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Talking to the press, writer Chu Lai revealed that the script for "Red Rain" was written by him since 2010 but was always in a drawer. After that, the writer converted the work into a novel. He affirmed that the film genre will help to realistically depict and vividly depict the fierceness of the battle at the ancient citadel of Quang Tri in 1972,
"How can we imagine that in 81 days and nights, 380,000 tons of bombs have been washed down the city wall, each soldier carries an average of 10 tons of bombs. There are soldiers who Sacrify themselves up to 7 times a day, each time the fireworks are a part of their body divided into seven and a half years. The years will pass, the war will end, but without the ancient citadel, there will be no green sky today" - writer Chu Lai shared.
A few years ago, the original script of "Red Rain" came to director, Meritorious Artist Dang Thai Huyen, who immediately moved her intensely. The female director mentioned a detail that impressed her and made her cry a lot, that was the moment when soldiers in their twenties sacrificed and called out "mother".
That detail comes from real stories. At the exchange, veteran Nguyen Van Hoi - Head of the Communications Department of the K3 Battalion of Tam Dao - burst into tears when watching an excerpt from the movie "Red Rain". He choked up as he recounted the memories of his comrades who fell in the heroic land of Quang Tri: The soldiers were only in their 18s and 20s, most of them had never been in love. When they sacrificed, they called their mother and sister in pain. I was lucky to survive, but how many of my teammates are still in that land.
To recreate one of the most fierce battles in the history of the war in Vietnam, the entire crew under the direction of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense, and the General Department of Politics of the People's Army devoted all their efforts to building and completing the film.
The film is realistically recreated in terms of the architectural shape of Quang Tri ancient citadel, the battlefield terrain, battle lines, tunnels, surgical stations, battlefields, defense uniforms... Every detail from costumes, props, equipment, to the fighting environment is meticulously and accurately restored, under the advice of veterans and historical witnesses
Large-scale historical film project
Red Rain is the biggest film project of the People's Army Cinema in the past 20 years. Colonel Nguyen Thu Dung - Director of the People's Army Cinema - said that at first, the unit was quite concerned when deciding to make the film "Red Rain" and assigned an important task to a female director.
The story revolves around the 1st Sub- Teams at the front of the ancient citadel of Quang Tri, where young soldiers, most of whom are students, meet together, fight together, love, and be ready to sacrifice for their comrades and homeland.
The film combines live scenes and modern cinematic techniques, while recreating the Paris Conference, which demonstrates Vietnam's foreign affairs and justice, contributing to a comprehensive reflection of the journey to independence and peace.
With a large-scale project like "Red Rain", what director Dang Thai Huyen is concerned about is: "Today's war films are dialogue. War films are no longer forbidden areas, no longer monotonous but can touch the perspective of the entire opponent, touch unmentioned hidden corners, decoding things that have not been told, thereby opening a new dialogue with the past".
Recently, the weather in Quang Tri has been harsh, with some days of cold spell and heavy rain, but the setting of the battle is summer. Actress Le Ha Anh fainted after filming the rainbeat on Thach Han River because she was so moved and absorbed the cold. For exactly 81 days and nights, the filming process was completed, becoming a memorable journey for all those who made this project.
The film crew overcame many difficulties, overcame hardship, with the mindset of bringing a film that was not only realistic and vivid, but also touched emotions, arousing national pride and the appreciation of peace in the hearts of the audience.
