Three Seasons (1999)

An American in Ho Chi Minh City looks for a daughter he fathered during the war. He meets Woody, a child who's a street vendor, and when Woody's case of wares disappears, he thinks the soldier took it. Woody hunts for him. A cyclo driver, Hai, gives a ride to Lan, a hotel call girl, and starts waiting for her daily; he falls in love with her and tries to break through her tough veneer. Kien An, a young woman, takes a job harvesting lotuses in the ponds of Teacher Dao, a reclusive man who has leprosy. Her singing awakens him from depression, and he asks her to write down poetry he has composed. The characters' paths cross in small ways, around flowers and kindnesses.
 
 

VTLIB(Video 595), BB-DRAMA, VU-DRAMA

Killing Fields, The (1984)

Highly charged drama based on the memoirs of N. Y. Times reporter Sidney Schanberg, who remained in Cambodia after American evacuation--putting his native translator and assistant Dith Pran in great jeopardy. Frighteningly realistic depiction of a country torn apart by war and terrorism; an emotional powerhouse. Long but worthwhile. Impressive feature debut for documentary director Joffé; Ngor (who lived through Cambodian turmoil in real life) won Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his acting debut. Oscars also went to cinematographer Chris Menges, editor Jim Clark.
 

VTLIB(Video 1313), VU-DRAMA

Year of Living Dangerously, The (1982)

Guy Hamilton is a journalist on his first job as a foreign correspondent. His apparently humdrum assignment to Indonesia soon turns hot as President Sukarno electrifies the populace and frightens foreign powers. Guy soon is the hottest reporter on the story with the help of his photographer, half- Chinese dwarf Billy Kwan, who has gone native. Guy's affair with diplomat Jill Bryant also helps. Eventually Guy must face some major moral choices and the relationship between Billy and him reaches a crisis at the same time the politics of Indonesia does.
 
 

VTLIB(Video 164)

The Bridge On The River Kwai

Captured by the Japanese in WWII, British soldiers are forced to construct a strategic railroad bridge, which becomes a matter of obsessive pride to them. Meanwhile, the British High Command has instructed a commando team to destroy the vital bridge.
Awesome flick.
 
 

BB-DRAMA, VU-DRAMA
 

Anna and the King (1999)

This is the story of Anna Leonowens, the English schoolteacher who came to Siam in the 1860s to teach the children of King Mongkut. She becomes involved in his affairs, from the tragic plite of a young concubine to trying to forge an alliance with Britain to a war with Burma that is orchestrated by Britain. In  the meantime, a subtle romance develops between them.
 
 

Cyclo aka Xich lo (1995)

A young man who struggles through life by earning some money with his bicycle-taxi in Saigon (Ho-Chi-Min-City) gets contact to a group of criminals. They introduce him to the mafia-world of drugs and crime.
 
 

VTLIB(Video 7018), VU-DRAMA

Return to Paradise (1998)

Three friends share an exciting vacation in Malaysia, full of fun, drinks, women and hash. When the vacation is over, each have dreams of continuing their lives, and they all go their separate ways. One of them (Phoenix) remains on the tropical paradise to fulfill a dream of working with apes for research. Two years later, a lawyer (Heche) comes to New York and hunts down the other two friends to give some sad news. A few days after they left the island, police raided their camp and found amazingly large quantities of hash left about. Phoenix was still residing there, so he had to take the blame. He is set to be put to death in 8 days, and the only way the charges can be decreased is if the two friends come back to paradise and take their share of the responsibilty. If they do, they both will spend three years in prison. If only one does, he will spend six years behind bars...

BB-FOR

 Scent of Green Papaya, The aka Mui du du xanh (1993)
 

Thoughtful, carefully observed drama about a ten-year-old servant girl who comes to work in a Saigon household in 1951; the scenario details her relationships with the various household members and concludes a decade later with her growing into a beautiful young woman. Unhurried in its execution and filled with lingering shots, the film ultimately is as captivating as its title.
 
 

BB-DRAMA, VU-DRAMA

Beyond Rangoon (1995)

Laura is trying to pick up the pieces of her life after the murder of her husband and son, and goes on vacation with her sister to Burma. After losing her passport at a political rally, she is left on her own for a few days, during which time she falls in with students fighting for democracy. She and their leader, U Aung Ko, travel through Burma, whilst witnessing many bloody acts of repression by the dictatorship, in an attempt to escape to Thailand. Based (loosely) on a true story.
 
 

BB-DRAMA, VU-DRAMA

Heaven & Earth (1993)
 

Vietnamese woman's painful odyssey from a peaceful childhood in a peasant village to a lifetime of upheaval both in Vietnam and the U. S. This true story (based on two published memoirs by Le Ly Hayslip) tells of a woman forever caught between forces of North and South in her native country; between the spiritual and the practical; between Vietnamese and American ways. A jumbled narrative, difficult to watch at times, but writer-director Stone lets us share the character's emotional catharsis at the conclusion. Hayslip can be seen briefly as a jewelry broker; Jeffrey Jones appears unbilled as a priest.
 

VTLIB(Video 4799), VU-FOR

Indochine (1992)
 

Soap opera set against political upheaval in French Indochina during the 1930s. Deneuve plays a wealthy French landowner who's raised an orphaned Indochinese girl, and now must contend with the fact that she's grown--and has a mind of her own. Interesting historical elements, set against a fascinating landscape, but story is mostly tripe. Even so, nabbed the Foreign Film Oscar.
 
 

VTLIB(Video 60), BB-DRAMA, VU-DRAMA

Apocalypse Now (1979)
 

Coppola's controversial Vietnam war epic, based on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Special agent Sheen journeys upriver into Cambodia with orders to find and kill errant officer Brando, leading him (and viewer) on a mesmerizing odyssey of turbulent, often surreal encounters. Unfortunately, film's conclusion--when he does find Brando--is cerebral and murky. Still, a great movie experience most of the way, with staggering, Oscar-winning photography by Vittorio Storaro. The documentary HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER'S APOCALYPSE chronicles the film's production.
 

 VTLIB (Video #6137)

Cry of the Forgotten Land

Uses covertly obtained film footage to tell the story of the Moi people who live in Indonesia-controlled New Guinea whose forests are being destroyed by international logging companies.

VTLIB (Video #3320)

Mini dragon: Singapore

Singapore celebrated 25 years of independence from Malaysiain 1990. This tiny country, a giant in prosperity, now struggles toward its goal of becoming a regional center for the global economy.

VTLIB (Video #5439)

Global Firms in the Industrializing East

Examines how Singapore has transformed itself into an economic powerhouse along the Pacific Rim. Analyses in particular the banking, electronic, telecommunication and semiconductor industries in Singapore.

VTLIB (Video #5440)

Global Tourism

Examines the experiences of tourists who visit Hawaii,Malaysia and Borneo and the tourism industry in each of those locations.

VTLIB (Video 290)

The Deer Hunter

Michael, Steven and Nick are young factory workers from Pennsylvania who get drafted to fight in Vietnam. Before they go, Steven marries the pregnant Angela and their wedding-party is also the men's farewell party. After some time and many horrors the three friends fall in the hands of the Vietcong and are brought to a prison camp in which they are forced to play          Russian roulette against each other. Michael makes it possible for them to escape, but they soon get separated again.
 

VTLIB (Video 1549)

Platoon

Penetrating first-person account of life on the line as a young soldier in the Vietnam War. Harrowingly realistic and            completely convincing, though the motives and reactions of its main character (played by Sheen, based on writer-director      Stone) are hard to relate to--leaving this otherwise excellent film with a certain degree of aloofness. Academy Award         winner for Best Picture, Director, Film Editing (Claire Simpson), and Sound.
 
 

VTLIB (Video 7462)

The Ugly American

Brando is American ambassador to Asian country; his arrival stirs up pro-communist elements, leading to havoc. Political     revelations of U. S. power struggle aren't meant for exciting film. Adapted by Stewart Stern from the William J.              Lederer/Eugene Burdick book.