Miss Saigon

Author(s): Jeffrey (Long Island)
Miss Saigon

Directed by Ang Lee
Written by Bill Condon
Lea Salonga as Kim
Jonathan Pryce as Engineer
John Lloyd Young as Chris
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Ellen
Taye Diggs as Johnand
Laurie Cadevida as Gigi

Tagline: The heat is on in Saigon.

Synopsis: The Vietnam War is coming to an end. Kim, a Vietnamese bargirl at a club owned by a French-Vietnamese Engineer, gets ready to put on her first performance for the soon-departing American marines. Two of the marines are Chris and John, the latter of whom encourages Chris to persue one of the bargirls at the club. It is then that Kim and Chris meet for the first time. One of the bargirls, Gigi, wins the "Miss Saigon" raffling to one of the marines. When he refuses to take Gigi home to America with him, she and the other bargirls lament over their harsh lives in Vietnam and wish that they could go to America. John decides to buy a room for Chris and Kim from the Engineer, though Chris is reluctant to spend the night with her.

Chris and Kim develop a close bond that night and begin to fall in love, but Chris will be returning to America soon. Chris tries to buy Kim from the Engineer, who will only agree to let her go if he too can leave the country. After threatening the Engineer, Chris is allowed to take Kim to come to America with him. Kim is deemed by Gigi to be the real Miss Saigon and throws a fake wedding party for the lovers, but the party is interrupted by Kim's bethrothed cousin, Thuy. He has a confrontation with Chris and vows to take Kim from him.

3 years later. Chris is in America without Kim. He now has an American wife named Ellen who is haunted by his dreams of Kim at night. Simultaneously, Kim in Vientam and Ellen in America swear that they will be the true captors of Chris' heart. John works for an organization that tries to reunite American soldiers with their half-bred Vietnamese children, and is the bearer of ambivalent news for Chris when he informs him that she's still alive and living with his son, who she has named Tam. They reluctantly decide to tell Ellen about Kim and Ellen accompanies them to Bangkok, where Kim has relocated. Meanwhile, Thuy sends the Engineer to find Kim. Thuy's anger drives him to attept to kill Kim's son, but in a desperate attempt to save Tam, Kim shoots Thuy and begs the Engineer to help her. The Engineer decides to help Kim because it seems like a good way into America. Kim swears to her son that she will do all she can to protect him, even if it means giving up her own life.

John, Chris, and Ellen arrive in Bangkok days later. When John manages to track down Kim, she is overly enthusiastic about Chris having arrived and her emotion convinces John not to break the news of Chris' marriage to her. John promises that he will bring Chris to Kim, but the Engineer and the ghost of Thuy both contradict John in saying that Chris does not want to be with her anymore, and he will not come to see her unless she takes the initiative to see him. Kim has a flashback to the night that Chris left Saigon: amidst mass chaos and flustered Vietnamese refugees, the Americans are being transported by helicopter out of the city. Chris tries to take Kim with him; however the Vietnamese are being denied access. Chris and Kim are separated, and as the helicopter takes off, Kim cries out to Chris that she loves him, while he shouts back at her his own sorrows about leaving her in Saigon.

Kim and the Engineer are optimistic about living in America, but Kim's world is shattered when she embarks on her search for Chris and comes across Ellen instead. Ellen is sympathetic towards Kim, but is very clear in saying that Kim and Tam will not be returning with Chris to America, because Ellen is Chris' wife now. Kim leaves Ellen and finds the Engineer. She insists that they will make it to America, which brightens the Engineer's day and he makes preparations for his life in America. Back at Ellen and Chris' hotel rooom, Chris is mortified to hear of Kim's encounter with Ellen but ensures his wife that they will not be bringing Kim and Tam back with them to America.

Kim continues to lie to the Engineer about going to America, however he eventually finds out from Chris that this is in fact a lie. Before anybody can speak with her, Kim launches a plan that she has undoubtedly been considering all along: she wishes Tam a good life, and shoots herself with Chris' gun from 3 years ago. When they find her, Ellen and John are horrified and Chris is hysterical. Chris and Kim pledge their love to one another one last time, with Kim dying happily knowing that Chris will be forced to take her son with him back to America.

After Kim dies, Ellen is so distraught and destroyed with guilt that she agrees to take Tam with her and love him as her own son.

What The Press Would Say:

From martial arts to gay cowboys to espionage thriller to Jane Austen to the incredible Hulk, you might think that Ang Lee has done it all. Now there can be no doubt however; Ang Lee is the most versatile filmmaker working today. He has added a musical to his resumé- an extraordinary one at that. Ang Lee's "Miss Saigon" is the most emotional and heart-tugging film of the month. With the help of Bill Condon and a flawlessly talented (vocally and acting-wise) cast, Lee has crafted the most beautiful film in ages.

Musical fans will know "Miss Saigon" as the critically acclaimed Vietnam War musical featuring Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce in Tony Award-winning roles. Thankfully, due to Condon's miraculous script, Salonga and Pryce were able to reprise their roles in the feature film. Condon's screenplay is one of the most important contributors to the film's greatness. He has taken remarkable steps to ensure the realism and entertainment value of "Miss Saigon". His first step was to re-age the main characters to make the portrayals more realistic, avoiding the need to cast younger, inexperienced actors. Those problems had been seen with The Phantom of the Opera, and the reverse (keeping the age the same in the script, but casting older actors) contributed to the downfall of Rent. The removal of tedious songs and the translation of them into dialogue is an always-necessary component to movie musicals, and Condon has managed to do it without threatening the novelty of the story.

As a director, Ang Lee shines through in quite a foreign concept to him. But who could have been better for the job? Lee has done a superb job incoporating both Asian aspects into the Vietnam-themed musical and taking new artistic liberties. There is an evident but unseen natural chemistry between Lee and his cast in all films, and "Miss Saigon" is surely no exception. The fact that Lee's characters are so masterful in their approaches to the story shows Lee's expertise in direction.

Most people who know Lea Salonga know her as one of Broadway's biggest Asian stars (she won numerous awards for her work in "Miss Saigon" alone), the Phillippines' pride and joy, and the singing voice of Disney characters Mulan and Jasmine. Now however, she is sure to become a household name. Her performance as Kim is synonymous with perfection. Once you get over being blown away by her superior singing voice, you'll surely have to appreciate her subtle acting ability as well. "Miss Saigon" is sure to be Salonga's breakthrough as a filmstar, a deserved distinction for her. If anybody is the sure-fire favorite come awards time, it is sure to be Ms. Salonga.

Her male co-stars, John Lloyd Young and Jonathan Pryce, are surprisingly never overshadowed by Salonga throughout the film. Pryce is another musical legend who has already had his fair share of mainstream attention after his appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean. John Lloyd Young won a Tony Award for his work in Jersey Boys, but has now stepped into something completely different as Chris in "Miss Saigon". Young never misses a beat as a tormented, guilt-ridden Vietnam War veteran haunted by love and committment. Pryce also does not disappoint. His scenes of despair (and hope) and his constant ill-fated schemes are as admirable as they are ambiguously detestable. Pryce takes a character who could be viewed as villainous and unlikeable and makes him relateable and heartbreaking.

A strong supporting performance is given by big-name Taye Diggs. Diggs is gloriously believable, first as a raunchy soldier, then as a transformed, giving man. No doubt affected by the images of the Vietnamese people vying to get on the helicopter as it takes off, Diggs' character is a desireable role for an actor due to his status as one of the most dynamic and changed characters in the story. Zeta-Jones is strong and memorable as Young's stubborn wife who also experiences one of the most heart-felt and tearjerking changes when she accepts Kim's child into her family in spite of her initial reluctance. Having previously won an Academy Award for Chicago, Zeta-Jones is no stranger to movie musicals. It would be a crime to look over the brief Laurie Cadevida as well, whose raved performance in the Australian tour of "Miss Saigon" landed her the gut-wrenching film role of Gigi. Cadevida's role is short and sweet, but effective nonetheless. She plays her heartbreaking and frown inducing role so well that it's safe to say that she gives one of the best performances by a rising star this year.

"Miss Saigon" has all the characteristics of a box office and critical success. Tied in with its astoundingly deep music is a literary sensation. Ang Lee has become the captor of yet another movie genre: this time, the Asian-themed musical in Saigon.

For Your Consideration:

Best Picture
Best Director - Ang Lee
Best Actress - Lea Salonga
Best Actor - Jonathan Pryce
Best Supporting Actor - John Lloyd Young
Best Supporting Actor - Taye Diggs
Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Zeta-Jones
Best Supporting Actress - Laurie Cadevida
Best Adapted Screenplay - Bill Condon