1547531
1547531

Descendants of Hai Ba Trung

1963-01-01 en 29m
“This film features the Vietnamese Army, referred to as "sons" of the famous Trung sisters of Vietnamese history” (US National Archives). "The film draws from Vietnamese mythology to allegorize South Vietnam’s struggle with the North, drawing connections between the Trung sisters’ heroic resistance to the Chinese invasion in 40 CE to the conflict the South faced. Many of its sequences reveal the fingerprints of USIA and the American imaginary of Vietnam, moving between sweeping pastoral shots, montages of military preparedness, and scenes of graphic simulated violence upon people of the South—making the film ultimately prowar. However, the documentary renders a complicated, almost paradoxical visual expression of homeland defense. Instead of framing victory as likely and death as something to avoid, the allusions to familiar mythology cosmically situate the South’s resistance as a tragic duty that spans the long history of their nation" (Vukoder and Gharabaghi).

Screenplay

Do Linh Thong

Cinematography

Bùi Sơn Duân

Editor

Nguyen Van Quy

Editor

Bui Nhi

Music

Ð. uŷ Lê Nhu Khôi

Sound

Trân Ðinh Lâm

Status

Released

Countries

    Companies

    • RVN Psychological Warfare Department
    • RVN Department of Defense