Behind-the-scenes story of the movie "The Wild Field" - a classic work of Revolutionary Cinema

The film “The Wild Field” directed by Nguyen Hong Sen, written by writer Nguyen Quang Sang, and composed by musician Trinh Cong Son. The work won many prestigious awards such as the Golden Lotus at the 1980 Vietnam Film Festival and the Gold Medal at the 1981 Moscow International Film Festival.

The film tells the story of a farming couple (played by actors Lam Toi and Thuy An) and their young child, living in the bomb-filled Dong Thap Muoi region. They act as liaisons for the liberation army. The husband rowed out every day to monitor the movements of American planes, while the wife stayed home to take care of the children and maintain their fighting spirit. Their lives were closely tied to the river, to the wild but also dangerous nature...

"The Wild Field" not only recreates the fierce war, but also vividly depicts the simple but resilient life of people. Every frame, every sound is imbued with the breath of the river land - where the richness of nature blends with lurking dangers, creating a realistic picture that is both poetic and tragic.

The scene of Mr. Ba Do and his wife putting their child in a plastic bag to avoid bombs in "The Wild Field".

Regarding this film, on the afternoon of April 4, Vietnam Television announced that the program "Cine 7 - Memories of Vietnamese Films" will reveal many interesting stories behind the scenes of the film "Wild Fields". Specifically, according to Mr. Duong Minh Hoang, Deputy Director of the film crew "Wild Fields", the entire film crew had to soak in 3 months in the middle of the flood season of Dong Thap Muoi, taking shelter when it rained, and continuing filming when the rain stopped. The film crew slept together in an abandoned house, and at night they spread out a tarp to lie down. Simple meals were served by the catering staff. Most of the scenes in the film took advantage of the rich nature such as: Melaleuca forests, lotus ponds, swamps... and most of the props in the film were borrowed and did not cost money to rent. Perhaps that is why "Wild Fields" was made with a modest budget at that time, less than 300,000 VND.

Film critic, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Vietnam Cinema Promotion and Development Association, interacted in the program "Cine 7: Memories of Vietnamese Films".

Talking about the success of the film "The Wild Field", besides the acting talents such as People's Artist Lam Toi (playing Ba Do), actress Thuy An (playing Sau Xoa - Ba Do's wife), we must also mention the details that have become classics. In particular, the detail of Ba Do and his wife putting their child in a plastic bag to avoid the bomb makes audiences of many generations feel their hearts clench every time they watch it. Regarding this scene, the cinematographer, Meritorious Artist Bang Phong, who together with People's Artist Duong Tuan Ba ​​created impressive footage in "The Wild Field" said: This image was inspired by real life material by the filmmakers. The baby actor in the film is also the nephew of director Hong Sen, who was mobilized to become an actor in the film. The scene was rehearsed on the shore, in a dry place to calculate the shot in advance, then when going into the real water, the cameraman set up the camera exactly the same and only did it once, not repeated like other scenes. Because this was a special scene, the baby was only a few months old at the time.

Impressive image at the end of the movie "The Wild Field": The wife holds a gun, steadfastly continuing the fight.

Sharing in the program about the film “The Wild Field”, film critic, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan affirmed: The Wild Field is a lyrical epic. Mr. Ba Do and his wife only have a small boat, live in a hut, in the middle of the wild field but every day face the sweeps of enemy planes, with the iron and steel forces symbolizing the civilized, modern world . However, there is still a sparkling lyricism with the sincere life, harmony with nature of people, the love between husband and wife, family and love for homeland and country.

Expressing her admiration for the old generation of filmmakers, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan also said that this was a golden past. Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan herself was born into a film family, and since childhood she followed her mother to film. During the subsidy period, for filmmakers, making films and contributing was an honor, so they were willing to sacrifice everything for their work. That could explain why with limited budget, filmmakers at that time could still create such a monumental work.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/van-hoa/ke-chuyen-hau-truong-phim-canh-dong-hoang-tac-pham-kinh-dien-cua-dien-anh-cach-mang-i764136/