"Fire on the Front Line" is a Vietnamese war film produced in 1961, co-directed by Pham Van Khoa and Le Minh Hien, and cinematographed by Nguyen Hong Sen. The screenplay was adapted by writer Van Dan from his short story of the same name, and starred actors Luu Xuan Thu, Ngoc Lan, Ngo Nam, and Ho Kieng.
The film tells the story of Dung, a platoon leader who has excelled in combat, but is unexpectedly transferred by his superiors to assist civilian laborers in transporting ammunition. Dung accepts the assignment, but always longs to be on the front lines. There, Dung meets Nhan (played by People's Artist Ngoc Lan), a passionate and witty female civilian laborer transporting ammunition. Despite the hard work, she always has an optimistic and cheerful smile on her face. During an operation to save a burning ammunition depot, Nhan fearlessly rushes into the flames. This image makes Dung realize the answers to questions he has been searching for all along...
Throughout the development of Vietnamese revolutionary cinema, female characters have often been associated with images of resilience and endurance. However, with Nhàn, the film "Fire on the Front Line" presents a very different nuance: a female laborer who is both innocent, playful, charming, and sweet, yet never loses her courage and bravery when facing danger.
Sharing memories surrounding the film "Fire on the Front Line" and the role of Nhan that she played, People's Artist Ngoc Lan reminisced, saying that she was only 18 years old at the time and had just entered school.
“Several people auditioned for this role, not just me. The film crew brought my draft to Mr. To Huu to review. He said this was the real Nhan. I was overjoyed. From then on, I dedicated myself to that role,” People's Artist Ngoc Lan recalled the circumstances that led her to this special role.
To film those realistic scenes of carrying ammunition, People's Artist Ngoc Lan revealed that the prop crates, filled with bricks, were very heavy, leading to accidents during filming. One crate she was carrying accidentally hit a crew member, injuring him. That remains a deeply memorable experience for her.
At the program, Meritorious Artist Vu Xuan Hung – son of Mr. Vu Nang An, the director of the film "Fire on the Front Line" – shared that the role of Nhan, a character that was both realistic and lively, with a naive and mischievous spirit, was extremely rare in Vietnamese cinema at that time. The role of Nhan, portrayed by People's Artist Ngoc Lan, was both natural and highly expressive, making the audience feel as if the character stepped out of real life, not just existed on screen.
To create the film, the crew faced countless difficulties. The chosen locations were mountainous provinces in northern Vietnam, under harsh winter weather conditions. In some scenes, actors had to carry heavy containers and wade through freezing water when the temperature was only around 4-5 degrees Celsius. The film crew even had to use high-powered water jets to create artificial rain, turning the filming into a real test of human endurance...
In "Cine7 - Memories of Vietnamese Films," People's Artist Ngoc Lan also shared many other special scenes from the film that she still remembers vividly. The program also revealed many behind-the-scenes stories about the film.
The film "Fire on the Front Line" won the Silver Lotus Award at the 2nd Vietnam Film Festival in 1973 and received a Certificate of Merit at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival in 1961. This special international award led People's Artist Ngoc Lan to Moscow (Russia). There, she met People's Artist Ngo Manh Lan, who was then a student at the VGIK Film University. Coincidentally, he was assigned to be her interpreter throughout the trip.
They had never met before, but Ngo Manh Lan had a special affection for the character Nhan, portrayed by Ngoc Lan on screen. Their meeting in Moscow became the beginning of a beautiful love story, which later led to their marriage and a lasting bond for over half a century.
Over 60 years have passed, and "Fire on the Front Line" not only lives on as a quintessential cinematic work, but also stands as a witness to a beautiful, dreamlike love story between artists, originating from wartime memories but culminating in everyday happiness.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nsnd-ngoc-lan-ke-ve-moi-duyen-dac-biet-voi-nsnd-ngo-manh-lan-tu-phim-lua-trung-tuyen-715900.html
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