Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A different side of the story, June 3, 2005
"Heaven and Earth" is a difficult movie to tackle. The almost-true story of Le Ly Hayslip, it is a beautiful, compelling story of a peasant girl caught up in the madness of the American/Viet Nam war, not knowing which side to take and ultimately attempting just to stay alive and find some happiness.
Almost-true, because her amazing story needed to be condensed into a two and a half hour feature film. Three men became one, years became weeks and vast sections of her life were neatly trimmed away. This is understandable in any biographical film, but the result her is not so fluid as in other movies of this type. Also, an odd decision was made to film the movie entirely in English, except when interacting with American soldiers when they slip into a sort of broken English. Having the film be in Vietnamese, with subtitles, would have made for a more authentic experience.
Tommy Lee Jones' character, the three men condensed into one, jumps too quickly from Hero to Monster to Victim, and one seeks for the core of his character in the movie. Who is he? It is difficult to tell. Hiep Thi Le as Le Ly is also confusing, at one minute the innocent, wide-eyed girl looking to be loved and the next a sophisticated businesswoman who is willing to sacrifice everything for success and money. As seen in "Evita," this kind of transformation isn't impossible to tell but here it doesn't seem honest. One looks for the sophisticate in the peasant or the peasant in the sophisticate, and doesn't find them.
In spite of these criticisms, there is enough right about "Heaven and Earth" to make the film enjoying and captivating. Telling the American/Viet Nam war from the point of view of the Vietnamese people is a jarring juxtaposition, and something I have never seen done before. Such a daring feat would be almost impossible in today's political climate of the US. Le Ly's story takes her through all walks of life and many aspects of the war, giving you something to think about at each stage.
The cinematography is beautiful, and the colors and textures of Viet Nam make it seem like a paradise. The paradise is shattered by wars, with the green rice being overrun by the green tank and soldiers. In such a situation, it is difficult to tell who is right and who is wrong, with each side putting guns to your head ordering you to believe their ideology.
I am glad to see this version of the DVD being released, with Hiep Thi Le on the cover instead of Tommy Lee Jones. Good as he is, he is in only about 30 minutes of the film, and certainly doesn't deserve the cover.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, January 10, 2002
This movie is good, but it's not 1/10th as good as the book.Oliver Stone is an excellent director, and features of the movie such as light and camera angles and the movement of the camera are excellent. The acting is good too. Tommy Lee Jones has an impossible role, but in each scene he is convincing. Hiep Thi Le's role is also impossible, and she is not bad. Those who have read the book will be happy to see Le Ly Hayslip herself playing the jewelry dealer in the middle of the movie. The soundtrack by Kitaro is fair, although my personal tastes disagree. The problem is that Le Ly Hayslip's story, upon which this movie is based, is too complex for a two hour movie. Tommy Lee Jones' character is an amalgamation of three men, and the result is nothing if not schizophrenic. So many scenes are too subtle for most people to understand, although the book makes everything clear. Compacting her remarkable life (the movie is based on two books!) into a feature-length movie is just impossible, and on an emotional level the film nearly fails. Let me push the books once more. Even if you are not a reader, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, by Le Ly Hayslip and Jay Wurts, will pull you along. It is one of the very best books I have ever read. The sequel, Child of War, Woman of Peace, is also pretty good. I strongly encourage you to read especially the first book. Like I said, the movie is fine, but the book is simply incredible. It is the only book that has ever made me cry.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A review, February 19, 2002
In my opinion the movie tried to include too much information into a two hour slot, and at times left out many of the more critical and interesting aspects that were detailed in the book. Stone should have continued the story of Le Ly's experiences in America in a separate film and concentrated more fully and accurately on the effects of the war within Vietnam, including descriptions from each side of the enemy lines.
I also found the scenes where Le Ly returned to Vietnam after liberation a bit cheesey and sentimental and the film omitted the fact that this journey, in reality, was much more dangerous and unnerving. In fact Le Ly did not even return to her village, Ky La, on this trip, nor did she return with her children! There was so much more that Stone could have made of this storyline, the section of the book which I found the most remarkable and fascinating.
In addition, the film also left out details of the relationships within the family, for example, between Le Ly and her father and her brother, which incidently were forgotten about during the movie. It didn't explain what happened to her family throughout the course of the war. Other aspects of Le Ly's earlier experiences with the Viet Cong were also omitted and I feel that much more could have been made of these storylines.
However, apart from these critcisms, I still thoroughly enjoyed the movie and Stone, having fought in the war himself, portrayed the country from a moving and realsitic angle. In fact the film portrayed Vietnam (although it was not filmed in Vietnam) as a beautiful and attractive place where I would love to visit.
My final point is that those who enjoyed the movie should read the book, as it is much more intense and is unreservedly compelling.
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