Details revealed about the Vietnamese film masterpiece 'The Wild Field'.
46 years after its premiere, "The Wild Field"—a classic Vietnamese film—still moves people not only because of its tragic story set during wartime, but also because of a little-known detail: the film was made with a budget of less than 300,000 dong.
Wild fieldThis is a representative work of the late director - People's Artist Nguyen Hong Sen, based on a script by writer Nguyen Quang Sang and music by the late musician Trinh Cong Son. The film won the Golden Lotus at the 1980 Vietnam Film Festival and the Gold Medal at the 1981 Moscow International Film Festival - a rare achievement for Vietnamese cinema at that time on the international stage.
A feature film with an incredibly modest budget.
But what makes professionals and the public admire it even more today is the incredibly difficult behind-the-scenes work. In the program...Cine 7 - Memories of Vietnamese CinemaRecently broadcast on VTV3, those who were directly involved in the film crew revealed for the first time the budget for its production.Wild fieldIt's only about 300,000 dong, an incredibly modest amount.
Back then, there were no film studios, no expensive equipment to rent, and no exorbitant salaries for actors. Yet, from these very limitations, a burning spirit of filmmaking emerged: maximum frugality, maximum creativity, and wholehearted dedication.
The film is set in the flooded Đồng Tháp Mười region – where the three main characters, Ba Đô, Sáu Xoa, and their young child, live amidst mangrove forests, swamps, and waterways, constantly threatened by American bombs and bullets. The entire setting utilizes natural elements: real mangrove forests, real rivers, and real watchtowers. All props, from the small boats to the rice and clothing, were provided by local people.
"We stayed together for three months during the flood season, sheltering from the rain and filming when it stopped. There were no hotels, no supply vehicles. The film crew slept in an abandoned house, spreading tarpaulins on the ground, eating rice mixed with other ingredients and dried fish cooked by the cooks. But everyone was happy, everyone was passionate about their work," recounted Mr. Duong Minh Hoang, Deputy Head of the film crew.
Limited funding did not discourage director Nguyen Hong Sen. On the contrary, he made the most of all available resources to create a work that is deeply Vietnamese in character, imbued with the atmosphere of nature and the lives of people in the Mekong Delta during the war.
One of the most haunting scenes ofWild fieldThe detail of Ba Do and his wife putting their child in a plastic bag and dropping it into the water to avoid the bombs is particularly striking. This is not only a pinnacle of artistic emotion but also an extremely difficult technical challenge given the conditions at the time.
Meritorious Artist Bang Phong - assistant cinematographer shared: "We rehearsed on shore many times. When we went into the water to film, we had to be precise down to the millimeter, because we could only shoot it once. The baby in the scene is the director Hong Sen's nephew, only a few months old, and couldn't be submerged in water for long. There was no room for error."
And a single shot, a single take, yet it became a moment that would live on forever in cinema. It was these stringent conditions that forced the film crew to achieve almost absolute precision and creativity.
The filmWild fieldIts success stems from its authenticity and intense love for the homeland. Director Nguyen Hong Sen once said: "We make films not only to tell stories, but to preserve the nation's memory, to tell the world how Vietnamese people live and fight."
The film ends with the image of Six Xoa – the widow who lost her husband – fighting alone with a gun in her hand. That scene became a symbol of the strength of Vietnamese women, and more broadly, the indomitable will of the nation amidst the flames of war.
46 years later, every time it's shown again,Wild fieldIt still leaves audiences speechless. Not only because of the touching story, but also because of the irreplaceable, authentic artistic spirit. Faces like People's Artist Lam Toi, Thuy An… don't need elaborate makeup or philosophical dialogue; they still touch the hearts of millions.
With a budget of less than 300,000 VND, the film crewWild fieldHe left behind a masterpiece for cinema. Amidst material poverty, a wealth of soul, talent, and national spirit shone forth.
