"Red Rain" from box office record to expectations for mainstream films

That success not only comes from artistic efforts but is also the result of comprehensive coordination, opening up expectations for the formation of a sustainable revolutionary war film genre in the new era.

The “fever” for watching the movie “Red Rain” is growing, filling up box offices for weeks, with about 5,000 screenings per day. *Photo: Film crew*

The phenomenon of "Red Rain"

“Red Rain” is produced by the People’s Army Cinema, directed by Meritorious Artist Dang Thai Huyen. The film is inspired by the 81-day and night battle in 1972 at Quang Tri Citadel of Battalion K3 Tam Dao - an important location for Vietnam to gain an advantage at the Paris Agreement negotiation table. The work not only reflects the brutality of war but also focuses on depicting the fate, emotions, struggles and aspirations of young soldiers.

When “Red Rain” was officially released, the film received many positive responses from experts, media and audiences. The wave of people flocking to theaters grew larger and larger, filling the box office for many weeks, with about 5,000 screenings per day. The film created a Vietnamese film record: Fastest movie to reach 100 billion VND in revenue (3 days); Vietnamese movie with the highest revenue in one day (47.6 billion VND); fastest movie to reach 500 billion VND in revenue of all time; and after 17 days, “Red Rain” became the Vietnamese movie with the highest box office revenue ever.

Colonel Nguyen Thu Dung, Director of the People's Army Cinema, affirmed: "The success of "Red Rain" is first of all thanks to the attention, leadership and close direction of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense , the Chief of the General Department of Politics, and the coordination and support of agencies and units inside and outside the army. In addition, a special advantage is the high sense of responsibility and close cohesion of the collective of officers, employees, soldiers of the People's Army Cinema and the creative team. It is this unanimity and dedication that has helped the film to be completed on schedule, ensuring artistic quality, becoming a work with wide influence, contributing to educating traditions, strengthening beliefs, fostering ideals and arousing the responsibility of today's generation for the cause of building and defending the Fatherland".

With the record achieved, director Dang Thai Huyen happily shared, “Red Rain” is not a film that will later honor the contributions of any individual. “Red Rain” is a mission that is wholeheartedly supported and entrusted by superiors; it is the result of the coordination and close cooperation of many forces. Behind each film is a big family, where everyone contributes their sweat, tears and heart.

Chairwoman of the Hanoi Cinema Association, Bang Thi Mai Phuong, commented that “Red Rain” has escaped the stereotype of praising collective heroes, instead deeply exploring the fate of each individual, creating empathy and a unique color for the work. Sharing the same opinion, writer Nguyen Van Tho commented: “The most precious thing in “Red Rain” is not just the heroic battle scenes, but the honoring of the spirit of sacrifice of soldiers in their twenties. The film is not as dry as a documentary, but touches the depth of compassion and national pride.”

Expected to become a mainstream film genre

The explosion of “Red Rain” at this time and before that “Peach, Pho and Piano”, “Tunnel: Sun in the Dark” has affirmed that films about revolutionary war can absolutely become a mainstay of Vietnamese cinema. The question is how to make this genre of film develop sustainably, contributing long-term to contemporary cinema.

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son, a full-time member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society, said that the lesson from "Red Rain" is the combination of political vision and modern artistic language. "We need to consider cinema as a powerful tool for telling historical stories. If we want audiences, especially young people, to be interested in national history, the best way is to put history into films that touch emotions and are attractive in both content and form," Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son emphasized.

To do that, systematic and long-term investment is the key factor. From the script, production, to communication, each film needs to be seen not only as a political task but also as a cultural and artistic product that can compete in the market. The participation of the army, local authorities, artists and people, such as the successful model of “Red Rain”, can become a model for replication.

Writer Nguyen Van Tho also expressed his hope: “We have a huge treasure trove of revolutionary war themes, with tragic and humane stories that have not yet been fully exploited. If we can tell them in modern cinematic language, they will be an endless source of inspiration, both educating the younger generation and enriching the spiritual life of society.”

Cinema, with its pervasive power, can become a “bridge” that brings history closer to the public, especially the younger generation. Revolutionary war films, if developed in the right direction, will both promote the development of the film market and affirm the mettle and aspiration of Vietnamese cinema in telling great stories of the nation.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/mua-do-tu-ky-luc-phong-ve-den-ky-vong-vao-dong-phim-chu-luc-715922.html