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Minh's 2 cents about Cyclo, the movies
Okies, here is what my USD $.02 opinion onion-chilly-peppers about the
movie "Cyclo".
First of all, the dialogues suck. People read like grade-schoolers
recite memorized lines from a bad script. Yes, the script sucks big
time. I was trying to catch the English subtitle to see how it was
translated... They did a good job of covering up the reciting lines in
the original language, Vietnamese but losing up a lot, and embellishing
lot of necessary things (the songs, the poems) which have little do to
with the story,
Secondly, the story hmmm in my opinion is nothing good, besides the
lesion of life that one has to do whatever it take to survive, sometimes
trading-off one's moral and ethics. The logic and sub-plots seem to be
put there to confuse the viewers(the stealing of the cyclo, the so-called
"Poet" and the leading female character) . They managed to pull in some
rather "bizarre" scenes that normally absent from most Western-made movies
(torturing and killing, fetish).
I really do not know all the hoopla about this movies. Those who gave
out award might have seen those good things about it that I do not see.
maybe the cinematography, the way the directory captured those things
etc... which maybe good in an artistic way that I was not able to
abosrbed. But for myself, it is just as ano other movie. There are
many other good movies made in Vietnam, after 1975, WITHOUT the politics
and still can be good. One's has been played on PBS
many times in the past...I forget the name, but if you are interested, I
might try to dig up the name for you. It was about a female teacher whose
husband die while fighting and she tries to hide the fact...but then gets
tangled in the mess when she gets romactically involved with another teacher.
But I just think this movie. Cyclo, and its director are over-rated.
The first movie "The Scene of the Green Papaya" is considered
meaningless and slower than molasses with no point, no story at all.
Many ppl who I talked to about it complained about the headache they have
trying to follow the movie and trying to dig up a point of the movies but
they simply just can't. The opinions are unanimously among generations,
not just the students but also the older ppl, that the movies is
pointless and over-rated.
It is better in this second movie "Cyclo" it has a point to make (the
father teachings and his life as lectures to the young one), but I think
the director needs to go out and do a little bit more research about life
in VN or how they talk... if not to live the life of a Vietnamese in VN
first. The movies and acts are rigorously ... robot-like... well except
the fast moving camera trying to pan in and out of everything.. I guess it
is some good technique in cinematography... but it isn't what I am
concerning about, or most of the normal viewers.
Also, one thing I noticed in "Cyclo" that most of the actors and
actresses or voice overs were done in the northern accent EXCEPT the main
character and some notorious characters (the mobster who kill with a
pocket knife). Not sure if the casting director was just doing his job
lousily. Also the sound, background noises .. give me the impression
that they did not explore the scene in the city enough but rather just
grabbing the most noisy places and shoot.
There are many gliches, the police.. hmm what kinnda police was it? One
time, it looks like those from prior to 75, and the next it looks like some
kinda of communist police.
I see this movie only one time.. and i did also get a headache this time.
Since the camera wsa moving so fast but the pace of development of the
story and characters were so slow, and i was tryiong to do so manything,
trying to catch manything all at once, i might have missed many other
things. However, I doubt if i ever see it again.
If you wanna see good foreign movies, artistically beautiful, as well
as story-rich and culture-filled... go see El Norte, Like Water for
Chocolate, El Dias de Los Muertos .... those Mexican movies that worth
those awards ....and your time and pleasurable to watch
--
MCVT MinhChau University of California, Irvine
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