The story contained in the Killing Fields is the adaptation for screen of the story of Dith Pran, Journalist in Phnom Penh at the time of the Khmer Rouge uprising in the mid 70's. The saddest fact of all is that this story of immense courage would probably never have been told if there had not been an American journalist who was shown around Cambodia by Dith Pran.
There is no-where to hide from the abject brutality portrayed in this film. It is everywhere. Pran and his colleague Sidney Schanberg search out the worst, most tragic events brought about by both sides in this conflict, but the focus is always on the effects on the civilian population - the devastation of their lives, and it is unrelenting.
The score, by Mike Oldfield of Tubular Bells fame is a poignant mix of chaos in the terror and extremely emotive pieces, the most so when Pran is forced to leave the safety of the American Embassy in Phnom Penh in pouring rain.
If there are two qualities which stand out in this film, it is Pran's inginuity during his years of captivity in the killing fields themselves, how precarious his situation (the viewer is assisted by Pran's narrative) but also his resilience.
For the sake of the incredulous Hollywood studios, there had to be a focus on an American aspect of this film, provided beautifully by Sam Waterston as Sidney Schanberg; and this focus was the torment and guilt we see Schanberg go through on behalf of his colleague, Pran. Pran's epic journey of survival alone would not have been sufficient reason for producers to make this film, which is a damning indictment.
To their credit, and the credit of the actors, the late Dr Haing S. Ngor, Sam Waterston and John Malkovitch, The Killing Fields is an important film which vividly shows the brutality of this war without remorse, without prejudice but with extraordinary compassion.
The Killing Fields is like a vivid news coverage of this tragic war with musical accompaniment which adds, rather than distracts from the experience.
It is an unforgettable film which will ignite the sense of injustice in all who watch it, moreso the second time around.
Newsman Sydney Schanberg loses his friend Dith Pran in the 1975 fall of Phnom Penh. Directed by Roland Joffe. Best supporting Oscar for Ngor.More at HotMovieSale.com
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