The White Silk Dress (2006)

Wartime epic involving a poverty-stricken family who struggle to make ends meet, and the mother who does the unthinkable to provide her daughters with the traditional silk dresses required to attend school.

Director:

Luu Huynh

Writer:

Luu Huynh

Stars:

Thien Tu Tran, Truong Ngoc Anh, Khanh Quoc Nguyen

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Thien Tu Tran	...	Ngo
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Truong Ngoc Anh	...	Dau
Khanh Quoc Nguyen	...	Gu
Nhu Quynh Nguyen
Bach Thuy Tong

Storyline

The love story of Dan (a beautiful young woman) and Gu (a humpback), servants from two separate households in Ha Dong, Vietnam who have suffered most of their lives at the hands of their cruel masters. The couple flee south soon after Gu presents Dan with a wedding gift - the precious white silk dress his mother had owned (his one valuable possession), while he promises her a proper marriage someday in the future. The couple arrive in the seaside town of Hoi An and build a new life, with Dan ultimately giving birth to 4 daughters. Despite struggling through immense poverty and hardships, the family is happy and fulfilled as long as they have each other, but the horrors of the encroaching war brings tragedy and threatens to tear them apart.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Vietnam

Language:

Vietnamese French Cantonese English

Release Date:

8 March 2007 (Vietnam)

Also Known As:

Biala jedwabna sukienka

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anh Viet Company, Phuoc Sang Entertainment, Vietnam Feature Film Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

As of 2007, the film was the most expensive production in Vietnamese cinematic history.

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Connections

Features Modern Times (1936)

User Reviews

The commitment of love and pain of life

A very powerful story about life in the face of turmoil.

As a Vietnam veteran, this movie showed some insight into the struggles facing the Vietnamese people for decades.

Love comes to two people at the bottom of the social structure in Vietnam in the 1950's. A silk dress comes to symbolize how this love grows.

Two daughters can't go to school beyond 6th grade unless they wear a white dress.

I suspect most viewers will shed tears watching the joy and challenges facing this family.

This movie has been criticized within some circles, for good reason. There is a layer of propaganda or politics that comes out repeatedly. However, I see this as a reflection of the story itself as well as the times it is reflecting. Beyond the politics is a great story well worth watching.