Cheap Heaven & Earth - Oliver Stone Collection (DVD) (Haing S. Ngor, Hiep Thi Le) (Oliver Stone) Price

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Customer Reviews of Heaven & Earth - Oliver Stone Collection

I highly recommend the DVD, not just for the superiority over video, but also for Stone's commentary. I thought his comments on the DVD, Born on the Fourth of July, were excellent, but in Heaven and Earth we get even better. Not only does he talk about the process of filming the movie, but also he talks at length about the plight of the Vietnamese, the destruction of Vietnam's infrastructure and Buddhism.

As a Vietnam veteran and an author of articles and books in which I talk about Vietnam, I highly recommend this incredible film.

A Powerful And Moving Film.
Oliver Stone is not very popular for films about women (his latest, the football epic "Any Given Sunday" proves that once more) but he is a genius of cinema and with this fantastic work he proves that yes, not only can he make a film with a female lead, but see war through that female lead's eyes as well. "Heaven And Earth" is a powerful and moving motion picture experience enhanced by fabulous cinematography, music and incredibly effective performances and drama. This is Stone's first solo script since "Platoon," which I consider the best of the Vietnam war films, and again presents his unique talent for film structure. He takes us through the life of a Vietnamese woman who went through the horrors of war, literally, went into dispair, found love and lost it, found it again and lost it once more, and in the end stood triumphant above her struggles. As is the case with most his films, "Heaven And Earth" is based on a true story, and Stone brings it incredibly to life on the screen. The images stay in your mind as do the characters. The story is moving and effective and immensly powerful. Stone handles this film with care and shows his true artistic talent of filmmaking (but then again, he does that in all his films). With "Heaven And Earth" he completes a trilogy that began with "Platoon," continued with "Born On The Fourth Of July," and ends here. What is gripping about this film is the performances and drama. Stone doesn't just show us a life as much as he takes us into one. All his film vibrate with realism, they are active, they are alive, and the same is here. "Heaven And Earth" is moving, powerful, a true dramatic motion picture, and one of Stone's best works because here he explores something deeper and more moving than in other movies. All his films are excellent and masterpieces, here is another.

Vietnam in purgatory
A wonderful movie about how the war affected the Vietnamese people and their ideals. The movie starts with a sweeping panorama of the idyllic and simple countryside where we see hard working people, tilling the land and surviving as they had for thousands of years. Suddenly, their lives are transformed into a nightmare by the occupation of US and French troops, and later by the vicious and murderous Viet Cong. The brutality is a little too graphic for my tastes, especially the torture scenes involving Lee Ly Hayslip (played by Hiep Thi Le), and her VC captors. She experiences rape and humiliation, and barely escapes death as her village is burned to the ground.
She escapes to Saigon, becomes pregnant by her employer, and is sent into the streets by his wife. She turns to prostitution, and finally marries GI Steve Butler (Tommy Lee Jones), who transports her to America, where she experiences a new kind of prejudice. She gets a job, and her husband slowly turns insane, carrying wartime nightmares into real life. Unable to stay with him, she leaves him, and he commits suicide. She returns to her native village, introduces her son to his real father. Then, she reunites with her family who tell her the horrors they endured during her absence. She is now a rich entrepeneur and her parents accept her change. She sees how heaven and earth moved for her as she experiences two worlds that merge simultaneously.
Great acting, wonderful scenery and camera angles. An inspring and thought provoking movie based on the book.