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19 out of 22 people found the following review useful: Incredibly beautiful, 18 June 2001 Author: wajz
What an incredibly beautiful film this is... Everything about it just oozes beauty. The colours, the crisp sounds, the slowness of it all... the seemingly meaningless scenes that do have a meaning after all. All of it works together to convey a wonderful atmosphere of life in a tropical suburb in Vietnam. The fact that there is hardly a storyline only adds to it. A magnificent film!
21 out of 26 people found the following review useful: Buddhist Love Story, 19 August 2004 Author: Reed Waller from Minnesota
This stunningly beautiful film has a strong Buddhist theme, so it's unsurprising that many American viewers were perplexed by it even while captivated by itsbeauty. It is the story of Mui, a poor servant girl ... except she is no ordinary servant girl, she is an Enlightened One. She lives totally in the here and now, and sees and appreciates everything (and so do we, thanks to the breathtaking color cinematography). She quietly goes through her ordinary life, giving every tiny moment all her attention and invisibly enriching the lives of all those around her, until near the end of the picture she is given off to a family friend whom, coincidentally, she has fancied since she was little. He is engaged to another woman, but one day he picks up a bust of Buddha, and stares at it withrecognition, realizing suddenly that the face and the smile of the Buddha are something he has been seeing every day, on Mui. He sees her for what she is,and both their lives are transformed.Even more astounding than the richness and beauty of this film, is the feat of finding two wonderful actresses 10 years apart, to play the same very unusual girl, both identically beautiful and graceful and having the Buddha smile.Intoxicating and unforgettable.
17 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Familiar, slow-moving story beautifully presented, 24 January 2002 Author: Dennis Littrell (dalittrell@yahoo.com) from SoCal
This is a kind of Cinderella tale set in Saigon during the 1950s in which the yin and yang principles of the masculine element and the feminine are acted out. We find ourselves in the airy, beautifully-appointed house of a well-to-do merchant family that has just hired a new servant. She is ten-year-old Mùi, played with grace and a kind of magical innocence by Man San Lu, who bestows her beatific little smile on all the little wonders of the world she sees around her. She learns her job quickly and works hard, always with a positive attitude. She loves all living things including insects and frogs. She tolerates the boorish behavior of the youngest son of the household who directs some indelicate gestures in her direction. Like a Taoist monk she just observes, judges not and says nothing.Well, we know somebody is going to take notice of this splendid jeune fille, some wise young man, and when she comes of age, marry her and elevate her station in life. Meanwhile the head of household squanders the family's funds and ten years pass. Now the family is almost broke and Mùi is sent to be the housekeeper and cook for Khuyen, played attractively by Hoa Hoi Vuong. She is now played by Tran Nu Yên-Khê who falls in love with the young man who is a classical pianist. Unfortunately he has a girl friend, a stylish woman of the city from a well-to-family. Finally we have a bit of tension!This, then, is an `art house' movie in which director Anh Hung Tran tells the story primarily with images and symbolism, and that he does very well. But the disjunction of the two very slight plots is never overcome, and the startling lack of any tension until near the end is disappointing. The central image of the film, the green papaya with the immature seeds inside representing the potential of the little girl is however not to be forgotten.What carries this slow-moving extended vignette of ante-bellum Saigon, and saves us from abject boredom are the beautiful sets nestled in greenery with the Buddhist artwork, the wooden Venetian-slotted doors, the partitions, the lattice work, the vases, the statues, the charming music, both eastern and western, the intensively focused cinematography, and the charm of ten-year-old Man San Lu. Many viewers, however charmed, will not stay for the finale, which will be too bad because it is in the later stages of the film that the fairy-tale quality of the film is fully realized. Mùi of course has come of age, and the developing love affair is revealed purely through camera work without any dialogue. Incidentally, I was somewhat surprised to learn that this beautifully rendered film was shot not on locale in Saigon, Vietnam where the action takes place, but in a Paris studio! This makes me imagine that the trees, especially the papaya tree in the central courtyard, and the little animals, the frogs and geckos were shipped in. It also makes me realize that the ants that the one boy drips hot candle wax on, the ants that Mùi admires and her cricket in a cage are most likely Parisians.
16 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Beautiful photo, wonderful music, calm slow pace yet gripping intrigue, 12 June 2004 Author: yumeibito from Uppsala, Sweden
As far away from Terminator as you can get. This gentle-paced story has followed me for years. Long after I forgot most of the story-line, the mood has lingered on in my heart and my mind. This is film as Art and not mere entertainment in the same was as Tolstoy or Tjechov is Art as opposed to the dime-a-dozen love-novels found in cheep kiosks. The acting is excellent and convincing, the spars dialog is natural, the photo is almost breathtaking and the original score by modernist contemporary vietnamese composer is superb. This is cinematic contemplation.
17 out of 23 people found the following review useful: Magnificently Filmed But Agonizingly Slow, 24 December 2006 Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
I only saw this once but like to see it again, especially on DVD. That is because is a gorgeous- looking film, one of the prettiest I had seen when I saw this in the mid-1990s. Most scenes are extremely aesthetic, with beautiful muted browns and greens. The closeups of the young girl's cute face, and then later as young woman; the closeups of the insects, the house, food, shrubbery, et, care all very pretty view. The background noises are unique, too. Much of the time you hear birds or insects; it's quit different.The drawback to this movie, is one that will turn many people off: the story is extremely slow, one of the slowest-moving films I have ever witnessed, and I've seen thousands. Overall, you better enjoy the visuals because the story moves at a snail's pace and I wonder how many people can sit through this.
11 out of 13 people found the following review useful: A society of grace and harmony, 21 February 2005 Author: Howard Schumann from Vancouver, B.C.
In Tran Anh Hung's debut film The Scent of Green Papaya, Mui (Lu Man San) is a ten-year old girl who comes from a small village to the home of a wealthy Saigon merchant to work as a servant in 1951. The first Vietnamese film ever nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film, Scent of Green Papaya captures the natural beauty of pre-war Vietnam, even though it was filmed on a set constructed in a Paris studio. Mui personifies the innocence of a Vietnamese society where grace and harmony has not yet given way to bombs and destruction. Mui accepts her place with patience, serving the meals, preparing the vegetables, scrubbing the floors, and polishing the shoes.True to the Buddhist ideal of being in the present moment, Mui studiously carries out her tasks, refusing to be affected by the torments of the younger son Tin (Gerard Neth), upset over his father's desertion of the family. She observes her natural surroundings in great detail: ants carrying a small piece of bread, a frog sitting on a leaf, a cricket jumping at night, and the seeds of a green papaya. The mother (Thi Loc Truong) is distraught over the recent death of her young daughter To and looks upon Mui as her replacement, perhaps even her reincarnation. In one scene, the mother stands over Mui while she sleeps and weeps silently for the loss of her daughter and perhaps for a Vietnam that she knows will soon disappear.Her husband (Ngoc Trun Tran) is a drinker and womanizer who has run off with the family's money. The mother is stoic and we only hear about her problems through the elderly grandmother (Thi Hai Vo) who mourns her dead husband alone in her upstairs room. The second part of the film shifts ten years into the future. Mui (Tran Nu Yen-Khe) has become a young woman. Because of the family's financial condition she has moved to the house of Khuyen, a professional musician and composer (Vuong Hoa Hoi). Her leaving triggers in the mother a profound sense of loss for her "daughter" and a sense that the old way of life in her country is coming to a permanent end.In her new house, Mui must contend with the musician's Westernized fiancé who personifies the artificiality of modern society. Annoyed with the insensitivity of his fiancé, Khuyen sees Mui with fresh eyes and begins to realize how much she embodies the traditional values he has left behind. Though the film may try the patience of Western audiences, The Scent of Green Papaya, in its simplicity and awareness of the natural world, reminds us of the power of cinema to reach artistic heights.
11 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Great cinematography, 7 December 1999 Author: Les Kartchner from Baltimore, MD
Very few films have cinematography so creative and intriguing. I could watch this film over and over again just to see the wonderful shots in it.I'm not too impressed with the story, but it is strong enough to support the film, and make it worth watching.
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Calm, cool fresh breeze!!, 14 February 2007 Author: badar1981 from Pakistan
To say movie is beautiful will be understatement. Movie moves with extreme calmness yet refreshingly different and visually appealing. What impresses most about the movie is, it tells the story of a family girl and how she identifies her in the surroundings, with the family he is living and more importantly with his emotions. Slow pace of the movie helps the calm effect and suddenly takes the viewer by surprise the way story unfolds. The way little girl learns the art of cooking, they way she learns about the secrets of the family is impressive. More importantly hidden desires of the girl shown in the movie is the master stroke of director. Music needs special praise so as acting.Stunningly beautiful!! 8/10
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Peaceful, beautiful, elegant, 8 June 2000 Author: Bothan from Birmingham, Alabama
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
***SPOILER WARNING***This is the kind of movie I long for. Here is an observant little movie that quiet as a summer breeze and as pretty as a spring day. It finds it's strength in observation through the eyes of a girl who refuses to be cynical.The story involves a ten year old girl named Mui who, in 1951, goes to be the servant for a family in Saigon. The movie chronicles her relationships with the various members of the household but more then that sees, in long lingering shots, her observation of the natural world around her. From ants working on their hill to a raindrop trembling from a leaf.Years later she is sent to work in the house of a pianist who falls in love with her. But even after all the years she still hasn't lost her youthful curiosity.Also interesting to note that this film is set in 1951 before the onslaught of the Vietnam War. In this quiet little world the Mui observes with such loving care to do hear very faintly in the background the sounds of helicopters.For those who like movies of quiet beauty, not plot driven, then this is a movie to treasure. With no real plot to get in the way it follows the life of a sweet girl and the world she watches. The movie has dialogue but it could just as well have been silent. We can follow the action in the facial expressions.NOTE: This was #10 on my ten best list in 1993Rating **** (of four)
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Beautiful Film, 13 December 2005 Author: smythe_23 from United States
The Scent of Green Papaya is one of those films that is easy to enjoy no matter where you're from. A visually striking film that utilizes setting and cinematography over dialogue, it's easy to see why it did so well internationally. I can't think of many films that can totally relax me and clear my mind- something that is only possible when I'm completely engulfed and not bothered by massive amounts of dialogue. Since the visuals tell most of the story, we're left with a very deep film that isn't tedious or overbearing so that we can focus without trying to read lots of subtitles or follow ten different things on screen at once. The simple but elaborate set style adds to the "film as a universal" feeling that I got while watching it. Focusing on one thing in Papaya is rather hard as it really works well as a sum of its parts. Without the incredible cinematography, the story would probably be lost on most audiences. Without the beautiful sets that the actors mesh with so well, you'd be pulled out of the reality of the film. Without the great acting (especially by the actresses that play Mui), the film falls flat on its face. It's one of those movies that seems to (and this happens at least once or twice a year for me) completely reshape my idea of what a film can and can't be. It's kind of like pot for the eyes. It seems that most movies these days (and this is a broad generalization) are just glorified plays. If you could find someone that would sit through this as a play for 90 minutes, well, they're just stupid. Maybe that's a little bit harsh, but at the least they'd have to be pretty patient people. I have a hard time believing that it could work.*Very Mild Spoilers In the Third Paragraph* To me, the best films are ones that are deep enough that they require multiple viewings to truly understand, but not so deep that I feel lost and turned off from (see: Goodbye South, Goodbye). The first thing I noticed about Papaya was the wonderful use of background noise. I originally thought it was a bit annoying, but as the film pushed on, the cricket in a cage theme fleshed out as a major part of the story. When Mui opens the door on the little cage right before she leaves the house she spent half her life in, and the cricket sticks to the door I saw the connection to her life. It's wholly depressing that the mother is in fact losing her surrogate daughter and Mui seems very uncertain about what her future holds when she leaves. She is the caged cricket that is scared to leave its home. The transformation she makes in her new surroundings is only possible because she took that step- she leaves the nest. Also, the background noise plays an important part in what is going in the film, but only in that it's never discussed. The jets flying over the house in the second part of the film adds to the setting even more because there is no need to mention it- we are too caught up in Mui's transformation into a woman to care about wars and such. Not resorting to explanatory dialogue when most filmmakers would is something that makes Tran Anh Hung an exciting and original filmmaker. He's the anti Godard in a sense (no way can I actually back up that statement as I've only seen a couple of Godard's older movies- but from what I know, this seems like a logical jump).The Scent of Green Papaya isn't necessarily one of the best movies I've ever seen, but it sure is one of the most original. I think that pretty much anyone could make at least a decent film with the proper training, but films like Papaya are a testament to true vision and talent. You give this script to anyone else and you'd end up with a vastly different film. If that's not voice, I don't know what is.
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