The Scent of Green Papaya

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The Scent of Green Papaya
File:GreenPapaya93.jpg
Directed byTran Anh Hung
Written byTran Anh Hung
Produced byChristophe Rossignon
CinematographyBenoît Delhomme
Edited byNicole Dedieu
Jean-Pierre Roques
Music byTôn-Thât Tiêt
Distributed byPrésident Films
Release date
  • June 8, 1993 (1993-06-08)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageVietnamese
Box office$1,700,992[1]

The Scent of Green Papaya (Vietnamese: Mùi đu đủ xanh, French: L'Odeur de la papaye verte) is a 1993 Vietnamese-language film produced in France by Lazennec Production, directed by Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung, and starring Tran Nu Yên-Khê, Man San Lu, and Thi Loc Truong.[2]

The film won the Caméra d'Or prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival,[3] a César Award for Best Debut at the French annual film award ceremony, and was nominated for the 1993 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[4] It was Tran Anh Hung's first feature film and stars his wife, Tran Nu Yên-Khê. It is also his first collaboration with Vietnamese composer Tôn-Thât Tiêt who subsequently wrote the music for two more films: Cyclo and Vertical Ray of the Sun.

Although set in Vietnam, the film was shot entirely on a soundstage in Boulogne, France.

Plot

A young girl, Mùi, becomes a servant for a family that was once wealthy, but is sinking into genteel poverty due to the husband's infidelities. Their only income is from the wife's small business. The husband's widowed mother, an invalid who seldom leaves her upstairs room, blames her daughter-in-law, telling her, "You have a man, but you don't know how to keep him happy." The eldest son prefers his friend's company, and the youngest, who idolizes his father, is wilful, disruptive and cruel. Mùi is notably peaceful and curious about the world.

When the husband leaves for his fourth and final time, he steals his wife's meagre savings and jewelry. Soon after, the grandmother collapses, and a doctor is summoned. As he treats her with acupuncture, musicians play cheerful music outside the room. When she dies, the wife sells an heirloom vase and other valuables to pay for her medical and funeral expenses.

Ten years later, the family has fallen on hard times. Two sons have left, and the wife has taken the place of the grandmother upstairs, tragic and rarely seen. On the family shrine, the grandmother's and husband's photos have joined those of other departed relatives. Having lost a young daughter during one of her husband's earlier absences, the wife cares for Mùi like one of her own, but can no longer afford to keep her. She gives her a silk dress and some gold jewelry, and arranges for her to become a servant for the older son's friend, who is now a concert pianist. He is engaged to be married, but seems to prefer playing the piano to spending time with his frivolous fiancée.

One night, as the fiancée chatters on, his piano playing becomes more intense as he strives to ignore her. She leaves, but watches through the window, and sees that when Mùi enters the room, his playing becomes peaceful. Later that night, he goes to Mùi's quarters and closes the door behind him. When the fiancée learns of this, she puts his ring on a table and smashes some of his belongings. When he returns, he calmly pockets the ring. He starts teaching Mùi to read and write. In the final scene, a pregnant Mùi is reading poetry to him.

Cast

  • Tran Nu Yên-Khê as Mui, age 20 (as Trân Nu Yên-Khê)
  • Man San Lu as Mui, age 10
  • Thi Loc Truong as La mère (as Truong Thi Lôc)
  • Anh Hoa Nguyen as La vieille Ti (as Nguyên 'Anh Hoa)
  • Hoa Hoi Vuong as Khuyen (as Vuong Hòa Hôi)
  • Ngoc Trung Tran as Le père
  • Vantha Talisman as Thu
  • Keo Souvannavong as Trung
  • Van Oanh Nguyen as Mr. Thuan
  • Gerard Neth as Tin
  • Nhat Do as Lam
  • Thi Hai Vo as La grand-mère
  • Thi Thanh Tra Nguyen as Mai
  • Lam Huy Bui as Le médecin
  • Xuan Thu Nguyen as L'antiquaire
  • Xuan Loi Phan as Musiciens
  • Xuan Dung Phan as Musiciens
  • Van Chung Le as Musiciens
  • Tho Phuong as Le coiffeur
  • Long Chau as Clientes
  • Thi Van Khanh Truong as Clientes
  • Hông Hanh Luguern as Clientes
  • Ba Hang Phan as Le livreur d'eau[5]

Reception

Year-end lists

Awards and nominations

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Scent of Green Papaya". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  2. ^ "The Scent of Green Papaya". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  3. ^ "Mui Du Du Xanh". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  4. ^ "The 66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Full cast and crew for The Scent of Green Papaya". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  6. ^ Strauss, Bob (December 30, 1994). "At the Movies: Quantity Over Quality". Los Angeles Daily News (Valley ed.). p. L6.
  7. ^ Elliott, David (December 25, 1994). "On the big screen, color it a satisfying time". The San Diego Union-Tribune (1, 2 ed.). p. E=8.
  8. ^ "Awards for The Scent of Green Papaya". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 1, 2012.

External links

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