Controversy over war films is inevitable
In recent days, on social networks, some conflicting opinions surrounding the details of the movie "Red Rain" have received much attention.
Some viewers think that some details in the film are sensitive, which do not happen in real life. However, there are people protecting the crew because the film is inspired by the event of 81 days and nights of fighting to protect Quang Tri ancient citadel in 1972 and the characters in the film are all fictional.
Previously, many historical films of Vietnam such as "Dao, Pho and Piano" or "Dat rung Phuong Nam" also encountered controversies about historical fiction and the use of historical settings.
Sharing with Lao Dong reporter, film critic Nguyen Phong Viet commented that "Red Rain" is a film inspired by historical events, added to characters and stories to create appeal, drama and touch the emotions of the audience.
Evaluating the mixed opinions surrounding the film "Red Rain", Mr. Nguyen Phong Viet said that the controversy may come from the producer's communication method.
"At the beginning of the film, the producer noted that the details in the film are fictional. However, I think viewers have mixed views because during the communication process before the film was released, the producer leaned towards the idea that this was a film about a historical story in Quang Tri. Therefore, the communication message and the film's content have a difference in views.
Because films based on historical events are both fictional, historical films or films inspired by history are very different.
However, I think controversy is a good thing for the film. That shows that Vietnamese people are very interested in historical films. The film has more details, there are fictional characters, but it cannot be denied that Red Rain has still inspired a great deal, bringing a historical lesson for young people to be motivated to learn about the tragic period of the nation, and at the same time arouse patriotism in 2025, especially the expert shared.
The critic also emphasized that with world cinema, the question of choosing the accuracy or appeal when making historical films has also been a concern for filmmakers for decades.
When making historical films, filmmakers cannot avoid conflicting views.
The difficult problem of cinema
In major cinemas around the world, many war films are also embroiled in controversy over the authenticity of history.
The film "War and Peace" co-produced by the UK and the US, adapted from the novel of the same name by Russian playwright Lev Tolstoy, has attracted millions of viewers.
However, when this film was shown in Russia - the homeland of the novel series "War and Peace", it immediately faced negative reactions.
According to The Times, Russian film critics were disappointed and thought that the adaptation by British and American filmmakers was inaccurate and not close to the character depictions that Tolstoy had worked hard to build.
Many other war films such as " Panfilov's 28" produced in Russia, "Oppenheimer" and "The Hurt Locker" in the US... are controversial because of the stories and characters brought to the screen.
In Asian countries, historical films have also gone through many " matter of the wind" because of conflicting views.
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, many Korean historical films such as "'The Battleship Island", 'Operation Chromite' ... have been controversial because they contain elements of nationalism, causing Japanese audiences to react because of details related to the battle.
According to QQ, the series of historical films belonging to the Chinese classic category such as "Tam Quoc Dien Nghia" and "Thuy Hu" are all adapted from classic novels, fictionalized and have some details eliminated. These works all caused a stir, although they still faced controversy when compared to real historical events.
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According to The Conversation, two studies in the US and Australia show that audiences tend to trust scientific documents and works of academic historians rather than historical films.
Therefore, a historical drama is not necessarily a historical lesson, but a historical novel, bringing a true story into a historical reality.
In addition, historical films also play an important role in promoting traditional culture.
Professor Park Chan-seung of the Faculty of History, Hanyang University, said that historical films are fictional characters to avoid distorting history. Fictional characters give screenwriters more creative freedom.
The Guardian commented that it is difficult to consistently define how creativity in art is appropriate.
"Some countries have made efforts to define legal limits on how filmmakers handle history. The Central Film Certification Council of India has considered showing films with historical and war factors to historians for their censorship.
Obviously, this would be an imposition on the freedom of speech and expression of filmmakers, and at the same time, it would be costly, time-consuming and personal.
Moreover, it seems unfair to force filmmakers to listen to history, while history experts themselves often disagree with each other," The Guardian stated.
