Trần Vũ
Directing
Biography
People's Artist Trần Vũ (b. Nguyễn Phú, Nam Định province, 10 November 1925 - 16 February 2010) was a Vietnamese film director and screenwriter. In 1959, when he was already 34 years old, he attended the first directing class of the Vietnam Film School, under the guide of several Soviet filmmakers. Trần Vũ's first film, also his thesis for graduation, was "The Passerine Bird" (Con chim vành khuyên, 1962), which won the Golden Lotus Award at the 2nd Vietnam Film Festival and the Special Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Trần Vũ's other notable work between 1954 and 1970 was "Floating Village" (Làng nổi, 1964), which he co-directed by People's Artist Huy Thành. In 1971, his film "The Story of Lực and His Wife" (Vợ chồng anh Lực) is considered the first Vietnamese film that successfully captured human life after the first Indochina war, winning the director the award for Best Director at the Vietnam Film Festival in 1973. In 1974, he began his collaboration with screenwriter Bành Bảo with the film "We'll Be Seeing Us Again" (Đến hẹn lại lên). After 1975, Trần Vũ took part in writing and co-directing for People's Artist Trần Phương's psychological drama "The Stormy Ride" (Chuyến xe bão táp, 1976) and its sequel "People Met" (Những người đã gặp, 1979). These two films were critically acclaimed and considered to represent the best of postwar cinema, reflecting on the lives of readjusting soldiers. During the Đổi Mới era (1986-), Trần Vũ made "Brothers" (Anh và em, 1988); "O Money!" (Tiền ơi!, 1989); "The Teardrop Pearl of Ha Long" (Giọt lệ Hạ Long, 1994); etc. The latter was a coproduction of Vietnam and Hong Kong, and later became the first Vietnamese film to be shown in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival (1995).
Known For
On a festive spring day in 1940, two young quan họ singers fall in love. But their relationship is soon ruthlessly disrupted by class injustices, imposed upon both—and many other Vietnamese—by the ongoing French colonial rule and the looming Japanese occupation.
We Will Meet Again
In 1960s South Vietnam, an undercover agent slowly works his way up through the ranks of Ngô Đình Diệm's administration to become one of its most prominent advisors
The Advisor
Defectors from Hitler's army join the French Foreign Legion and end up in Vietnam in the late '40s.
Time in the Jungle
After the war, a young man reuniting with his beloved must deal with the fact that she has gone insane.
I Have Only You
The inhabitants of a small island in the delta of the turbulent Red River are doomed to poverty: floods wash away crops, livestock, and even people. From generation to generation, a legend is passed down about a kind dragon that can drink the river's water and save the village. But the dragon is a fairy tale, and the people have decided to block the treacherous river themselves. With extraordinary perseverance, fighting against the elements, the village population builds protective fortifications around the island.
Floating Village
Returning to Vietnam after many years of studying abroad, a doctorate in atomic force Thai Duong entered an unimaginable reality. Many funny situations took place in his family when he was pondering over choosing a job in a new environment. Thai Duong was tricked into losing money, and his father and brother Loc Ton performed a risky mission to earn money: buying liquidated bombs.
Money, Money!
A soldier (Hien) survives the war and comes back to live with his brother's family (Tien). He can't seem to adjust to civilian life after the war and feels increasingly alienated from other people, whom he finds calculating, selfish and materialistic.
Brothers
Story of an innocent and carefree little girl whose father is a member of the anti-French resistance.
The Passerine Bird
The life of two soldiers after war, who try to continue their studies at the university.
Those We Have Met
A short film by Tran Vu
Smoke
The head of a farming co-operative demolishes his house to free up land for the construction of a new irrigation canal, which causes great distress for him and his family.
The Story of Mr. Lực and His Wife
An elderly couple from Vinh and their grandchild takes a coach to Viet Tri The passengers face numerous harassments during the journey, but luckily a youth volunteer and a discharged soldier are determined to help them.
A Stormy Journey
A scientist dies while researching the toxins dropped by American bombers onto Southern Vietnam. His three students goes on a trip through the forest of Truong Son mountains to bring his remains and research documents back to the North, but soon find themselves developing the same symptoms like their professor.
Cold Forest
The story in the film is about the love between a man and a woman from the same village, Hoan and Can, who have two children together. But this love affair encountered many difficulties and pressure from family and social customs, forcing Can to leave his hometown and go to the mountains. As for Hoan, she was also prevented by her husband's family because they were afraid of having to redistribute their land. The film shows viewers the relationships and behaviors of Northern farmers in the context of the 1960s.