The Rebel by Charlie Nguyens - Essay Example

The Rebel by Charlie Nguyens The Rebel by Charlie Nguyens is a 2007 Vietnamese martial arts movie depicting the French occupation of Vietnam where anti-French rebellion is underway. The year 1922 marks the rebellion against the oppression of the French colonialists in the Vietnamese history. The themes of loyalty and betrayal in the movie are as relevant today as they were during the revolt against the French as conspiracies effect the mood of the nation and the film industry that reflects the outcome. The state of Vietnamese film industry was not welcoming for the foreign movies. In 1999 it was acknowledged at the nation-wide cinematic conference that the movie business was in crisis (Drummond and Thomas 92). Before 2002, foreign films were not allowed screening in movie theaters. The government revised its policy in 2002 and the private movie studios were given the green signal to carry out their work. This policy change brought new opportunities for independent movie producers to become commercially successful. By 2005, the private studios were seeing success in terms of production and distribution of movies but the commercial and independent moviemakers received no funding. The policy change seemed luring for the expatriates who saw an opportunity in making films in Vietnam. Low-budget movie makers and technicians found the business profitable in the wake of increasing domestic disposable income. The expatriates especially jumped on the bandwagon. However, the moviemakers did not enjoy complete autonomy because the state policy determined the overall film production. The taste of the audience also governed the theme and movie genre. Betrayal and loyalty have turned out to be the two major themes in the Vietnamese film production history. The Rebel also portrays these themes, which are really relevant in the today’s Vietnam. Vietnam had remained at war for such a long time that it drained its economy and the much needed liquidity. The country has either fought off invasions or engaged in wars with France, China, Japan, Cambodia and the US (Narkunas, p. 149). In 1979 Vietnam was fighting 1 million Chinese troops. The battle depleted Vietnamese economic resources and left it as one of the poorest countries in the world. It is inevitable that the theme of patriotism manifests itself in the Vietnamese film industry. The themes of betrayal and loyalty always almost always find its place in the screenplay of successful Vietnamese movies. The Rebel is based around the struggles of fighting the French occupation in Vietnam. The protagonists of the movie converses with his father about loyalty to the country. The scene [14:25 to 16:25] marks the conversation between the protagonist, Le Van Cuong and his father. They discuss the themes of betrayal and loyalty towards their country. Cuong’s father is a seasoned man who has suffered enough to change his views. He is more patient and cynical. His son, on the other hand, is restless and rebellious. He questions the faith of his father. Their conversation is like a tussle as they both try to convince each other of their motives and duties to their country. It is a convention to goad the movie viewers into a suffocating environment where ‘the conspiracy’ against their country brings out the patriot in the viewers. Gilles Deleuze, the French philosopher writes about this controversy in his book Cinema 2: The Time-Image. He says that cinema constantly lives in the shadow of an international conspiracy that determines its outline from within (Narkunas,154). Conspiracy serves as the most intimidating and indispensable adversary in filmmaking. However, it unites the people of a country under one cause, as it was the case in The Rebel. The conspiracy by the French and the international forces against the Vietnamese culture, civilization and country resources united the whole nation. Nationalism has played a key role in "critical legitimation of film studies" (Ezra & Rowden, p. 3). The postcolonial era of any country fills the void with the stories of heroism. The screenwriters, directors, producers and filmmakers jump at the opportunity to make the most of the peoples’ fantasies of freedom. Where they fight off the invaders, oppressors and colonists. In Vietnam the revival of cinema is proliferated with these fantasies. The thought of liberation by fighting the enemy that has always plots to conquer its land is evident in the major movies. Ezra and Rowden refer to this phenomenon in their essay General Introduction: What Is Transnational Cinema? According to them the most critically significant effort to rejuvenate the ‘national’ to strengthen the positive self-fashioning is a concept of postcolonial era (p. 5). In another scene [23:40 to 26:02] the rebel leader’s daughter Vo Thanh Thuy is having an argument with Le Van Cuong. The French authorities capture Thuy and plan use her as a bait to capture her father who is the leader of the rebellion. Cuong helps her escape the prison. In this scene Thuy girl is holding a knife to the Cuong's throat and interrogating him about his true motives of helping her. Cuong has already committed a lot of harm and treason against true patriotic Vietnamese. Now he seeks redemption but Thuy does not believe him. It seems like Cuong tries to win over her. He has fallen for her already. Many scenes show compassion in his eyes when he looking at Thuy. Coung reasons that he is tired of the bloodshed and wants peace in his country. Apparently he seek forgiveness from his people and wants to help them. He looks for a way to return to the patriotic side of the battle. The two characters are in fact discussing the themes of loyalty and betrayal. The mass viewers can relate with Cuong who is trying to prove his loyalty to his country. Many common people commit minor felonies, frauds or evading taxes. Or they look for loopholes in the justice system that they can manipulate for their personal gains. The fact is that when a character like Cuong is put on the screen they relate his story. The guilt of not doing enough for the country. They want retribution and redemption. It is another debate if they truly mend their ways or not but they desire to be clean and absolved of all sins. The protagonist in The Rebel is in a similar situation that speaks to the public. Cuong has betrayed his honor and country. Thuy on the other hand is the symbol of devotion, sacrifice, patriotism and love for country. Many factors have shaped the Vietnamese cinema. The country’s history with wars, and the resulting economic situation are the major contributors. The phenomenon of global capital pressurizes the Socialist Republic (Norindr 86). It contributes towards the cultural transformation amidst rapid globalization. It reshapes the local history in shockingly different ways that reinvent the notions of community, nation and modernity (Norindr 86). The same can be observed in the plot of The Rebel. The themes represented in the movie are still relevant today. Even today, the Vietnamese audiences relate with the scenario shown in the movie. The mass audiences want to relive their glory days where they were fighting off the enemies, invaders and colonists. That era in history is the time gave birth to their local heroes. The Vietnamese military sings songs about the valor of those that fought for their country. It relates to the audiences because whenever there is a need to unite the nation, to make them realize that they owe their country, that they have a duty to serve and make sacrifices, and urge them to show their devotion through patriotic acts, the stories of their heroes always helpful. For this reason patriotic movies get good reception with the audiences. Moreover, when the audiences see a character seeking redemption it relates with the people who think they have wronged in some way. It triggers in them a sense of morality. This phenomenon is not specific only to the Vietnamese culture, it can be applied to any country that has had suffered colonial oppression. The true power of a nation resides in its ability to protect its values and resources. Patriotic movies appeal to this sense of defending their homeland. It engages the audiences. The sense of obligation shapes their motives for becoming a helpful citizen to their country. The Rebel plays on the themes of betrayal and loyalty. The protagonist is shown to be struggling between these two values. First he takes the side of the French colonists but later regrets his decision and wants to make amends. The postcolonial era has immense influence on Vietnamese screenwriters and the cinema industry in general. The controversies against a country set the mood for its patriotism. The harrowing stories movies and the general appeal to the nation stems from this source. Eventually, it contributes as a major factor in filmmaking as it is evident in the case of The Rebel. References Drummond, Lisa Barbara Welch, and Mandy Thomas, eds. Consuming urban culture in contemporary Vietnam. Psychology Press, 2003. Ezra, Elizabeth & Terry Rowden. Hollywood, Transnational. "General Introduction: What is Transnational Cinema?." (2006). Hamilton, Annette. "Renovated: Gender and Cinema in Contemporary Vietnam." Visual Anthropology 22.2-3 (2009): 141-154. Narkunas, J. Paul. "Streetwalking in the cinema of the city: capital flows through Saigon." Cinema and the City: Film and Urban Societies in a Global Context (2001): 147-157. Norindr, Panivong. "Aestheticizing urban space: Modernity in postcolonial Saigon and Hanoi." L'Esprit Créateur 41.3 (2001): 73-87. Read More