The golden age of Son and memorable milestones
After 1975, in the context of the country has just agreed, Vietnamese cinema received a strong wave of creativity with revolutionary war films. Works such as "17 -day and night parallel" (1972), "Hanoi Baby" (1974) are directed by Hai Ninh, "Wild field" (1979) - Director Hong Sen or "Saigon Ranger" (1986) - Director Long Van not only became a symbol of revolutionary cinema but also vivid stories about the patriotism, the sacrifices of the people in the struggle. This is a period when war films are not only art but also a tool to propagate and arouse national pride in the audience.
However, by the beginning of the 21st century, this series began to have significant transformations, not only focused on the feats but also exploited more deeply into the fate of people during and after the war. Some typical films in the recent period such as "burning grass", "legendary writers" and "Dao, Pho and Piano" have shown a change in the approach, while affirming the vitality of the revolutionary war in the new era.
Released in 2011, the film "The smell of burning grass" directed by Nguyen Huu Muoi, a touching work of the generation of students in the battle of Quang Tri ancient citadel in 1972. The film revolves around four friends - Hoang, Thanh, Thang, Dung evoking the loss of blending with the memories of youth, expressed through the recall and deep friendship. The film is highly appreciated for its authentic storytelling and natural acting, winning the Golden Kite 2011. However, limitations on funding makes the techniques and context have not reached the expectation.
Two years later, "legendary writers" by director Bui Tuan Dung is one of the outstanding films that recreated the war against the US. Set in the 1960s, the film tells the journey of the soldiers on the legendary Ho Chi Minh route, where they face bombs to ensure the transport of petrol into the southern battlefield.
Not only depicting fierce battles, the film also delves into the love, comradeship and silent sacrifice of simple but extraordinary people. The film won the Golden Lotus Award at the 18th Vietnam Film Festival, a worthy award for the film crew.
However, the film's limitation is the lack of investment in promotion and release, so it has not reached a large young audience.
Lunar New Year 2024, the appearance of "peach, pho and piano" directed by Phi Tien Son is a remarkable phenomenon when suddenly creating a box office fever with a turnover of 21 billion VND - setting a record for the state film. Set in the 60 -day and night battle in Hanoi at the end of 1946 - early 1947, the film did not focus on fierce fighting scenes but towards the story of people and culture in Hanoi in the moment of life and death.
The protagonist Van Dan - a militia - and Thuc Huong - the lady playing the piano - with those who stayed in the capital such as the old artist, the boy to shoe shoes, the couple sold the cheese creating a vivid picture of Hanoi spirit: resilient but also full of romance. The special feature of the film lies in the way the director integrates cultural symbols such as peach blossoms on Tet holiday, hot bowls and piano sounds between bombs, creating a contrast between the beauty and the cruelty of the war.
However, many demanding audiences believe that the film is limited in its special effects as well as artistic design, some lines are considered unnatural and the acting of the female lead Thuy Linh is sometimes not in depth enough.
Challenges to overcome
Despite its remarkable achievements, revolutionary war films still face many difficulties. Limited funding, outdated techniques and a lack of issuance strategies are major barriers. Screenwriter Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat once shared that making war films requires a large amount of resources, from recreating the setting to using special effects, but the budget is often not enough to meet the needs. This leads to many films not being able to achieve the expected image quality, reducing the appeal to young audiences who are familiar with foreign action blockbusters.
In addition, the approach to content is sometimes monotonous and heavily promotional, making the audience feel distant. To overcome this, filmmakers need to be more flexible in storytelling, combining historical values and entertainment elements, while investing in promotion to reach a wide audience.
Breakthrough with "geography...", waiting in "Red Rain"
In that context, two new films, "Tunnels: The sun in the darkness" by director Bui Thac Chuyen and "red rain" by Dang Thai Huyen - are expected to bring new winds to the revolutionary war film line. And "Tunnels: The sun in the dark" released in April 2025, broke the box office record on the film's historical topic, revolutionary war. This is a type of documentary film- the story is told with the calmness without pink, not tragic but quite realistic, up the fierce atmosphere of the war.
Director Bui Thac Chuyen, showing his professional level, creating a work that is both tragic and rich in humanity. Meanwhile, the "red rain" of director Dang Thai Huyen - the largest project of the People's Army Cinema in the past decade - focused on the battle in the ancient citadel of Quang Tri in 1972, where thousands of soldiers fell in the "red summer fire". The first images revealed to show serious investment in the context and effects, promising to bring a true experience to the audience. The film is expected to be released on the National Day (2.9) ...
Looking back over the past 50 years, Vietnamese revolutionary war films have shown remarkable developments through each stage, as well as the ability to adapt and innovate significantly. However, to continue to develop, there needs to be stronger investment in funding, technology and human resource training. Young filmmakers, with their creative and enthusiastic thinking, are an important driving force to bring this film genre closer to modern audiences.
With continuous efforts, the Vietnamese revolutionary war film genre can completely affirm its position in the hearts of the public, not only domestically but also internationally.
