Movie "Saigon Commandos": The greatest victory is finding harmony

Nowadays, it is difficult to recount the great success and impact of the film Saigon Special Forces (4 episodes, KB: Le Phuong - Nguyen Thanh, DD: Long Van), which was shot in 1982. It can only be affirmed that this is the first and almost the only film about the "special forces" that audiences on both "front lines" can watch. According to the estimate of Mr. Vu Van Nha (director of this film), there have been about 10 million viewers watching the film on the big screen, not to mention DVDs and online.

Every time an assassination was successful, Saigon commandos often left traces to create prestige.

Made at the same time and in the same spirit as Van bai lat ngua (black and white film, 8 episodes, director: Le Hoang Hoa), but Biet dong Sai Gon is a color film, including episodes: Diem hen, Tinh lang, Con gio, Tra lai danh cho em. The acting of Thuong Tin, Quang Thai, Thanh Loan, Thuy An, Ha Xuyen, Bui Cuong, Do Van Nghiem, Robert Hai, Kim Chi, Nguyen Mai A, little Van Dung... and dozens of other actors left an unforgettable impression. Maybe because of his own intention, maybe because of the spirit of "respecting objective reality" to the maximum, director Long Van was successful in finding sympathy and sharing from people on both sides of the battle line.

The special forces were a very special fighting force, almost only existing in urban Saigon from 1961 until April 30, 1975. Unlike the regular special forces, which were equipped with standard training, the special forces could be anyone, as long as they had valid identification papers, to take refuge among the people and carry out many tasks, from combat, concealment to communication, investigation of enemy situation, transportation... If the special forces' operations often took place at night, those of the special forces were during the day, lightning fast for about 3-5 minutes, mainly to create prestige.

Making a film about this force, although interesting, is very difficult, because information about them is limited and secret. That is not to mention many people who joined the commandos but then "disappeared", because they thought their silent mission and silent contribution were done, and there was no need to mention their achievements anymore.

Thuy An as Ngoc Lan, duck porridge seller Ngoc Lan, spy and lover of Sau Tam

Reality + fiction reasonable

Started in 1981, the film was originally ordered by Major General Hai Phung (former Commander of Saigon Special Forces, then Commander of Ho Chi Minh City Military Command). In a conversation, director Long Van said: "I have heard many glorious feats of special forces soldiers, so I really like to do it, but I don't understand much about them, I suggest you invite famous special forces soldiers like Mr. Tu Chu, Bay Be... so I can meet them".

The film studio suggested that he collaborate with screenwriter Le Phuong, who was good at fiction, to write the script. Screenwriter Nguyen Thanh recalled: “Just one day after the liberation, through the introduction of the Saigon Commando, I met the people who had created those sacred miracles.” After being assembled, the script for Saigon Special Forces was the result of a vivid reality (recorded by Nguyen Thanh) and a reasonable, attractive fiction (Le Phuong’s work). From here, Long Van continued his work, with creativity being the top priority.

Also note that these were the years just after liberation, with a commissioned film, if not done properly, it would become a clumsy propaganda product, only praising victory (something that many literary and artistic works of this time could not avoid). Saigon Commando was also made with the purpose of praising victory, but perhaps because of respecting objective reality, the film partly depicted the image and style of the government and urban Saigon before 1975. This was the first point that made the majority of the Southern audience at that time able to watch the film more comfortably, especially psychologically.

Thuong Tin plays Sau Tam, a brave commando. This was not a big role for Thuong Tin in his prime, but it is the one that audiences remember the most.

A multifaceted view

On the surface, Saigon Special Forces has all the developments of a war film, still battles, sometimes fierce, like in the Cu Chi tunnels for example. But at its core, it is different in its ability to describe the lives and feelings of the two sides of the battle line. Within the allowed framework, the crew tried to find an objective, realistic view, to explain why the large-scale special forces could exist in the urban area of ​​Saigon. The special forces can survive and operate because the people hide them, they come from the people, and they return from the people.

If superficial, the filmmakers could portray the easy-going Saigon people, the armed forces and security forces of the old Saigon government as weak in expertise and lacking in enthusiasm, while the city commandos were elite and wise. But Long Van chose a different approach, he only portrayed a trend of the times, where many people were inclined towards the revolution, so the city commandos could live in that sentiment. Looking at this aspect, this is perhaps the earliest film to have an analytical view of harmony and reconciliation, something that few people thought of at that time.

Although indirect, the film also warned about preserving and losing the people's trust, because "it is easy to endure a hundred times without the people, but it is difficult to endure a thousand times with the people". Therefore, the greatest success of the film Saigon Special Forces does not stop at the glorious feats of an unprecedented force, but also catches the bridge of people's trust from wartime to peacetime.

According to TT&VH