Huge investment but not as expected
Recently, the movie “Cong Tu Bac Lieu” was officially released with the setting in the 90s in the southern provinces. The movie is inspired by the famous anecdote of the character known as “the world’s number one playboy”. The movie is about Ba Hon (played by Song Luan), the son of Mr. Hoi Dong Linh (played by Thanh Loc), the first banker in Vietnam. Born into a family with a huge fortune, Ba Hon spent money on entertainment and debauchery. Therefore, the movie builds lavish scenes with a series of costumes for the characters that change constantly. According to the crew, 300 costumes in the movie were newly produced, including 100 suits, 150 ao dai and 50 ao ba ba.
While the characters of the two young masters, Ba Hon and Tu Phat, are associated with black and white suits, the costumes of the female actors, Bay Loan (played by Doan Thien An) and Miss Sau (played by Kaity Nguyen), are considered to be chaotic and colorful. The ao dai designs are commented to be cumbersome, inappropriately varied, and create a feeling of “mixed soup”.
In response to these controversies, director Ly Minh Thang said that the crew had researched and collected documents on costumes of the six provinces of Cochinchina in the 1920s and 1930s. However, the crew decided to add creative elements to make it easier for young audiences to access: “The crew hopes that when watching the film, the audience will not only admire the ancient values but also have the feeling of experiencing it in that space. So in terms of costumes, the ratio between research and creativity will be balanced. The crew will also accept and listen to all comments from the audience and learn from experience.”
This is not the first time a Vietnamese film has been criticized for its overly elaborate costumes that do not match the setting. In 2021, the film “Kieu” by director Mai Thanh Huyen was heavily criticized for the fact that the costumes of almost all the characters were not suitable for the setting despite the large investment in budget.
For example, the costumes of Hoan Thu (played by Cao Thai Ha) were judged to be too luxurious. Although she was only a young lady, Hoan Thu's costumes resembled those of a high-ranking concubine. In particular, Thuy Kieu's costumes were severely criticized.
The crew’s decision to let Thuy Kieu wear a yellow costume was considered unreasonable, because at that time yellow was the color reserved for royalty, while Kieu was just a girl who had “been in a brothel twice, and worn a green dress twice”. Besides the costume, “Kieu” was also criticized for its content, causing director Mai Thu Huyen to admit that she was “shocked” when reading the negative comments.
There are still bright spots
Despite many flaws in the script, Victor Vu's "The Last Wife" satisfies viewers visually thanks to the meticulousness of the crew, especially in the costumes.
Talking about the costumes in the film, actress Dinh Ngoc Diep (playing the role of Mrs. Hai) revealed that all the traditional costumes were tailored specifically for each actor. Hundreds of actors meant hundreds of costumes, and thousands of meters of fabric were used.
In “The Last Wife”, costumes are also used to reveal the identities and personalities of the characters in the film. If the first wife (played by Meritorious Artist Kim Oanh) often wears dark-colored costumes, exuding nobility and power, the second wife’s costumes have many elaborate patterns, showing a somewhat easygoing personality. In particular, the character Linh (Kaity Nguyen) only wears elegantly colored costumes, showing her status as a concubine, a lowly wife. The actors also revealed that the crew meticulously cared for the characters’ hairpins, rings, and shirt folds.
Another rare Vietnamese film that is praised for its costumes is the series “Gai gia lam chieu”, especially “Gai gia lam chieu V”. The film is considered a “fashion feast” that satisfies the audience visually with designer costumes that match the film’s setting and each character.
Although the exact budget was not disclosed, the audience could guess that it was not a small number. Throughout the film, Kaity Nguyen (playing Ly Linh) wore more than 50 specially designed costumes, most of which were sophisticated and elaborate dresses. Not to mention the designer items from luxury fashion brands around the world.
