The White Silk Dress
Encyclopedia
The White Silk Dress is an acclaimed (and controversial) 2007
Vietnamese
war-drama epic
directed by Luu Huynh with starring Truong Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Quoc Khanh. With a budget of over 2 million dollars, it is one of the most expensive Vietnamese films ever made.
in 1954 (currently part of Hanoi
), amidst the crumbling of French colonial rule
in Vietnam
. Dan and Gu are lovers as well as servants from different households who suffer at the hands of their cruel masters. When Gu's master is assassinated, Dan and Gu flee south, eventually ending up in the central Vietnamese seaside town of Hoi An
. Once there, they raise a family, with Dan eventually giving birth to four girls. Though poverty stricken, the family loves and supports each other, though the horrors of the encroaching war threaten to tear them apart.
The story emphasizes the importance of a white silk áo dài
that Gu had given to Dan as a wedding gift before they had fled south, with promises of a proper marriage someday in the future. Years later in Hoi An, Dan must sacrifice this one valued possession (amongst other shocking hardships and humiliations she must endure) to support her family and provide for her daughters the áo dài required to attend school.
The film is ultimately a tribute to the strength and heart of the Vietnamese woman, as symbolized through the áo dài.
in 2007 and was generally a hit, both critically and commercially. It won the top prize at the 2007 Golden Kite Awards (Vietnam's equivalent to the Oscars) and continues to win acclaim abroad at international film festivals. Richard Kuiper of Variety
who had attended the film's screening at the Pusan International Film Festival called it "deeply moving" and remarked that "at packed screening caught, most audience members were in tears".
To date, its victories abroad at international
film festival
s include the Audience Award at the Pusan International Film Festival
in South Korea
, the Kodak Vision award at the Fukuoka Asian Film Festival in Japan
, and the highly coveted "Best foreign film" award at the Golden Rooster Awards
in China
.
The White Silk Dress has also been officially selected to represent Vietnam at the 80th Academy Awards
in the Best foreign language film
category.
Despite its success, the film has also received some criticism as well as controversy, especially surrounding the director's political leanings as conveyed through the film. This was preceded by similar controversy surrounding the director almost a decade earlier concerning a music video he was involved in which was perceived to be actively pro-communist by Vietnamese overseas. Interestingly, this time around Huynh faces fire from both sides rather than just the overseas Vietnamese community. Others question the historical accuracy of the film, as they contend that the Viet Minh
uprising would have been unlikely in 1954, having already occurred in 1945. Furthermore, they charge that the modern áo dài
, a recent development of the urban upper class in the 1930s, is unsuited to represent poor Vietnamese women.
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
Vietnamese
Cinema of Vietnam
The cinema of Vietnam originates in the 1920s, and has largely been shaped by wars that have been fought in the country from the 1940s to the 1970s. Better known Vietnamese language films include Cyclo, The Scent of Green Papaya and Vertical Ray of the Sun, all by French-trained Việt Kiều director...
war-drama epic
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Luu Huynh with starring Truong Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Quoc Khanh. With a budget of over 2 million dollars, it is one of the most expensive Vietnamese films ever made.
Plot
The story begins in Ha Dong, northern VietnamNorthern Vietnam
For the former country, see North VietnamNorthern Vietnam is one of the three regions within Vietnam ....
in 1954 (currently part of Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
), amidst the crumbling of French colonial rule
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Dan and Gu are lovers as well as servants from different households who suffer at the hands of their cruel masters. When Gu's master is assassinated, Dan and Gu flee south, eventually ending up in the central Vietnamese seaside town of Hoi An
Hoi An
Hội An , or rarely Faifo, is a city of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea in the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is located in Quang Nam province and is home to approximately 120,000 inhabitants...
. Once there, they raise a family, with Dan eventually giving birth to four girls. Though poverty stricken, the family loves and supports each other, though the horrors of the encroaching war threaten to tear them apart.
The story emphasizes the importance of a white silk áo dài
Áo dài
The áo dài is a Vietnamese national costume, now most commonly for women. In its current form, it is a tight-fitting silk tunic worn over pantaloons. The word is pronounced ow zai in the North and ow yai in the South of the country. Áo is derived from a Middle Chinese word meaning "padded coat"...
that Gu had given to Dan as a wedding gift before they had fled south, with promises of a proper marriage someday in the future. Years later in Hoi An, Dan must sacrifice this one valued possession (amongst other shocking hardships and humiliations she must endure) to support her family and provide for her daughters the áo dài required to attend school.
The film is ultimately a tribute to the strength and heart of the Vietnamese woman, as symbolized through the áo dài.
Reception
The film was released in VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in 2007 and was generally a hit, both critically and commercially. It won the top prize at the 2007 Golden Kite Awards (Vietnam's equivalent to the Oscars) and continues to win acclaim abroad at international film festivals. Richard Kuiper of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
who had attended the film's screening at the Pusan International Film Festival called it "deeply moving" and remarked that "at packed screening caught, most audience members were in tears".
To date, its victories abroad at international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s include the Audience Award at the Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, the Kodak Vision award at the Fukuoka Asian Film Festival in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the highly coveted "Best foreign film" award at the Golden Rooster Awards
Golden Rooster Awards
China Golden Rooster Film Festival also known as Golden Rooster Awards are the most prestigious awards in film given in mainland China, equivalent the China's Academy Awards. The awards are given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
The White Silk Dress has also been officially selected to represent Vietnam at the 80th Academy Awards
80th Academy Awards
The 80th Academy Awards ceremony honored the best films in 2007 and was broadcast from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on ABC beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST/8:30 p.m. EST, February 24, 2008 . During the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Academy Awards in 24...
in the Best foreign language film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
category.
Despite its success, the film has also received some criticism as well as controversy, especially surrounding the director's political leanings as conveyed through the film. This was preceded by similar controversy surrounding the director almost a decade earlier concerning a music video he was involved in which was perceived to be actively pro-communist by Vietnamese overseas. Interestingly, this time around Huynh faces fire from both sides rather than just the overseas Vietnamese community. Others question the historical accuracy of the film, as they contend that the Viet Minh
Viet Minh
Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
uprising would have been unlikely in 1954, having already occurred in 1945. Furthermore, they charge that the modern áo dài
Áo dài
The áo dài is a Vietnamese national costume, now most commonly for women. In its current form, it is a tight-fitting silk tunic worn over pantaloons. The word is pronounced ow zai in the North and ow yai in the South of the country. Áo is derived from a Middle Chinese word meaning "padded coat"...
, a recent development of the urban upper class in the 1930s, is unsuited to represent poor Vietnamese women.