The White Silk Dress

Infobox Film
name = The White Silk Dress


caption = The film poster.
director = Luu Huynh
producer = Phuoc Sang Films
writer = Luu Huynh
narrator =
starring = Trương Ngọc Ánh,
Nguyễn Quốc Khánh
music = Đức Trí
distributor = Phuoc Sang Films
released = flagicon|Vietnam 2007
runtime = 142 min.
country = Vietnam
language = Vietnamese
budget = US$2 million [http://english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/2006/10/625112/ VietNamNet Bridge ] ]
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 1083983

The White Silk Dress ("Áo lụa Hà Đông" in Vietnamese) is an acclaimed (and controversial) 2007 Vietnamese war-drama epic directed by Luu Huynh and starring Truong Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Quoc Khanh. With a budget of over 2 million dollars, it is one of the most expensive Vietnamese films ever made.

Plot

The story begins in Ha Dong, northern Vietnam in 1954, amidst the crumbling of French colonial rule in Vietnam. Dan and Gu are lovers as well as servants from different households who suffer at the hands of their cruel masters. When Gu's master is assassinated, Dan and Gu flee south, eventually ending up in the central Vietnamese seaside town of Hoi An. Once there, they raise a family, with Dan eventually giving birth to four girls. Though poverty stricken, the family loves and supports each other, though the horrors of the encroaching war threaten to tear them apart.

The story emphasizes the importance of a white silk áo dài that Gu had given to Dan as a wedding gift before they had fled south, with promises of a proper marriage someday in the future. Years later in Hoi An, Dan must sacrifice this one valued possession (amongst other shocking hardships and humiliations she must endure) to support her family and provide for her daughters the áo dài required to attend school.

The film is ultimately a tribute to the strength and heart of the Vietnamese woman, as symbolized through the áo dài.

Reception

The film was released in Vietnam in 2007 and was generally a hit, both critically and commercially. It won the top prize at the 2007 Golden Kite Awards (Vietnam's equivalent to the Oscars) [http://english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/2007/05/692023/ VietNamNet - Two films share best picture honours ] ] and continues to win acclaim abroad at international film festivals. Richard Kuiper of Variety who had attended the film's screening at the Pusan International Film Festival called it "deeply moving" and remarked that "at packed screening caught, most audience members were in tears" [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931863.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 The White Silk Dress Review - Film Reviews-Pusan, Entertainment - Variety ] ] .

To date, its victories abroad at international film festivals include the Audience Award at the Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea [http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01CUL080307 Viet Nam News ] ] , the Kodak Vision award at the Fukuoka Asian Film Festival in Japan [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/awards_festivals/awards-season/news/e3if2aae3d1b490e0c6419dfcdefca14a94 Vietnam spins 'Silk' into Oscar material ] ] , and the highly coveted "Best foreign film" award at the Golden Rooster Awards in China [http://english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/2007/10/751702/ VietNamNet - Vietnam movie honored at China Film Festival ] ] .The White Silk Dress has also been officially selected to represent Vietnam at the 80th Academy Awards in the Best foreign language film category.

Despite its success, the film has also received some criticism as well as controversy, especially surrounding the director's political leanings as conveyed through the film. This was preceded by similar controversy surrounding the director almost a decade earlier concerning a music video he was involved in which was perceived to be actively pro-communist by Vietnamese overseas. Interestingly, this time around Huynh faces fire from both sides rather than just the overseas Vietnamese community [http://www.sgtt.com.vn/web/tintuc/default_opennew.aspx?news_id=21187] ] . Others question the historical accuracy of the film, as they contend that the Viet Minh uprising would have been unlikely in 1954, having already occurred in 1945.vi cite news|url=http://vietnamnet.vn/vanhoa/tintuc/2007/03/675870/|title=Áo lụa Hà Đông và những lỗi sai không đáng có|author=Nguyễn Thanh Sơn|publisher=VietnamNet|date=2007-01-23|accessdate=2007-11-16] Furthermore, they charge that the modern áo dài, a recent development of the urban upper class in the 1930s, is unsuited to represent poor Vietnamese women.

References

External links

*
* [http://www.phimaoluahadong.com Official Website]
* [http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01CUL151007 Vietnamnet news]
* [http://english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/2006/10/625112/ Pusan Film Fest victory]
* [http://english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/2007/10/751702/ Golden Rooster victory]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931863.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 Variety review]