When Vietnamese cinema tells fairy tales

A series of films based on Vietnamese fairy tales and folklore have breathed new life into the Vietnamese box office, demonstrating that familiar material can be transformed and opened up new avenues for audiences.

The film "Tam Cam: The Untold Story". Photo: Producer

Exploring the treasure trove of folk tales

The film "Cam" became the highest-grossing domestic horror film in Vietnamese cinematic history on its opening weekend. The film marked the second time the Vietnamese fairy tale of Tam Cam was retold through the language of cinema. With its horror elements, "Cam" was scheduled for approximately 5,000 screenings per day, quickly reaching the 100 billion VND mark and becoming a widely discussed phenomenon.

In fact, Vietnamese cinema has seen many adaptations of fairy tales and folk stories. One of the first films to utilize this material was "Dã Tràng Xe Cát Biển Đông" (The Sand-Carrying Crab of the East Sea), released in 1995. Since then, many works have been inspired by fairy tales such as Thạch Sanh, Sơn Tinh Thủy Tinh, Trạng Quỳnh, Thằng Bờm, Bắc Kim Thang... but none have left a lasting impression.

Folk tales have the advantage of already having a prominent place in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people, but that advantage also presents a challenge.

Before "Tam Cam," the most prominent film adaptation of fairy tales was "Tam Cam: The Untold Story." The film featured a star-studded cast including Ngo Thanh Van, Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc, and Isaac, but was criticized for over-adapting and straying too far from the original. The challenge was how to preserve the value of the original story while still creating a fresh and engaging plot. cinema That's a difficult problem to solve.

A new direction for Vietnamese films.

One of the limitations of film adaptations of fairy tales is the quality of special effects and the level of investment in settings, costumes, etc.

Discussing this issue, critic Nguyen Phong Viet commented that expecting high profits despite low investment is impossible at this time. With a production budget of 24 billion VND, the special effects, post-production, and makeup in "Cam" represent a significant investment. Compared to previous films, such as the Prince fighting the monster in "Tam Cam: The Untold Story" or Thach Sanh fighting the ogre in "The War Against the Ogre," which used realistic VFX (visual effects), the film is comparable to old-school video games.

Mr. Nguyen Phong Viet commented: “The film “Cam” is an example showing that the level of investment in Vietnamese horror films is no longer the same as before, where low budget, limited settings, and few actors were used to ensure high return on investment. The proportionate level of investment in a film greatly determines its quality when it hits theaters. Spending nearly 1 billion VND on masks for Cam's makeup, or investing appropriately in costumes for the cast in “Cam,” shows that the producers have closely followed market trends. A big undertaking is unlikely to succeed if the initial calculations are petty.”

Behind the box office race lies the never-ending story of the sisters Tam and Cam, with good and evil viewed from different perspectives. Critic Nguyen Phong Viet says, "Cam chooses a different perspective to retell the story that audiences already know by heart."

“There is no right, no wrong, no one is entirely good and no one is entirely bad. Just like when I first read the story of Tam Cam, I was a little confused, wondering who was the most terrifying character in the story, Tam or Cam? And when you choose Tam or Cam, you don't represent right or wrong, good or bad; that choice only explains one thing: at that very moment, when you made your choice, which direction your consciousness was leaning.”

Judging from the initial success of "Cám," exploiting fairy tales and folk stories in Vietnamese cinema is a promising trend. However, to win over audiences, these works need a creative vision, balancing the preservation of the fairytale essence of folk culture with a storytelling approach that allows them to gain a foothold in the fiercely competitive Vietnamese film market.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/khi-dien-anh-viet-ke-truyen-co-tich-3321147.html