Indochine (92)

3/17/97

This film was beautiful from beginning to end. Judging from the incredible countryside of Vietnam, it's no wonder it was such a popular vacation spot in the 40s and 50s. Deneuve is a rubber baron. Not condoms, but actual rubber. She ran a plantation and was successful ruling over several hundred natives. When her best friends are killed in a plane crash, she adopts their little girl, Camille. Although Camille is Vietnamese, she is brought up as if she were French, playing with the other well-to-do children and attending Catholic school. Everything is going pretty well until Deneuve falls in love with Jean-Baptiste, a french seaman, about half her age. He looks like Harry Connick wishes he looked like. His piercing green eyes glance at the Rubber baron and she's toast. This is all pretty cool until the daughter, who is now about 16, mistakenly thinks that Jean-Baptiste saved her life. She also is whipped within seconds. So now we've got a mother daughter thing. The mother uses her power to send the Sailor away, because she knows he won't be able to resist her daughter. Anyways, we have Communists trying to take over the world, we have arranged marriages, we have a trek over mountains in bare feet, we have stranded sailboats, we have hidden fugitives, murder, and a baby. All kinds of stuff is happening and it all looks beautiful and Deneuve pulls it off for the most part, but I was more interested in watching it happen, then in feeling it happen. My 'asian-thing' was on fullest alert with Linh Dan Pham, who was brave and almost dies, but keeps her perfect skin throughout. Anyways, this thing is really long and not boring, but I felt too much like a spectator.
Catherine Deneuve Vincent Perez Jean Yanne Linh Dan Pham Dominique Blanc Alain Fromager Eric Nguyen Directed by Regis Wargnier
40 critics 7.8 Ebert **^ Maltin **
~~Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film
~~Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress for Catherine Deneuve
~~Cesar Award Nomination for Best Director for Regis Wargnier
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