Wednesday, February 10, 2010
In the film Indochine, one of the main points being portrayed is the influence of the French over the vietnamese people. Elaine, the main character is a wealthy, French, plantation owner who lives in Vietnam. Throughout the film, she holds herself higher than everyone else, and is extremely cruel to her workers. The French felt that they were the most powerful and that they could take control of Vietnam.The second point we see in the film is the struggle between the French and the Vietnamese. Camille is Elaines adopted daughter. She is from Vietnam but has grown up learning French values and the French way of life. When Camille decides to leave the plantation she is going against her mother and their values and beliefs. The last main point from the film is the Communists vs. the Nationalists. The movie portrays the Communists asdisorganized and unbalanced. The film takes the sides of that Nationalists who are rebeling and trying to escape the French control.
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The movie Indochine takes place in the 1930’s in the colonial French Indochina. During this time, the French had a strong presence in Indonesia. This story is about the life of a wealthy rubber plantation owner Eliane Devries and her adopted Vietnamese daughter Camille.
ReplyDeleteRight from the beginning of the film we see the 2 separate, differing groups, the French and the Vietnamese Communists.
Although Camille is Vietnamese, she’s been raised with French values because she was adopted by Eliane. Because she’s become so close with Jean-Baptiste however, he slowly but surely instills the Communist beliefs in her. While traveling with him, she sees many of the Vietnamese people in the country which helps further more instill within her the communist values.
Camille’s relationship with her mother Eliane can be seen as the relationship between the French and the Vietnamese. Eliane is the French and Camille represents the Vietnamese. Camille goes against her mother’s words by leaving to find Jean-Baptiste just as the Vietnamese are putting up a fight against the French. The French want to have complete control over Indochina but the Vietnamese want something else.
The film is taking the Vietnamese side. The French presence is viewed negatively throughout the whole movie. The communists are portrayed as unstable and unreliable.