Chi Tu Hau

Ms Tu Hau

by Pham Ky Nam

Vietnam - 1963

Thursday, June 6th • 2PM
At Chaktomuk

Feature Film - 90mn

B&W

Vietnamese with English subtitles


Screenplay Bui Dac Ai

Cinematography Nguyen Kanh Du

Music Tran Ngoc Xuong

Cast Tra Giang, Ba Du, Tran Phuong

Format 35mm – Mono

Genre Drama

Production Vietnam Feature Film Studio

First ralease March 5, 1971

Awards 1963 – Silver Medal at 3rd Moscow International Film Festival, 1973 – Golden Lotus at the 2nd National Film Festival

Synopsis Ms Tu Hau tells the story, as the narrator explains, of a “simple but exciting life of a genuine South woman.” Not so simple really, but exciting nonetheless. Tu Hau is a common woman from a fishing village whose husband has gone away to fight in the revolution. She takes care of her young daughter as well as her aging father-in-law. Soon, her peaceful village is attacked. From there a series of tragic events would befall Tu Hau. Each one would challenge her will. She survives so she can continue to raise her child. As a midwife, she puts aside her own grief to assist in a neighbor’s childbirth. Eventually her hardships drive her to join the resistance and ultimately makes the difficult sacrifice of leaving her child behind so she can help lead the front. Tu Hau personified the strength and conviction of the Vietnamese woman of the era.

About Considered a masterpiece of Vietnamese cinema, Pham Ky Nam’s enduring classic, Ms Tu Hau, is a product of the country’s fledgling film industry which took rise during the war years. While screened in various festivals since its release in 1962, Ms Tu Hau has not received the proper international attention that it deserves as a gem of world cinema. Once easily dismissed as war time propaganda that extol nationalistic virtues, the film should now be seen and enjoyed as a harrowing tale of the sacrifices made by a selfless hero despite great personal losses. At the onset of the Vietnamese film industry, director Pham Ky Nam was one of the few to have trained in France. Influenced by contemporaries, imbuing European film sensibilities that recall works from Renoir’s Grand Illusion to Bergman’s The Virgin Spring, his masterpiece still radiates an authenticity and ageless visual style. Beautifully and intimately photographed, grounded always by the austere beauty of Tra Giang, who portrays Tu Hau. Themes of survival, community and sacrifice for the greater good are universal, as is the story of a mother’s lasting bond with her child. Include with that, thrilling suspense, heartwrenching drama, and a keen look into the heart of a hero and how she overcomes unbearable hardships to help lead her people in a time of great despair. There should be little doubt as to why Ms Tu Hau is a timeless work of art and an entertaining motion picture achievement

Selective filmography of Pham Ky Nam (1928 – 1984)

1959 – The Same Rever

1963 – Ms Tu Hau

1979 – Chom and Sa

With the courtesy ofVietnam Film Institute and Singapore Cinematheque