The Scent of Green Papaya

The Scent of Green Papaya (Vietnamese: Mùi đu đủ xanh, French: L'Odeur de la papaye verte) is a 1993 Vietnamese-language film produced in France by Lazennec Production, directed by Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung, and starring Tran Nu Yên-Khê, Man San Lu, and Thi Loc Truong.[2]

The Scent of Green Papaya
Directed byTran Anh Hung
Produced byChristophe Rossignon
Written byTran Anh Hung
Music byTôn-Thât Tiêt
CinematographyBenoît Delhomme
Edited byNicole Dedieu
Jean-Pierre Roques
Distributed byPrésident Films
Release date
  • June 8, 1993 (1993-06-08)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageVietnamese
Box office$1,700,992[1]

The film won the Caméra d'Or prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival,[3] a César Award for Best Debut at the French annual film award ceremony, and was nominated for the 1993 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[4] The Scent of Green Papaya is Tran Anh Hung's first feature film and stars his wife, Tran Nu Yên-Khê. The film is also the director's first collaboration with Vietnamese composer Tôn-Thât Tiêt who would subsequently write the music for two more films: Cyclo and Vertical Ray of the Sun.

Although set in Vietnam, the film was shot entirely on a soundstage in Boulogne, France.

Plot

A young girl, Mùi, becomes a servant for a rich family. Mùi is notably peaceful and curious about the world. The family consists of a frequently absent husband, a wife, an older son, two younger sons, and the husband's mother. When the husband leaves for his fourth and final time, he takes all the household's money. He returns ill and passes away shortly after.

Ten years later, the family falls on hard times. Two sons have left and the wife has taken the place of the grandmother upstairs, rarely seen and tragic. Although the wife now realizes she considered Mùi one of her own, Mùi changes homes. She becomes a servant for a pianist who was a friend of the older son when they were younger. That man is engaged to be married, but he prefers playing the piano to spending time with his fiancée. One night, as the fiancée chatters on, his piano playing becomes more and more stormy as he ignores her. When she leaves she watches through the window. As Mùi comes into the room, his music becomes more harmonious. Later that night, the pianist goes to Mùi's quarters after dark and closes the door behind him. When the fiancée learns of this, the engagement is broken. The pianist starts teaching Mùi to read and write as well as to behave as a lady. In the end, pregnant Mùi reads poetry to her husband, her unborn child, and the wife of her original household.

Cast
  • Tran Nu Yên-Khê as Mui Age 20 (as Trân Nu Yên-Khê)
  • Man San Lu as Mui Age 10
  • Thi Loc Truong as La mère (as Truong Thi Lôc)
  • Anh Hoa Nguyen as La vieille Ti (as Nguyên 'Anh Hoa)
  • Hoa Hoi Vuong as Khuyen (as Vuong Hòa Hôi)
  • Ngoc Trung Tran as Le père
  • Vantha Talisman as Thu
  • Keo Souvannavong as Trung
  • Van Oanh Nguyen as Mr. Thuan
  • Gerard Neth as Tin
  • Nhat Do as Lam
  • Thi Hai Vo as La grand-mère
  • Thi Thanh Tra Nguyen as Mai
  • Lam Huy Bui as Le médecin
  • Xuan Thu Nguyen as L'antiquaire
  • Xuan Loi Phan as Musiciens
  • Xuan Dung Phan as Musiciens
  • Van Chung Le as Musiciens
  • Tho Phuong as Le coiffeur
  • Long Chau as Clientes
  • Thi Van Khanh Truong as Clientes
  • Hông Hanh Luguern as Clientes
  • Ba Hang Phan as Le livreur d'eau[5]

Reception

Year-end lists

Awards and nominations
  • 1993 Cannes Film Festival Award of the Youth French Film (Anh Hung Tran) Won
  • 1993 Cannes Film Festival Golden Camera Award (Anh Hung Tran) Won
  • 1993 Camerimage Golden Frog Award Nomination (Benoît Delhomme)
  • 1994 Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
  • 1994 British Film Institute Award Sutherland Trophy (Anh Hung Tran) Won
  • 1994 César Award for Best First Work (Anh Hung Tran) Won[8]
gollark: Why?
gollark: We could probably do this. Just make the moon transparent to matter and deorbit it.
gollark: What if the moon phases through them?
gollark: Werewolves (bad).
gollark: No.

See also

References
  1. "The Scent of Green Papaya". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  2. "The Scent of Green Papaya". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  3. "Mui Du Du Xanh". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  4. "The 66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  5. "Full cast and crew for The Scent of Green Papaya". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  6. Strauss, Bob (December 30, 1994). "At the Movies: Quantity Over Quality". Los Angeles Daily News (Valley ed.). p. L6.
  7. Elliott, David (December 25, 1994). "On the big screen, color it a satisfying time". The San Diego Union-Tribune (1, 2 ed.). p. E=8.
  8. "Awards for The Scent of Green Papaya". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
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