the movie . And this while there was hardly a plot ! I found the movies name and knew I had to have its video . I could not find it until I tried via Amazon . I am so gratefull . I could watch it every day !A thing of beauty is a joy ...
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Summary: The Scent of Green Papaya
Review: I watched this film on video five time. Why? Because, I like the director's mis en scene, beautiful cinemaphotography, good characters development...finally, this film is on DVD.
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Summary: Yes, this movie is slow
Review: I will not lie and say this movie filled with car chases or explosions. If you expect an action flick, look elsewhere. I understand people's reaction to the slowness of this movie because when I saw it, I thought the same thing. However, over time I came to appreciate it. What this movie lacks in plot, it makes up in beautiful scenes and images. There are not many movies that leave you thinking about it years later.
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Summary: Vietnamese Cinderella
Review: I'm always on the lookout for Cinderella type stories. In this story we definitely have a servant and two "naughty" step-type brothers instead of sisters. The two boys in this movie don't quite know what to make of their new servant. They almost tend to treat her like a sister in some ways while otherwise completely ignoring her and never really speaking to her. One would imagine that children at that age would look beyond the servant/master issues and actually converse as friends. The "stepmother" could be her employer, however Mui is never treated unkindly by her because she reminds her Mistress (Thi Loc Troung) of the daughter who died many years before and would have been the same age. When the family can no longer afford to employ her, she goes to live with a wealthy young pianist. This movie excels in artistic expression and the silent interpretation of dreams and wishes. There is a minimum of dialogue and the most casual observances become almost a cherished encounter with nature. Mui watches little frogs, crickets and ants with a sense of awe while her employer's sons would be happy to kill any insect they found. If you love cooking, you will probably love this movie. You can even get a quick lesson in how to stir-fry. Cooking is done on the floor over coals and Mui takes on the role of chef and housecleaner. There is an emphasis on the rituals of life. The simple is made beautiful. Every natural sound seems amplified. This is not only visually appealing; the sounds of rice being poured into a huge urn or the sizzle of oil in a wok are all spectacularly recorded. Mui is told she will get to see her mother but we never see this occur. In fact, everything in the story takes place in the house or in the surrounding village. Astonishingly beautiful and I can't believe this was shot entirely in Paris. Although, the ending does have a rather Amelie feel to it. You'll see. The plot is really simple, but this doesn't seem to detract from the sheer visual enjoyment.
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Summary: I could smell the papayas
Review: I'm an American and have certain ideas of what a film should be. The Scent of Green Papayas does not fit those conventions. You need to see something like this to understand that there are other ways of telling a story in cinema. But it is a story that quietly absorbs you. By the time you start to ask yourself what, exactly, you are watching, it's too late to stop. I wound up buying a copy.
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Summary: sorry--hated this movie
Review: I'm an asian female and the strange eroticizing of this woman is freakish to me. Her gaping hollow stare is maybe endearing as a child, but as a woman it just made her look developmentally delayed.
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Summary: Best vietnamese film out there
Review: If you are vietnamese, you will love this film..... The cinematography is INCREDIBLE. It has one of the best scenery ever. I would say is as good or better than scenery in Lord of the Rings (just using a film that people know). It's great. Check it out for yourself.
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Summary: A hauntingly beautiful love story
Review: It is hard to imagine a more beautiful movie than Tran Anh Hung's "The Scent of Green Papaya". With a bare minimum of dialogue, Tran brings to the screen the story of Mui, a 10 year old Vietnamese girl who comes from the country to Saigon in the early 1950's as a live-in servant to an upper-class family whose wealth is being squandered by the dissolute and womanizing head of the house. Mui is a simple soul who finds delight in things most of us take for granted; the exquisite cinematography in this film brings out the beauty in the most ordinary objects and lets us share in Mui's sense of wonder and discovery. Ten years later, when the family's wealth has been dissipated to the point where they can no longer afford a live-in servant, Mui is sent to work for a wealthy young pianist, Khuyen, the friend of the eldest son of her former employers. Khuyen is engaged to be married but in Mui he finds the peace and serenity that is lacking in his shallow and materialistic fiancee. In very basic terms, "The Scent of Green Papaya" could be called a Vietnamese Cinderella story, except for the lack of a wicked stepmother. Despite the almost total lack of dialogue in the second half of the film, the movie is so beautifully crafted, and techically and emotionally so satisfying, that you come away awed with how Tran was able to do so much with so little. This film is living testimony to the fact that sometimes less is more. It's a beautiful, unforgettable story of a young woman's coming of age.
Rating:
Summary: A hauntingly beautiful love story
Review: It is hard to imagine a more beautiful movie than Tran Anh Hung's "The Scent of Green Papaya". With a bare minimum of dialogue, Tran brings to the screen the story of Mui, a 10 year old Vietnamese girl who comes from the country to Saigon in the early 1950's as a live-in servant to an upper-class family whose wealth is being squandered by the dissolute and womanizing head of the house. Mui is a simple soul who finds delight in things most of us take for granted; the exquisite cinematography in this film brings out the beauty in the most ordinary objects and lets us share in Mui's sense of wonder and discovery. Ten years later, when the family's wealth has been dissipated to the point where they can no longer afford a live-in servant, Mui is sent to work for a wealthy young pianist, Khuyen, the friend of the eldest son of her former employers. Khuyen is engaged to be married but in Mui he finds the peace and serenity that is lacking in his shallow and materialistic fiancee. In very basic terms, "The Scent of Green Papaya" could be called a Vietnamese Cinderella story, except for the lack of a wicked stepmother. Despite the almost total lack of dialogue in the second half of the film, the movie is so beautifully crafted, and techically and emotionally so satisfying, that you come away awed with how Tran was able to do so much with so little. This film is living testimony to the fact that sometimes less is more. It's a beautiful, unforgettable story of a young woman's coming of age.
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