Behind the scenes of the movie 'Saigon Commandos' never revealed

One of the characters that left a deep impression on the audience's heart was nun Huyen Trang.

First released in 1986, the film "Saigon Special Forces" quickly became a phenomenon of Vietnamese cinema and to this day, after nearly four decades, this work is still a "monument" in the hearts of many generations of domestic cinema lovers.

The film realistically and heroically recreates the intelligent and brave battle of Saigon's special forces during the Tet Offensive and the great resistance war against the US of the Liberation Army in the South.

One of the characters that left a deep impression on the audience was nun Huyen Trang, who was also a talented soldier of the Saigon Special Forces, played by Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan. Few people know that the opportunity that brought her to this "lifetime" role was quite unexpected and full of "fate".

Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan "stayed in the temple for a week", recounted the "unforgettable" filming scene

Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan said that in 1984, during a business trip to Ho Chi Minh City, she happened to meet art designer Trinh Thai of the film crew "Saigon Special Forces". When she learned that the film crew had been filming for a year but still had not found a suitable actress for the role of nun Huyen Trang, Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan proactively asked to read the script. She was quickly captivated by the story and characters, finding the script very good.

The decision to participate in the film was made after a "fateful" meeting with director Long Van. However, what Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan did not anticipate was the unimaginable length of filming. The film took 4 years to complete, a journey full of hardships and challenges for the entire crew.

To be able to fully transform into the complex role of both a nun with a calm appearance and a commando soldier with a fierce inner self, Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan had to prepare very carefully. She not only researched the character in the script but also met her real prototype in the Saigon Commando force to understand more deeply about their lives and people.

In particular, to play the role of a nun in the most realistic way, Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan had a memorable experience: she stayed in a temple for a week. Here, she learned how to chant, beat wooden fish, recite Buddha’s name, and even the way monks walk to beg for alms. She emphasized that having such real-life experiences is extremely important so that the role is not only acting but also has the depth of life.

Few people know that in the fighting scenes, the actors in the movie "Saigon Special Forces" used real guns and real bullets. Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan revealed that she herself was a soldier, having gone to the training ground to shoot AK guns and pistols. Therefore, the scenes of holding guns and fighting were not difficult for her, and even helped her become more confident when expressing the bravery and courage of a soldier.

The journey of filming "Saigon Special Forces" is associated with many "unforgettable" memories for Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan, especially the scenes that required great effort. She always remembers the scene where she had to jump into a pond full of water lilies to push the very large boat of the character Tu Chung. It was a difficult scene, requiring a lot of effort, but when filmed, it was extremely beautiful and rich in symbolism.

"I had to jump into the pond full of water lilies to push the boat of the injured Tu Chu. I had to push the very big boat, the camera was high up, seeing me pushing the boat and then gradually sucking it into the coconut forest. That part was filmed very beautifully," Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan recalled.

Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan

Another stressful scene was the one where Huyen Trang was tortured. Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan said that this scene could only be done once and was not allowed to be re-shot. Because at the end of the torture scene, the crew had to pour water on her to wake her up, which made it impossible to re-shoot the scene a second time after it had been done. This required the actors to be highly focused and perform perfectly from the first "take".

However, in the memory of Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan, the scene that made her most satisfied and emotional was in episode 2, called "Silence" . That was the scene when nun Huyen Trang had to go to a temple to meet her superior, but did not know who it was. It turned out that the superior was Tu Chung - her ex-lover whom she always remembered and loved.

She described in detail the candle in the scene "dripping down like someone crying", evoking the torment and emotions hidden deep inside the nun's shell. "That scene is my favorite and truly touching," she shared.

When the screenwriter has to... act in a movie

In an emotional meeting, Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan reunited with screenwriter Trinh Thanh Nha - the life partner of the late writer Le Phuong, who was also the screenwriter of the film "Saigon Special Forces".

Ms. Trinh Thanh Nha brought along old photos of the crew during the filming process, recalling many memories of a difficult time but full of camaraderie, colleagues and memorable working moments.

Screenwriter Trinh Thanh Nha revealed that her husband - screenwriter Le Phuong had to "sacrifice himself" to take on the role of an extra in a scene filmed in the rain.

Mrs. Nha revealed a behind-the-scenes story that even Meritorious Artist Thanh Loan did not know all the details about. The story is related to the "unwilling" extra role of screenwriter Le Phuong himself. In a scene where nun Huyen Trang walks in the rain, the film crew needed an extra to come in and put money in her alms bowl.

However, it was raining – in fact, the water was sprayed from the rusty fire truck, the water was a cloudy yellow color and looked very “disgusting”. At that time, none of the extras wanted to go into that “dirty” rain scene.

In the end, in order for the scene to be filmed, screenwriter Le Phuong had to "sacrifice herself" to take on this small role. Screenwriter Trinh Thanh Nha humorously recalled: "This is also my husband's only role in the movie Saigon Special Forces". she said

TB (according to VTC)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/hau-truong-chua-tung-duoc-tiet-lo-cua-phim-biet-dong-sai-gon-410408.html