The film Indochine depicts the control and colonization of the French in Indochina leading up to the Vietnam War. One main focus of the film is how the French culture influenced the culture of the Vietnamese. Language, dress, and other aspects of the French culture are adopted and idolized by the upper-and middle-class Vietnamese people. An example of this is how Eliane Devries' servants and workers speak her language, French. Also, French music and dancing are frequently used by the middle and upper classes in Vietnam.
In the film, the Vietnamese are portrayed as the children of the French, like in the beginning when Eliane tells the worker she is whipping that mothers do not like to beat their children. In this way, Eliane sees her Vietnamese workers and servants as inferior to her, and as children that need her guideance. Throughout the film, many Vietnamese people submit to this sort of treatment, but the French are always wary of uprisings. This foreshadows the end of the French empire in Indochina, which occurs at the end of the film.
Camille and Jean-Baptiste's union symbolizes the integration of the Vietnamese and French cultures. Their son they have together, Etienne, may symbolize the product of the French occupation in Vietnam, which becomes a nation still strongly affected by French control.
Another idea in the film is that the French were attracted to Vietnam and settled there in the hopes of conquering the nation. When Eliane and Camille are reunited, Camille urges Eliane to take Etienne to France with her, because she says that Indochina is dead. What Camille means by this is that the French has ruined the authenticity and purity of the land by saturating it with their own culture.
The film shows how French control became weak and unstable, such as when the French soldiers kill Camille's companions when they get to Dragon Island simply because they were scared of an uprising. This is also shown when Jean-Baptiste is shot and killed because he deserted his fellow Frenchmen. The film depicts Vietnam being ruined by the French culture, which is symbolized by the character of Yvette, who is depicted as spiteful, jealous, and a bad mother and unfaithful wife. Also, the film depicts Camille, Jean-Baptiste, and Tanh (a communist), who are all running from and fighting against French authority.
Indochine takes, although not completely, the side of the communists. For example, Tanh is portrayed as a communist, but only because he sees socialism as the best for of government for the Vietnamese people, who are used to farming and sharing what they have with each other. Camille and Tanh, both communists, are portrayed as brave and hardworking people who stand up to their French controllers. Communism is simply a form of government that they can fight the French with. It offers stability and a form of independence from the French after they are pushed out of Indochina.
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The film Indochine depicts the control and colonization of the French in Indochina leading up to the Vietnam War. One main focus of the film is how the French culture influenced the culture of the Vietnamese. Language, dress, and other aspects of the French culture are adopted and idolized by the upper-and middle-class Vietnamese people. An example of this is how Eliane Devries' servants and workers speak her language, French. Also, French music and dancing are frequently used by the middle and upper classes in Vietnam.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, the Vietnamese are portrayed as the children of the French, like in the beginning when Eliane tells the worker who she is whipping that mothers do not like to beat their children. In this way, Eliane sees her Vietnamese workers and servants as inferior to her, and as children that need her guideance. Throughout the film, many Vietnamese people submit to this sort of treatment, but the French are always wary of uprisings. This foreshadows the end of the French empire in Indochina, which occurs at the end of the film.
Camille and Jean-Baptiste's union symbolizes the integration of the Vietnamese and French cultures. Their son they have together, Etienne, may symbolize the product of the French occupation in Vietnam, which becomes a nation still strongly affected by French control.
Another idea in the film is that the French were attracted to Vietnam and settled there in the hopes of conquering the nation. When Eliane and Camille are reunited, Camille urges Eliane to take Etienne to France with her, because she says that Indochina is dead. What Camille means by this is that the French have ruined the authenticity and purity of the land by saturating it with their own culture.
The film shows how French control became weak and unstable, such as when the French soldiers kill Camille's companions when they get to Dragon Island simply because they are scared of an uprising. This is also shown when Jean-Baptiste is shot and killed because he deserts his fellow Frenchmen. The film depicts Vietnam being ruined by the French culture, which is symbolized by the character of Yvette, who is depicted as spiteful, jealous, and a bad mother and unfaithful wife. Also, the film depicts Camille, Jean-Baptiste, and Tanh (a communist), who are all running from and fighting against French authority.
Indochine takes, although not completely, the side of the communists. For example, Tanh is portrayed as a communist, but only because he sees socialism as the best form of government for the Vietnamese people, who are used to farming and sharing what they have with each other. Camille and Tanh, both communists, are portrayed as brave and hardworking people who stand up to their French controllers. Communism is simply a form of government that they can fight the French with. It offers stability and a form of independence from the French after they are pushed out of Indochina.