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Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
Club Notice - 01/14/94 -- Vol. 12, No. 29
MEETINGS UPCOMING:
Unless otherwise stated, all meetings are in Middletown 1R-400C
Wednesdays at noon.
_D_A_T_E _T_O_P_I_C
01/26 Bookswap
02/16 Demo of Electronic Hugo and Nebula Anthology (MT 3D-441)
03/09 A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ by Walter M. Miller (Vividly Memorable SF)
Outside events:
The Science Fiction Association of Bergen County meets on the second
Saturday of every month in Upper Saddle River; call 201-933-2724 for
details. The New Jersey Science Fiction Society meets on the third
Saturday of every month in Belleville; call 201-432-5965 for details.
HO Chair: John Jetzt MT 2G-432 908-957-5087 holly!jetzt
LZ Chair: Rob Mitchell HO 1C-523 908-834-1267 holly!jrrt
MT Chair: Mark Leeper MT 3D-441 908-957-5619 mtgzfs3!leeper
HO Librarian: Nick Sauer HO 4F-427 908-949-7076 homxc!11366ns
LZ Librarian: Lance Larsen HO 2C-318 908-949-4156 quartet!lfl
MT Librarian: Mark Leeper MT 3D-441 908-957-5619 mtgzfs3!leeper
Factotum: Evelyn Leeper MT 1F-329 908-957-2070 mtgpfs1!ecl
All material copyright by author unless otherwise noted.
1. It has been a while since we have had a film festival and a call
from one of our usual attendees reminded me of that and shamed me
into it. This time we will be showing two very different films
taking place in the 11th and 20th Centuries, yet they are about the
same conflict. On Thursday, January 20, at 7 PM we will be showing
two films that pit Christians against Pagans. And I think they
both are quite good.
Christians vs. Pagans
THE WAR LORD (1965) dir. by Franklin Shaffner
THE WICKER MAN (1973) dir. by Robin Hardy
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In the 11th Century, Duke William of Ghent sent his most trusted
Norman knight to hold the fens of Normandy against raiders from the
sea and to root out the Druidic customs that are creeping back into
the land. In THE WAR LORD Chrysagon (Charlton Heston) makes the
mistake of bringing his jealous brother Draco (Dean Stockwell).
Draco begins to subtly subvert Chrysagon's rule and soon there is
more trouble than the war lord finds he can handle. Richard Boone
also co-stars. There are few enough films that are set in the
Middle Ages and this is actually a fairly accurate portrayal. It
is based on a play by Leslie Stevens, but in a genuine coup, the
filmmakers got short story writer John Collier to co-author the
screenplay. Collier's writing is terrific in his stories and he
bring the same cold wit to his screenplay. I have liked this film
for a long time, and friends who knew more about history than I
ever will tell me that they respect the film quite a bit. The
battle scenes are particularly realistic and well-directed and
there certainly is a gutsey feel of some of the sagas of the
period. And it certainly doesn't hurt to have a score by Jerome
Moross. I have wanted to show this film for years, but all I had
was a grungy copy off of television in my pre-cable days. Thank
goodness it finally came out on cassette this year.
THE WICKER MAN is a highly respected mystery with dark touches.
Edward Woodward plays a Scottish police inspector who comes to an
island off Scotland to investigate the reported disappearance of a
girl. He finds the islanders less than cooperative. Also to his
horror he discovers that under the rule of the lord of the island
(Christopher Lee) Summerisle has slipped back into the pagan
customs of ten centuries before. Can it be that the girl he has
come to find is actually intended to be a fertility sacrifice for
the crops? Inspector Howie, a devout Christian, finds himself
waging a battle that he thought had been won centuries before. The
intelligent screenplay is by Anthony Schaffer, author of _S_l_e_u_t_h.
Also starring are Britt Ekland and Ingrid Pitt. This film has
become a cult classic.
===================================================================
2. Good Reads (or Not So Good!) (book reviews by Dale L. Skran
Jr.):
This "batch review" covers what I like to call "good reads"--novels
that are not "great" and not Hugo quality, but are still enjoyable
in the same way as an Agatha Christie novel. As you can see from
the titles, most of them fall under the heading of military SF or
"dark fantasy." I also cover novels that I expected to be "good
reads" but fell short, along with some other "turkeys" that have
pretensions of grandeur.
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_B_l_o_o_d _V_e_n_g_e_a_n_c_e: _A _W_a_r _W_o_r_l_d _N_o_v_e_l created by Jerry Pournelle, with
S. M. Stirling, Judith Tarr, Susan Shwartz, and Harry Turtledove
(Baen Books, 1994): Welcome again to one of the longer running
shared worlds in military SF. A tremendous level of balkanization
has been achieved when we discover that a sub-genre of "shared-
worlds" military SF exists. The good news is that the presence of
other writers (especially women), allows the story to get past the
embarrassing prejudice Pournelle is famous for--read _J_a_n_i_s_s_a_r_i_e_s
for some examples. Pournelle is constitutionally incapable of
having a strong or truly independent female character, but with
Shwartz and Tarr writing the script in Pournelle's bloody backdrop
we get Sigrid, the female Sauron Cyborg as one of the main
characters.
I have been a more or less faithful follower of the war world
series since its inception. Also, I have a confession to make--I
am rooting for the Saurons. Okay, so they did nuke the whole
planet back to the stone age so they could have a monopoly on
advanced technology, and so they charge outrageous payments for
birthing rights in the high-pressure Shangri-la valley, the only
place on Haven where children can be born healthy on this low-
pressure planet. Still, they are hated as much for being gene-
engineered as for being tyrannical, and they are an interesting
bunch of villains.
The early volumes follow events as the Saurons from the Dol Guldur
establish themselves following their narrow escape from the Empire
of Man. The Saurons are gene-engineered supermen, bred to be the
ideal soldiers. However, their hubris led them to an apocalyptic
battle with the Empire of Man, a war that left few survivors on
either side.
Used for centuries as a dumping ground by the Co-Dominium (the US
and the USSR teamed up in the 90s), Haven is a mean place, full of
odd-balls and trouble-makers, including Jews, Arabs, old
Communists, etc. The Saurons think they have it all under control,
but the "cattle" fight back, and over the centuries, acquire a few
of the Sauron genes for themselves.
In _B_l_o_o_d _F_e_u_d_s, the background is set for a massive planet-wide
revolt against the arrogant Saurons. Unfortunately, I lost
interest in the confusing story line as it meandered from one
culture to another, each with an odd argot. In _B_l_o_o_d _V_e_n_g_e_a_n_c_e the
story line is clearer, and has more Sauron characters. _B_l_o_o_d
_V_e_n_g_e_a_n_c_e is interesting both as a military fiction, with a
refreshing focus on both the strategic and the tactical view
instead of David Drake's insufferably dull focus on small-unit
tactics, and as a tale of genetic warfare, as both the HaBandari
and the Saurons try to gain some advantage over each other in the
next generation.
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It is possible to complain about the background of this story,
which inherits the inconsistent technology of the
CoDominium/Falkenberg universe Pournelle created with faster than
light travel and interstellar warfare, but where other technologies
(biotech, AI) have had very little effect on human society or
government. On the other hand, maybe human gene engineering will
take five hundred years to reach the level practiced by the
Saurons. My real complaint is that the maps in this series are
terrible. I really really wish they would include maps that
mention _a_l_l the places where fighting takes place, and not just
Shangri-La Valley, where in fact very little fighting takes place
at all. Overall, (ignoring the silly cover showing a fiendish
Sauron and a bouncy HaBandari Babe), _B_l_o_o_d _V_e_n_g_e_a_n_c_e is a good
read, and will keep me coming back as long as Pournelle stays away.
Recommended to fans of Pournelle, H. Beam Piper, Dickson, Anderson,
military SF, Rudyard Kipling, and those interested in tales of
genetic engineering.
_M_o_r_e _T_h_a_n _F_i_r_e by Philip Jose Farmer (Tor, 1993, SF Book Club
Edition): In _M_o_r_e _T_h_a_n _F_i_r_e Farmer returns us once again to pure
paranoid action fiction of the type he does best as Kickahi, born
the human Paul Janus Finnigan, hunts and is hunted by his arch
enemy, the Lord and maker of Terra (our Earth) and the World of
Tiers, Red Orc, across a complex series of artificial universes and
traps, in the company of his beloved Anana the Bright, another
immortal Lord. Unlike the previous book in the series, _T_h_e
_L_a_v_a_l_i_t_e _W_o_r_l_d, where it appeared Farmer's imagination had begun to
flag, _M_o_r_e _T_h_a_n _F_i_r_e keeps the ball rolling and the action moving.
Deep thought is not what is called for, as our hero escapes one
bizarre trap after another set for them ry the ancient and cruel
Lords. In the end (apparently) Red Orc meets his match, although
there are just enough loose sends to sustain a final novel in the
series if Farmer wants to write one. The dust jacket claims this
is the conclusion of the "epic series" that began with _T_h_e _M_a_k_e_r _o_f
_U_n_i_v_e_r_s_e_s, but I wouldn't bet on it!
Recommended to fans of Van Vogt, Farmer, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and
the World of Tiers Series.
P.S.: The other volumes are: _T_h_e _G_a_t_e_s _o_f _C_r_e_a_t_i_o_n, _A _P_r_i_v_a_t_e
_C_o_s_m_o_s, _B_e_h_i_n_d _t_h_e _W_a_l_l_s _o_f _T_e_r_r_a, and _T_h_e _L_a_v_a_l_i_t_e _W_o_r_l_d.
_W_a_r_h_a_m_m_e_r _4_0,_0_0_0: _I_n_q_u_i_s_i_t_o_r by Ian Watson (GW Books, 1991): This
is one of those books that seems to have come from the middle of an
interesting series, although the jacket claims this is "Book 1 in
the Inquisition War Series." Written by Ian Watson, this book
reminds me so much of Iain Banks's dark space operas (_C_o_n_s_i_d_e_r
_P_h_l_e_b_a_s, _U_s_e _o_f _W_e_a_p_o_n_s, and _A_g_a_i_n_s_t _a _D_a_r_k _B_a_c_k_g_r_o_u_n_d) that I
THE MT VOID Page 5
frequently confuse the authors. In _W_a_r_h_a_m_m_e_r we leap into a dimly
lit paranoid future as the renegade Inquisitor Jaq Draco of the
Ordo Malleus (Secret Order of the Daemon Hunters) in the year
40,000 struggles to protect the emperor against assorted daemons
and traitors.
Watson is deft and imaginative although a bit bloody-minded for
some. _I_n_q_u_i_s_i_t_o_r keeps you turning the pages, even if you find
yourself wanting to skip the numerous disturbing illustrations that
remind me of those used for the original version of Jack Vance's
_T_h_e _D_r_a_g_o_n _M_a_s_t_e_r_s. Much like _M_o_r_e _T_h_a_n _F_i_r_e, _I_n_q_u_i_s_i_t_o_r is pure
paranoia fiction, where nothing can be trusted, although far more
literate. Watson's brilliant fantasy feels like SF--or is it SF
that feels like fantasy? _I_n_q_u_i_s_i_t_o_r is packaged like cheap role-
playing game fiction, but is of much higher quality.
Recommended to fans of dark fantasy, dark space opera, Iain Banks,
and _D_u_n_e (which it slightly resembles). Readers are warned that
Watson's tale contains scenes of violence and bodily transformation
that may offend some. This is the first Ian Watson book I've read,
and I'm willing to come back for more in the future.
_L_e_g_i_o_n _o_f _t_h_e _D_a_m_n_e_d by William C. Dietz (Ace, 1993): Every once in
a while I take a chance on a new author, and one day Dietz got
elected. Here he spins a tale of a future foreign legion made up
of condemned criminals who are given the choice of death or life as
a cyborg in the Legion. This readable tale has the broad scope of
battle so often lacking in David Drake's tired stories of platoon
level action. Although not really original or memorable, _L_e_g_i_o_n _o_f
_t_h_e _D_a_m_n_e_d keeps the pages turning. I'd be happy to read another
book by Dietz.
Recommended to fans of Pournelle, Dickson, H. Beam Piper, _W_e _A_l_l
_D_i_e_d _a_t _B_r_e_a_k_a_w_a_y _S_t_a_t_i_o_n, Rudyard Kipling, the French Foreign
Legion, Drake, Elizabeth Moon, _W_a_r _W_o_r_l_d, _T_h_e_r_e _W_i_l_l _B_e _W_a_r, and
military SF in general. Got the message? Peaceniks verboten!
_R_o_g_u_e _W_a_r_r_i_o_r by Richard Marcinko with John Weisman (Pocket Star,
1992): _R_o_g_u_e _W_a_r_r_i_o_r is just as much a page-turner war story as
anything in the "War World" series. Unfortunately, the world is
Earth, and the war is Vietnam. Marcinko, currently in jail on
various fraud charges, tells the tail of his military exploits from
his early days crawling through the Mekong Delta killing Cong to
his leadership of SEAL Team Six and finally to the legendary Red
Cell, a group dedicated to testing the security of U.S. facilities
by breaking into them.
Surely self-serving, _R_o_g_u_e _W_a_r_r_i_o_r is certainly entertaining and
educational. My major insight after reading this book was that the
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U.S. relies far too much on "team bonding" to produce soldiers.
The SEALs partying, drinking, and eating lobsters together before
going out to play tag with the Cong may produce good results in the
short term, but it ultimately ties military success too closely to
"being a man" and "winning the game." This allows the "players" to
obscure the fact that war is not a game, and that winning it does
not make you a man. The Cong relied on ideology and nationalist
spirit for the most part, and they seemed to perform well enough.
Most of the U.S. military's current difficulties with gays and
women stem from the "manly team bonding" approach to building an
army. This might be a good time to stop treating war as a game
that boys play to prove they are men, and start treating it as
something adults do when they must, something that is carried to
whatever conclusion is necessary for survival.
Recommended to SEAL fans and fans of military SF.
_B_l_o_o_d _B_r_o_t_h_e_r_s by Brian Lumley (Tor, 1992): If you've been
following the story of Harry Keogh as told in the five volume
"Necroscope" series, you'll like this. Otherwise, it may be a bit
difficult for the uninitiated to follow. _B_l_o_o_d _B_r_o_t_h_e_r_s takes
place after Harry's "Death" and expands our understanding of the
world of the Wamphyri. The brothers are his sons, and one, of
course, becomes a vampire, while the other struggles to re-discover
for himself the awesome powers of the Necroscope bequeathed to him
by his father. _B_l_o_o_d _B_r_o_t_h_e_r_s will keep me coming back for the next
book in the series, but mileage may vary.
Recommended to fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs, vampire stories,
Lumley, and the Necroscope Series. Contains some scenes of
splatter-punk style horror.
_L_i_a_r'_s _O_a_t_h by Elizabeth Moon (Baen Books, 1992): Elizabeth Moon
returns us to the early days of her Gird universe, long before
Paksenarrion became a Paladin. In this early tale, Luap, the
Mage-born bastard son of the King seeks to find a safe haven from
the normals. Unfortunately he wakens an ancient horror, and is
less than successful at creating the safe haven. A readable tale,
and of special interest to those who have read the other tales in
the life of Paks (_S_h_e_e_p_f_a_r_m_e_r'_s _D_a_u_g_h_t_e_r, _D_i_v_i_d_e_d _A_l_l_e_g_i_a_n_c_e, _O_a_t_h
_o_f _G_o_l_d) and the other early Gird story (_S_u_r_r_e_n_d_e_r _N_o_n_e: _T_h_e _L_e_g_a_c_y
_o_f _G_i_r_d), but not especially interesting or compelling.
Recommended mainly to those who really liked the Paks/Gird stories.
_A_t_h_y_r_a by Steven Brust (Ace, 1993): The tale of Vlad Taltos
continues, but I'm wishing Brust would call it quits soon. By the
device of introducing a new, naive character and letting Vlad
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function as a mainly off-stage mover and shaker, a readable tale is
produced. However, the energy and interest of the Taltos Tales is
not present.
Not really recommended, but I did read it.
_T_h_e _P_h_o_e_n_i_x _G_u_a_r_d_s by Steven Brust (Tor, 1991):
In this over-long tale, Brust produces a prequel to the Vlad Taltos
series in the style of Dumas. I read it, but at 491 pages the
reader spends a lot of time trudging through the tale. I really
hope Brust gets a better new idea, and _s_o_o_n!
Not really recommended, but fans of Brust and Dumas might find it
somewhat interesting.
_T_h_e _N_i_n_e_t_y _T_r_i_l_l_i_o_n _F_a_u_s_t_s by Jack Chalker (Ace, 1991): Chalker
continues his extended tale of daemon-like aliens and competing
alien cultures in this third volume, following _T_h_e _D_a_e_m_o_n_s _a_t
_R_a_i_n_b_o_w _B_r_i_d_g_e and _T_h_e _R_u_n _t_o _C_h_a_o_s _K_e_e_p. Definitely interesting,
it keeps the pages turning as rival bands of explorers seek to
survive. However, it is difficult to justify reading this series-
-airport fodder!
Recommended to Chalker fans, fans of alien cultures, and people
stranded in airports.
_S_t_r_a_n_g_e_r _S_u_n_s by George Zebrowski: Zebrowski, a Clarkian sense-of-
wonder author best known for _M_a_c_r_o_l_i_f_e, a tale of the future
evolution of humanity from space colonists to universal mind,
brings us _S_t_r_a_n_g_e_r _S_u_n_s, a galaxy-spanning story of scientists
exploring a web interstellar tunnels that lead from planet to
planet, or is it from universe to universe? An interesting and
well-written tale of the old-fashioned kind, but not of the same
scope and interest as _M_a_c_r_o_l_i_f_e.
Recommended to fans of Clarke, Asimov, Sheffield, Zebrowski, hard
SF, and sense of wonder tales.
_S_t_a_t_i_o_n_s _o_f _t_h_e _T_i_d_e by Michael Swanwick (Avon, 1991): I was
greatly disappointed in this previous Hugo and Nebula nominee. I
have enjoyed some of Swanwick's previous work, but I found this mix
of magic and nanotech at once confusing, overcomplex,
unimaginative, pointless, and unoriginal. Swanwick can write, and
brief sections of this book are haunting, but overall the reader is
lost, and a coherent, interesting story is not forthcoming. I
clearly am on a different wavelength from many (who nominated this,
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anyway?), but I knew that already.
Not recommended to anyone--there is so much better SF out there
that I am astounded that this got nominated for anything.
_B_o_n_e _D_a_n_c_e by Emma Bull (Ace, 1991): This came highly recommended,
but basically I read it as a nuclear-war fiction completist.
Although a lot (and I mean a _l_o_t) more readable than _S_t_a_t_i_o_n_s _o_f
_t_h_e _T_i_d_e, _B_o_n_e _D_a_n_c_e was not to my liking. Bull can write, but the
ideas (fantasy and SF) in _B_o_n_e _D_a_n_c_e were old in the 50s, and she
adds very little new. _B_o_n_e _D_a_n_c_e seems to be an example of how
style alone cannot create a good novel--there must be new ideas.
Also, the magical excursions slow down the novel, and distract
attention from the somewhat interesting (but not original--see
Heinlein's _T_h_e _P_u_p_p_e_t _M_a_s_t_e_r_s for a much more interesting
treatment) SF ideas. I am feeling a bit guilty that I have been
overly harsh in this capsule review. Emma Bull clearly has writing
talent, but doesn't seem to be interested in writing what I want to
read.
Not recommended except to post-nuclear war completists and fans of
Emma Bull.
_T_h_e _M_i_n_d _P_o_o_l by Charles Sheffield (Baen, 1993): This is an updated
version of _T_h_e _N_i_m_r_o_d _H_u_n_t with a different ending. I have never
read _T_h_e _N_i_m_r_o_d _H_u_n_t, but I felt I should mention this so you can
avoid it if you _h_a_v_e read _T_h_e _N_i_m_r_o_d _H_u_n_t, although Sheffield
claims this is revised and has a different ending.
I started this, stopped for a long time, and then finished. This
is lesser (maybe least) Sheffield. It lacks the clarity and thrust
of _S_i_g_h_t _o_f _P_r_o_t_e_u_s or _T_h_e _M_c_A_n_d_r_e_w _C_h_r_o_n_i_c_l_e_s. Sheffield, at his
best, is not a very good writer, and _T_h_e _M_i_n_d _P_o_o_l is not his best.
_T_h_e _M_i_n_d _P_o_o_l is over-long and overly complex, ponderous in the
telling, and full of 50s style SF scenes and ideas, including a
disturbing hint of Jack Chalker's "too-many-aliens" style.
Not recommended to anyone but Sheffield completists.
===================================================================
3. THE CANARY TRAINER by Nicholas Meyer (Norton, ISBN 0-393-03608-
1, 1993, 224pp, US$19.95) (a book review by Evelyn C. Leeper):
This is the third of Nicholas Meyer's Sherlock Holmes pastiches.
The first two were _T_h_e _S_e_v_e_n-_P_e_r-_C_e_n_t _S_o_l_u_t_i_o_n and _T_h_e _W_e_s_t _E_n_d
_H_o_r_r_o_r, and they are the most widely known of all the pastiches.
But though Meyer is very popular, he is not the best of the current
Holmes biographers.
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For one thing, he has chosen an already existing plot, that of
Gaston Leroux's _P_h_a_n_t_o_m _o_f _t_h_e _O_p_e_r_a. Telling you this is not
really a spoiler, since Monsieur Leroux shows up on page 48. The
title is a bit deceptive, however, since the title leads the
browser to believe that the story is based on the reference to
"Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer" at the beginning of "The
Adventure of Black Peter." And then he insists on including Irene
Adler (introduced on page 60). I must admit here to having a
strong negative reaction to the inclusion of Irene Adler in a
Sherlock Holmes pastiche--everyone and their cousin seems to feel
obliged to do it. (Maybe the publisher--Norton--insisted on her
inclusion.)
Meyer has great fun in the footnotes commenting on various mistakes
and inconsistencies in the original stories by Doyle. But he
leaves his own trail of errors. Most obvious of all is the
misspelling of Puccini's name in the footnote on page 145. Is the
art of proof-reading dead? The other major blooper is a dual one,
and strictly Meyer's fault. On page 113, he claims that Bizet
invented the word "toreador" because he need an extra syllable over
"matador." First of all, the _O_x_f_o_r_d _E_n_g_l_i_s_h _D_i_c_t_i_o_n_a_r_y lists
instances of "toreador" as early as 1613, so Bizet could hardly
have invented it. And secondly, Bizet wrote the _m_u_s_i_c for _C_a_r_m_e_n-
-the words were by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy. (And while
we're nitpicking, it should have had its "premiere" described on
page 61, not its "premier.")
Holmes seemed fairly unnecessary in this story. Though he is the
narrator, he does very little to affect the events that occur.
This isn't too surprising, since he doesn't appear at all in
Leroux's version--nor is there any explanation here of why he
doesn't. Doyle would have at least made a passing note that
Holmes's part in the events was hushed up for security reasons or
some such. True, it took place during The Great Hiatus, but by the
time Leroux published, this was moot. And the ending is truly a
deus ex machina.
Leroux did an excellent job with this story in 1911. Adding
Sherlock Holmes to it improves neither the story nor Holmes.
===================================================================
4. HEAVEN AND EARTH (a film review by Mark R. Leeper):
Capsule review: A true chronicle of forty years in
the life of a Vietnamese woman whose country and
whose life are torn apart by the war. For once
Oliver Stone recognizes that it wasn't just the
Americans committing atrocities in the war. And
subtly, he also seems to argue with the main
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character of the film. I like this the best of
Stone's Vietnam films. Rating: +2 (-4 to +4)
Film critics seem to be asking themselves what went wrong with the
third film in Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy. After two films they
loved he has failed in his third. Frankly, I do not understand
their reaction. For my money the other two films have much greater
flaws than _H_e_a_v_e_n _a_n_d _E_a_r_t_h. Perhaps because this film is told
from the point of view of a Vietnamese, I think it gives a much
better view of what the war was all about. For once in a film that
this was not a war in which just Americans were to blame, there is
plenty of blame to go around to all involved. It is a powerful
view of the dilemmas faced by the Vietnamese people. This true
story has the sweep of forty years of turbulent history filled with
tragedy and horror.
When Le Ly (Hiep Thi Le) remembers her home when she was a little
girl she remembers it as the most beautiful village in the world.
And it certainly appears to be. We see an almost idyllic life of
hard work and spiritual joy. Then the French come to Vietnam to
fight a war, but it still seems to affect the village little until
some Vietcong come to recruit soldiers. Their simple appeal for
national unity wins the sympathy of village for Vietcong. Against
her father's wishes, Le Ly's mother sends her two sons to fight
with the Vietcong. That sets into motion a course of events that
will shape the next forty years of Le Ly's life. The South
Vietnamese army suspect Le Ly's family of sympathies with the North
and arrest and torture Le Ly in some extremely harrowing scenes.
Le Ly's mother bribes the South Vietnamese officials to release Le
Ly only to see her arrested by the Vietcong for suspected
complicity with the South. The Vietcong, she finds, are little if
any better than the South Vietnamese government. A short stint as
a servant in a rich household leaves her pregnant and penniless,
and she must turn to the streets of Da Nang to earn her living.
Eventually she will fall in love with an American soldier who will
marry her and take her to California where her life's tragedies
will continue. Perhaps there is where the critics are disliking
the film since the American household melodrama falls into cliche,
but even there it is the tragedy of the war that pursues her.
_H_e_a_v_e_n _a_n_d _E_a_r_t_h is based on Le Ly Hayslip's two autobiographies
_W_h_e_n _H_e_a_v_e_n _a_n_d _E_a_r_t_h _C_h_a_n_g_e_d _P_l_a_c_e_s and _C_h_i_l_d _o_f _W_a_r, _W_o_m_a_n _o_f
_P_e_a_c_e. It is ironic that in this story of how a Vietnamese woman
is exploited and abused, Hiep Thi Le, who plays Le Ly and who must
be on-screen for more than 90% of the film gets only fourth
billing. Top billing goes to Tommy Lee Jones who certainly does a
fine job as Le Ly's disturbed husband, but it really is Hiep Thi
Le's film. Second and third billing go to Joan Chen and Haing S.
Ngor as Le Ly's parents.
THE MT VOID Page 11
The photography of the Vietnamese countryside is just spectacular
making Le Ly's claim of the most beautiful village believable.
Creative, if gimmicky, camerawork is also used to show Le Ly's
first reactions to her new American home with its pandemonium from
the family dogs and its huge refrigerator stocked from a grocery
aisle that looks like a fjord. The score by the Japanese composer
Kitaro is a little overpowering at times, but the music by itself
is actually quite good.
There are definitely unexpected touches in the script. Late in the
film Le Ly herself gives in to a Buddhist belief in not challenging
fate but just going with it, yet clearly the film shows her agony
at being buffeted by fate without fighting it. Each time she does
take a step to fight her apparent fate she gains a new set of
problems but each time they seems less painful than the situation
she is escaping. When she returns to the village at the end of the
film, she is deciding it may have been better to submit to fate,
but it is clear that she has improved her state a great deal in
some ways over what it would have been had she stayed in the
village. It is almost as if Stone--who wrote the screenplay as
well as directed--is subtly arguing with the real Le Ly. It is
clear also that Stone does not care so much for the Buddhist
priests that Le Ly goes to for advice casting at least one as a
charlatan.
Overall I found this story moving and at times wrenching. In spite
of some negative reactions by some of the critics I think that
Oliver Stone has made his best film about Vietnam. I give it a +2
on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark Leeper
MT 3D-441 908-957-5619
leeper@mtgzfs3.att.com
Who lives in fear will never be a free man.
-- Horace
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