The Scent of Green Papaya

Director: Tran Anh Hung Tran Anh Hung

Overview

Moving, engrossing tale of a Vietnamese country girl who goes to work for a merchant family in Saigon in the years prior to the war.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/26/2011
UPC:	0738329074326
Original Release:	1993
Source:	Lorber Films (Kino)
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:44:00
Sales rank:	684

Special Features

Behind-the-scenes featurette ; Theatrical trailer; Stills gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tran Nu Yên-Khê	Mùi
Man San Lu	Actor
Thi Loc Truong	Actor
Anh Hoa Nguyen	Actor
Hoa Hoi Vuong	Actor
Ngoc Trung Tran	Actor
Lu Man San	Mùi
Nguyen Anh Hoa	Old Thi
Talisman Vantha	Actor
Souvannavong Keo	Actor
Nguyen Van Oanh	Actor
Neth Gerard	Actor
Do Nhat	Actor
Vo Thi Hai	Actor
Nguyen Thi Thanh Tra	Actor
Bui Lam Huy	Actor
Nguyen Xuan Thu	Actor
Truong Thi Loc	The mother
Vuong Hoa Hoi	Khuyen
Tran Ngoc Trung	The father
Yen-Khe	Actor
Thi Loc	Actor
Anh Hoa	Actor
Tôn Tiêt	Composer

Technical Credits

Tran Anh Hung

Patricia Petit

Tran Anh Hung	Director,Screenwriter
Christophe Rossignon	Producer
Cleo Daran	Special Effects
Patricia Petit	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

This is not a movie that you watch for action-packed scenes, scenery-chewing performances, witty dialogue, or convoluted plot twists. Instead, this is a slow-paced film that emphasizes the rhythms, textures, and quiet beauty of daily life. The film is based primarily on appreciating small moments such as juice flowing from a papaya or a lizard climbing out of a vase; the camera lingers to savor these images, then moves deeper into the frame to find further levels of visual detail, just as a child might slowly explore the surrounding world. Meanwhile, the soundtrack reinforces the serene mood through music, which is performed on traditional Vietnamese instruments and piano, and natural sounds such as crickets and rain. The issues raised by the film, such as the effect of French colonialism on Vietnamese culture, are addressed in a relatively understated manner (with a few exceptions, such as the symbolism of a scene in which someone drips hot wax onto a group of worker ants). The Scent of Green Papaya seems to express a yearning for a simpler time when people, particularly women, accepted traditional social roles; some viewers may be put off by this apparent attitude, particularly since the film doesn't compensate for it with in-depth characterization. Also, some viewers are likely to find the film dull because of the languid pace and minimal plot. However, the movie is gorgeous enough to merit viewing if you're in a patient mood and willing to tolerate the film's limitations.