Green Dragon | |
---|---|
Directed by | Timothy Linh Bui |
Written by | Timothy Linh Bui Tony Bui |
Produced by | Tony Bui Tajamika Paxton Elie Samaha Andrew Stevens |
Starring | Patrick Swayze Forest Whitaker Don Duong Hiep Thi Le Billinjer C. Tran Trung Nguyen Kieu Chinh |
Cinematography | Kramer Morgenthau |
Edited by | Leo Trombetta |
Music by | Jeff Danna Mychael Danna |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English Vietnamese |
Green Dragon is a 2001 American war drama film directed by Timothy Linh Bui and starring Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker and Duong Don. [1]
The film follows the experience of Vietnamese refugees in the United States immediately following the Fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. Tai Tran has been appointed the camp translator by Gunnery Sgt. Jim Lance. He has arrived with his sister's two young children. Their mother is believed to have been lost in the rush to leave Vietnam.
Despite the despair of leaving Vietnam and having to live in an unfamiliar United States, many of the occupants make adjustments. Minh is silent and solitary until he meets Addie, the camp's cook. They embark on a friendship to the point where Minh is drawn out of his shell. Meanwhile, Tai and his friend Duc find themselves enamored with two female refugees. Tai falls for Thuy Hoa, the daughter of a discredited Vietnamese general. Duc falls back in love with a former girlfriend from Vietnam who is an unhappily married second wife.
There were open casting calls for actors and actresses in Orange County, California and San Jose, California.
Don Duong had been cast in Tony Bui's 1999 acclaimed film Three Seasons as Hai. Impressed by his work in the film, Timothy Bui asked him to play Tai.
Initially, Bui did not want Patrick Swayze for the role of Jim Lance due to fears that his big name would overshadow the story and message of the small film. However, upon meeting Swayze he changed his mind, as Swayze related to Bui his complete understanding of the film.
The story was written by Bui's younger brother Tony Bui. Both of the brothers came to the United States with their family in 1975, as refugees from Vietnam. [4]
The setting of the film is Camp Pendleton in Southern California, where the movie was also filmed. [5]
Green Dragon held its premiere on January 19, 2001 at the Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.
The film received primarily positive reviews although many contended that the film was so sentimental that details were lost. In The New York Times , film critic Dave Kehr wrote that the film was, "not a pernicious film, but simply one that tugs too tenaciously at the heartstrings." [6] Variety praised the actors, "Swayze and Whitaker are effective without especially stretching their acting range, while Duong, who co-starred with Harvey Keitel in "Three Seasons," brings solemn understatement and warmth that serve his role well." However, they criticized the film for its director who "zeros in too unrelentingly on the innocent faces of the two children, the development of the Addie/Minh bond feels calculatedly heartwarming and dialogue too often sounds agenda-driven." [7]
Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austin Film Festival | 2001 | Best Advance Screening | Tony Bui & Timothy Linh Bui | Won | [8] |
Humanitas Prize | 2001 | Best Independent Feature Film | Won | [9] | |
Political Film Society | 2003 | PFS Award for Exposé | Green Dragon | Nominated | [10] |
Sundance Film Festival | 2001 | Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Film | Timothy Linh Bui | Nominated | [11] |
Young Artist Award | 2003 | Best Performance in Film By a Young Actor Age Ten & Under | Trung Hieu Nguyen | Nominated | [12] |
Kieu Chinh is a Vietnamese-American actress, producer, humanitarian, lecturer and philanthropist.
Tony Bui is a Vietnamese-born American independent film director in the U.S., most famous for his 1999 film Three Seasons, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and became the first film to win both an Audience Award and a Grand Jury Prize. The film was based on Bui's own experiences dealing with the changing landscape and people of his ancestral home of Vietnam. The film starred Harvey Keitel.
The cinema of Vietnam originates in the 1920s and was largely influenced by wars that have been fought in the country from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Bùi Đơn Dương, known in his films as Đơn Dương, was a Vietnamese film actor, who emigrated to the United States in 2003. He began acting in 1982 and has appeared in over 50 feature films. He won the Best Vietnamese Actor award for his role in the 1992 Vietnamese film Dấu Ấn của Quỷ. The 1996 film Cỏ Lau, in which he also acted, won Best Picture at the Vietnamese National Film Festival.
Paris By Night 82: Tiếu Vương Hội is a Paris By Night program that was filmed at Studio 40 of the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto, Canada on Saturday, March 25, 2006. It is one of Thúy Nga's "private" shows, as in, limited seats are available, and some are only invited guests only.
Timothy Linh Bui is a Vietnamese-born American filmmaker, film producer, and screenwriter. He directed Green Dragon, and co-wrote and produced Three Seasons.
Paris By Night 91: Huế, Sài Gòn, Hà Nội is a Paris By Night program produced by Thúy Nga that was filmed at the Terrace Theater at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center on January 12, 2008 and January 13, 2008.
Vietnam's Next Top Model, Cycle 3 is the third season of Vietnam's Next Top Model. The season premiered on August 19, 2012 on VTV3.
The Hồ Chí Minh Prize is an honorary award given by the government of Vietnam in recognition of cultural and/or scientific achievement. The prize was established by decree in 1981, and has been awarded in 1996, 2000, 2005 and 2012, often posthumously. The prize is named for Ho Chi Minh, who was Chairman and founder of the Workers' Party of Vietnam, that is considered one of the highest honors bestowed by Vietnam.
Nguyễn Bằng Kiều, is a Vietnamese ballad singer.
The HUS High School for Gifted Students, commonly known as High School for Gifted Students of Science, is a specialized, most-selective public magnet school of VNU University of Science, a member of Vietnam National University, Hanoi system. The school serves as a national educational institution to nurture talented Vietnamese students who excelled at natural sciences. The largest percentage of its graduates attend the most prestigious universities in Vietnam.
Vietnam Television, sometimes also unofficially known as the National Television, Saigon Television or Channel 9, was one of two national television broadcasters in South Vietnam from February 7, 1966, until just before the Fall of Saigon on April 29, 1975. It was the first television broadcaster in Vietnam.
The tradition of photography started in the 19th century in Vietnam and has since then given rise to modern photography and photojournalism into the 20th century.
The 8th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) was elected at the 8th CPV National Congress. It elected the 8th Politburo and the 8th Secretariat.
The 5th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) was elected at the 5th CPV National Congress. It elected the 5th Politburo and the 5th Secretariat.
The 4th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) was elected at the 4th CPV National Congress. It elected the 4th Politburo and the 4th Secretariat.
The 2nd Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Vietnam (WPV) was elected at the 2nd WPV National Congress. It elected the 2nd Politburo and the 2nd Secretariat.
Ryan Ha is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for V.League 1 club Hanoi FC.