Indochine (1992)

This story is set in 1930, at the time when French colonial rule in Indochina is ending. An unmarried French woman who works in the rubber fields, raises a Vietnamese princess as if she was... See full summary »

Director:

Régis Wargnier

Writers:

Erik Orsenna, Louis Gardel,

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Perez, Linh Dan Pham

Won 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Eliane
Vincent Perez	...	Jean-Baptiste
Linh Dan Pham	...	Camille
Jean Yanne	...	Guy
Dominique Blanc	...	Yvette
Henri Marteau	...	Emile
Carlo Brandt	...	Castellani
Gérard Lartigau	...	L'Admiral
Hubert Saint-Macary	...	Raymond (as Hubert Saint Macary)
Andrzej Seweryn	...	Hebrard
Mai Chau	...	Shen
Alain Fromager	...	Dominique
Chu Hung	...	Mari de Sao
Jean-Baptiste Huynh	...	Étienne, adulte
Thibault de Montalembert	...	Charles-Henri (as Thibault De Montalembert)

Storyline

This story is set in 1930, at the time when French colonial rule in Indochina is ending. An unmarried French woman who works in the rubber fields, raises a Vietnamese princess as if she was her own daughter. She, and her daughter both fall in love with a young French army officer, which will change both their lives significantly.

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Plot Keywords:

french | princess | love | indochina | naval officer | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, sensuality and drug related scenes

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French Vietnamese

Release Date:

23 December 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Indochina

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Gross:

$5,734,232 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paradis Films, La Générale d'Images, Bac Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

159 min 148 min (cut) 153 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the scene where the plantation house is burning, as Eliane walks past a group of colonial soldiers, we see that they are carrying British No.4 rifles. Firstly, French colonial soldiers would have not been equipped with British rifles. Secondly, the No.4 rifle, a simplified version of the No.1, wasn't produced until 1939. Since the film takes place in the early 1930s, it would have been impossible for anybody to have had these weapons, as they didn't exist yet.

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Quotes

Eliane: And I didn't know... I hadn't wanted to see, that she was in love, the way one loves the first time. Nothing would stop her.

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Connections

Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007)

User Reviews

Forget the Maltin comment about tripe

After seeing The Scent of Green Papaya, I was not expecting much, just a vehicle for Catherine Deneuve. And while it most definitely is that, it is also so much more.

The stunning cinematography, the elegant score, and the epic love story set against the turbulent colonial times. I was quite taken with the myriad plot twists. Too bad our high schooler has a 3minute attention span.

This is a very real depiction of colonialism. One reviewer noted the maternalism of Deneuve's character while pointing out the brutality of the slave sellers. People expecting a total condemnation of colonialism or a total condemnation of communism just don't see the gray between the black and white. Unfortunately, only Europeans could have made this movie. There is no didactic viewpoint, which is why some Americans don't react well to it. While the ending is a bit flat, it still doesn't detract from the fact that this was a great movie.

One of the little pleasures of this movie is listening to the Vietnamese housemaid's pidgin French and reading the subtitled translation. While movies like The Scent of Green Papaya are wonderful and deserve all the accolades they are accorded, this movie is very underrated. Green Papaya is a nice cultural experience but it can't come close to Indochine for grit and history. 3 1/2 stars out of 4.