The Killing Fields (DVD)

The Killing Fields was made in 1984 and is set during the withdrawal of American Troops and the escalation of violence by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. It mainly focuses on the relationship between a journalist for the New York Times, Sydney Schanberg, and his Cambodian friend and colleague, Dith Pran. The true horror of the time is captured through a series of unpleasant episodes consisting of bombings and random executions. Shortly in to the film ...
...get his family out with the Americans. When the situation worsens and the Khmer Rouge seek to isolate Cambodia from the outside world, the American journalists have no choice but to get out. The situation is different for Dith Pran. As a Cambodian, in particular as an educated Cambodian, he is at great risk and desperate to leave, and there is a passage in the film where the American journalists and photographers attempt to forge American documents ... more

The Killing Fields was made in 1984 and is set during the withdrawal of American Troops and the escalation of violence by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. It mainly focuses on the relationship between a journalist for the New York Times, Sydney Schanberg, and his Cambodian friend and colleague, Dith Pran. The true horror of the time is captured through a series of unpleasant episodes consisting of bombings and random executions. Shortly in to the film the Americans leave, Schanberg stays as long as he can to continue with his reports. Dith Pran manages to get his family out with the Americans. When the situation worsens and the Khmer Rouge seek to isolate Cambodia from the outside world, the American journalists have no choice but to get out. The situation is different for Dith Pran. As a Cambodian, in particular as an educated Cambodian, he is at great risk and desperate to leave, and there is a passage in the film where the American journalists and photographers attempt to forge American documents against the clock so they can get him to safety. Their attempts and ultimate failure to help him are both harrowing and touching. The contrast in empathy and humanity between people in this film and particularly in this this sequence is vivid.

While Schanberg returns to the States, Dith Pran is held as a prisoner in one of the Khmer Rouge camps. The former feels great guilt at having had to leave his friend behind and the film moves between Schanbergs attempts to trace Dith Pran from the US and Prans efforts to survive the lunacy of the Khmer Rouge regime. The contrast between Schanberg's life in the US and Pran's existence in the work camp and how their respective contrymen treat each of them, highlights the madness of the situation. I will not spoil the ending of the film by expanding.

This picture creates a very tense atmosphere and conveys what must have been a terrifying period in Cambodia's recent history.

The two lead actors, Sam Waterson and Dr Haing S. Ngor, are excellent and their relationship is genuinely very moving. There is also able support from the likes of John Malkovitch and Julian Sands.

Any synopsis of the dvd cannot do justice to the scope of the film and its power. The fact that Schandberg and Pran are true life characters, (Schanberg wrote a piece in the New York Times called 'The Death and Life of Dith Pran' in 1980) makes the story all the more remarkable. I first saw this in the cinema and it loses none of its impact or ambition on the small screen. The photography is first class as is the soundrack, with tunes from the period and an overall score by Mike Oldfield which is not to be feared here! The Killing Fields won 3 Academy Awards for best supporting actor to Dr Ngor., best cinemaphotography and best editing in 1985. It was directed by Roland Joffe ('The Mission')

The extras on this dvd are scant. Apart from the usual chapter selections, there is only a timeline history of the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia in the 1970s, which is basically text on the screen.

I do not think that a lack of extras detracts from the quality of this as a dvd package because the film stands up by itself. Any price of under 10 pounds is a good but in my opinion. I have seen this in sales in dvd shops on the high street in the past but its availability may now be limited as I purchased this copy a long time ago. 

...less