Coordinates of Death
Encyclopedia
Coordinates of Death is a 1985 film by Samvel Gasparov
(USSR) and Nguyen Xuan Chan (Vietnam
). Film was produced as a result of friendly cooperation of both Soviet and Vietnamese cinematography. The movie itself is mostly about American brutality during the Vietnam War
.
and early '70s
. The Americans
are bombing Vietnamese towns and villages, breaking into households, killing women and children. All ships of the European merchant fleet have already left the coast of North Vietnam
, but the Soviet dry cargo ship “Chelyabinsk” refuses to leave Vietnamese shores despite a United States military ultimatum. A few days later the ship is sunk and Soviet sailors come to the aid their Vietnamese comrades and join a caravan of Vietnamese insurgents moving along the Ho Chi Min Trail.
The plot concerns the visit of an American actress to worn-torn North Vietnam. At the height of the Vietnam War, actress Kate Francis (a cinematic representation of Jane Fonda
) travels along with the resistance fighters and witnesses first-hand the destruction heaped upon the Vietnamese people by the American forces. Before returning to the US in order to deliver the truth about the current state of matters to the wider international community, she organizes a press conference to relate all that she has seen and to literally sing the praises of the Vietnamese people.
Meanwhile in Haiphong
, Kate’s Vietnamese friend Mai introduces her to her husband, combat engineer Phong, who has recently returned home from the Soviet Union
aboard the “Chelyabinsk”. The CIA is preparing an explosion in Haiphong port, but friends manage to prevent it.
and the most picturesque Vietnamese landscapes, such as the Central Highlands, Halong Bay
and Haiphong
. The film features a lot of high-budget scenes, such as downed American pilots, aircraft crashed into the sea, burned villages and mass battle-scenes. A lot of Soviet specialists worked in Vietnam
portraying American military aviators.
s of the film, which appear at the beginning and end of the movie, are The Spring (composed by Pham Minh Tuan) and The land of Vietnamese
(an anti-war song, which Kate Francis performed during one of the movie’s scenes. Though visually being performed by actress Tatyana Lebedeva, the song is voiced by the famous Russian singer Larisa Dolina
).
Samvel Gasparov
Samvel Vladimirovich Gasparov is a Soviet/Russian film director and short story writer. He worked for some time at the Odessa Film Studio.Gasporov is one of the Russian filmmakers most interested in the Red Western form, having directed both Hatred and The Sixth One as well as the lesser known...
(USSR) and Nguyen Xuan Chan (Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
). Film was produced as a result of friendly cooperation of both Soviet and Vietnamese cinematography. The movie itself is mostly about American brutality during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Plot
Events depicted in the movie unfold in the late 1960s1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
and early '70s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
. The Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
are bombing Vietnamese towns and villages, breaking into households, killing women and children. All ships of the European merchant fleet have already left the coast of North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
, but the Soviet dry cargo ship “Chelyabinsk” refuses to leave Vietnamese shores despite a United States military ultimatum. A few days later the ship is sunk and Soviet sailors come to the aid their Vietnamese comrades and join a caravan of Vietnamese insurgents moving along the Ho Chi Min Trail.
The plot concerns the visit of an American actress to worn-torn North Vietnam. At the height of the Vietnam War, actress Kate Francis (a cinematic representation of Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
) travels along with the resistance fighters and witnesses first-hand the destruction heaped upon the Vietnamese people by the American forces. Before returning to the US in order to deliver the truth about the current state of matters to the wider international community, she organizes a press conference to relate all that she has seen and to literally sing the praises of the Vietnamese people.
Meanwhile in Haiphong
Haiphong
, also Haiphong, is the third most populous city in Vietnam. The name means, "coastal defence".-History:Hai Phong was originally founded by Lê Chân, the female general of a Vietnamese revolution against the Chinese led by the Trưng Sisters in the year 43 C.E.The area which is now known as Duong...
, Kate’s Vietnamese friend Mai introduces her to her husband, combat engineer Phong, who has recently returned home from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
aboard the “Chelyabinsk”. The CIA is preparing an explosion in Haiphong port, but friends manage to prevent it.
Cast
- Aleksandr GalibinAleksandr GalibinAlexander Vladimirovich Galibin is a Russian actor noted for playing the Master in the miniseries The Master and Margarita .His acting career spans over three decades and includes such memorable roles as Tsar Nicholas II in Gleb Panfilov's The Romanovs: A Crowned Family .-Biography:Alexander...
as Krutin - Le Van as Mai
- Dang Le Viet Bao as Phong
- Tatyana Lebedeva as Kate Francis
- Yury NazarovYuri NazarovYuriy Nazarov is an Russian film and television actor.He was born Yuri Vladimirovich Nazarov in Novosibirsk, Russia. His father, Nikolai Aldomirovich Nazarov , was an ethnic Chechen Lieutenant of the Red Army, who served in the Eastern Front and the Crimean Offensive in 1944.In 1989, Nazarov was...
as Captain Shukhov - Daniil Netrebin
- Rudolf Pankov
- Nguyen Huy Cong
- Hoang Uan
- Thu An as the old mother
- Mai Chau as the woman carrying a baby
Backstage
Filming took place in HanoiHanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
and the most picturesque Vietnamese landscapes, such as the Central Highlands, Halong Bay
Halong Bay
Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a popular travel destination, located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Administratively, the bay belongs to Hạ Long City, Cẩm Phả town, and part of Van Don district. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes...
and Haiphong
Haiphong
, also Haiphong, is the third most populous city in Vietnam. The name means, "coastal defence".-History:Hai Phong was originally founded by Lê Chân, the female general of a Vietnamese revolution against the Chinese led by the Trưng Sisters in the year 43 C.E.The area which is now known as Duong...
. The film features a lot of high-budget scenes, such as downed American pilots, aircraft crashed into the sea, burned villages and mass battle-scenes. A lot of Soviet specialists worked in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
portraying American military aviators.
Soundtrack
Theme songSong
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s of the film, which appear at the beginning and end of the movie, are The Spring (composed by Pham Minh Tuan) and The land of Vietnamese
The land of Vietnamese
The land of Vietnamese is an anti-war song, circulated in the Western world in the years of the Vietnam War.This song has appeared once in the movie "The death Coordinates" directed by Samvel Gasparov veteran - as the singer Kate Francis sings with the guitar....
(an anti-war song, which Kate Francis performed during one of the movie’s scenes. Though visually being performed by actress Tatyana Lebedeva, the song is voiced by the famous Russian singer Larisa Dolina
Larisa Dolina
Larisa Aleksandrovna Dolina is an Azerbaijani-born prominent Russian jazz and pop singer and an actress...
).
Details
- Original music : Yevgeny Krylatov
- Cinematography : Thu Dan, Sergey Filippov
- Film editing : Tatyana Malyavina, Nguyen Thi Ninh
- Production design : Pyotr Pashkevich, Dao Duc
- Sound effects : Boris Koreshkov, Nguyen Quoc Can
See also
- Bao giờ cho đến tháng Mười (1984, film)
- Life in the Forest (1987, East German-Vietnamese film)
- Hãng phim truyện Việt Nam
External links
- The Spring (Performed by Cam Van)