It is necessary to see that praise and criticism are necessary to help filmmakers have better products to serve the public, but fair and objective evaluation is needed to avoid things being pushed beyond the limit, causing unpredictable consequences.
Films adapted or inspired by literary works are a trend favored by many filmmakers. The French daily Figaro once concluded: “One in five films is adapted from a book.”
In Vietnam, during the 70-year development of Vietnam's revolutionary cinema, the public who loves the 7th art has enjoyed many outstanding films "inspired" by famous literary works:
“Chi Dau” (adapted from the novel “Tat den” by Ngo Tat To), “Vo chong A Phu” (based on the work of the same name by To Hoai), “Mother away from home” (adapted from the work of the same name by Nguyen Thi), “Lang Vu Dai ngay ay” (adapted from a number of short stories by Nam Cao), “Me Thao- thoi vang bong” (adapted from the work “Chua Dan” by Nguyen Tuan),…
Recently, many contemporary literary works have also been interested by directors and brought to the screen such as the films "Thien Menh Anh Hung" (adapted from the work "Buc Huyet Thu" by Bui Anh Tan), "Chuyen Cua Pao" (adapted from the work "Tieng hanh sau bo huong da" by Do Bich Thuy), "Huong Ga" (adapted from the work "Phien ban" by Nguyen Dinh Tu), "Canh Dong Bat Tan" (adapted from the work of the same name by Nguyen Ngoc Tu), "Toi thay hoa vang tren co xanh", "Mat biec" (adapted from the novel of the same name by Nguyen Nhat Anh), "Tro tan ruc hong" (adapted based on 2 short stories by Nguyen Ngoc Tu, "Tro tan ruc hong" and "Cui rot tro ve")...
Along with that, many classic literary works continue to be tried by filmmakers such as the film “Cau Vang” (inspired by many short stories by Nam Cao); “Kieu” (inspired by “Truyen Kieu” by the great poet Nguyen Du), and most recently “Dat Rung Phuong Nam” (inspired by the novel of the same name by Doan Gioi)…
Despite high expectations and dedication, not every film adapted or inspired by a literary work achieves the desired success.
There are even films that have encountered mixed opinions, even harsh criticism, during the production process. For example, the film “Cau Vang” before and after its release continuously received negative reviews and received many criticisms about its script and technique.
Most notably, the producer chose a Japanese shiba dog to play the role of Mr. Vang in the film. On the other hand, according to viewers, the film was made in a crude illustration style in every frame and scene, causing frustration for the audience. After 2 weeks of release, the film “Mr. Vang” was forced to withdraw from the theater system because of lack of viewers.
The producer accepted heavy losses when the film invested up to 25 billion VND but earned about 3.5 billion VND. Sharing the same "tragic" fate is the film "Kieu". Immediately after its premiere, the film received strong reactions from the audience because many opinions said that the use of the national language in the film was not close to history, the character design as well as the costumes were not appropriate.
But the film's most serious "mistake", according to many viewers, is that it has distorted the original literary work, with fictional details that are difficult to accept, not to mention some "hot scenes" that are considered vulgar, destroying the beauty of the Tale of Kieu.
After 18 days of showing at cinemas, “Kieu” had to accept leaving the “game”, earning nearly 2.7 billion VND while according to the producer, the film must reach a revenue of 100 billion VND to break even. Obviously, according to the market rules, quality and audience will be the deciding factors for the survival of a film.
Most recently, the movie “Southern Forest Land” which was just released has also received backlash from viewers regarding the inappropriate costumes of the actors, the plot of the movie not being close to the literary work, the names of some groups appearing in the movie making viewers think of some foreign organizations, etc.
At the same time, there are opinions that the fiction in the film has distorted history. Based on respecting and accepting the opinions of the audience and the comments and exchanges of the authorities, the film crew of “Southern Forest Land” has proactively proposed to edit some details in the film, in order to bring the audience the best experience.
This move shows the film crew's receptive spirit, but it cannot be denied that the production crew lacked sensitivity and subtlety in script writing, set design, directing, etc., which created a film that caused negative emotions for a segment of the audience.
Regardless of the justification, the responsibility for introducing details that may mislead the audience lies with the creator. More than anyone else, the crew of “Southern Forest Land” has been acutely aware of this in recent days.
The unfortunate events that happened to films such as “Cau Vang”, “Kieu”, and “Dat Rung Phuong Nam” will certainly be a valuable lesson for filmmakers. The success of the original literary work will help the film receive public attention, but this is also a “double-edged sword”.
Because if the filmmaker exploits the material from literature in a poor way, only illustrates half-heartedly or adapts too much, fails to convey the original idea, or even distorts the work, the damage that the producer must bear is enormous. At that time, it is not only a failure in revenue but also a serious impact on reputation and career.
Adapting or taking inspiration from literary works gives filmmakers the opportunity and also the challenge of creating another “version” through the language of cinema.
Success can only be achieved if the film respects the spirit and core values of the original literary work, while opening up a new creative space for filmmakers, in line with the trend of the times, bringing appeal and meeting the needs and tastes of the audience. And that success is also truly sustainable, the film has a long-term place in the hearts of the audience.
The development of the problem shows that the audience's psychology of reception has great "power" over cinematographic works in general as well as films adapted from or inspired by literary works in particular.
Whether they want it or not, viewers will have the mentality of comparing and contrasting the film with the original literary work that they were once passionate about. In many cases, the impression and emotion from the literary work is so strong that many people expect the film to help them experience those intense, wonderful emotions again.
The good and the beautiful are fixed in many people's minds, making it difficult for them to accept the film version with other exploitations that are not as they imagined or expected.
Therefore, in some cases, there have been excessive, even extreme reactions. Of course, it is impossible to force an individual to change his or her impressions and feelings towards the original literary work, but it is also necessary to have a more open reception towards the film version.
We do not accept the filmmaker's creativity to the point of distorting history and distorting characters. However, creating new characters, opening new spaces, and new experiences that are consistent with the spirit of the original literary work, consistent with the culture and era, also needs to be evaluated and recognized, because that is the creative spirit that filmmakers need to have.
Besides, filmmakers need to listen and respect the emotions of the audience. In return, the audience also needs to give filmmakers the opportunity to create their own creative space.
Sadly, in recent times, there have been some uncivilized behaviors. Just because they disagree with some details in the film or the actors' performances, some viewers have harshly criticized the film crew, insulted individuals, and even brought up personal matters to attack.
For example, in recent days, regarding the film “Dat rung phuong nam”, instead of just limiting the assessment and commenting in a fair, civilized and straightforward manner, the developments of the incident have become increasingly complicated when someone has spread fake news that “The Central Propaganda Department informed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to request the producer of the film ĐRPN (which many people believe is the abbreviation of Dat rung phuong nam) to edit the content of public opinion reflection”.
On October 18, just 5 days after its official release, social media was flooded with information that the film had been suspended. At the same time, information about “Chinese newspapers and media publishing articles about the film Southern Forest and thanking Vietnam for making a film about them in the 1920s” was also shared at a dizzying speed, causing public confusion. However, the above content is all fake news.
The above unhealthy manifestations have been negatively affecting public opinion in general and filmmakers in particular. Director Bui Thac Chuyen's sharing partly expressed the thoughts of Vietnamese filmmakers: "Controversy is necessary and positive, but please do not be extreme."
Perhaps this is the time when filmmakers, state management agencies, authorities and audiences need to be calm, respectful, listen to each other in good faith and openness, impartially and objectively.
On that basis, the problems will be resolved satisfactorily. And this is also one of the necessary factors contributing to building a professional, modern Vietnamese cinema with strong national identity.
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