A sniff at 'The Scent of Green Papaya'
Samodh THAVEESHA
Servants are commonly known to us as people who undergo immense
hardships and suffering throughout their life. No doubt you might call a
particular story a Cinderella story if you hear a poor servant girl
later gets happily married to a well-to-do person. Vietnamese director
Ann Hung Tran's debut film 'The Scent Of Green Papaya' is such a
beautiful piece of work that portrays a servant girl come to riches from
rags. Set in Saigon of 1950s, the movie was nominated for the award of
Best Foreign Language Film in prestigious Oscar awards in 1994.
A scene from the movie |
'The Scent Of Green Papaya' opens with a little girl, Mui, around 8
years then, entering a house for employment. The housemaid and the other
servants are very kind and fond of her. The housemaid has lost her
little daughter who'd been unless in Mui's age. Little Mui is a quiet,
sensitive girl and she's so observant of the life and environment around
her. Gradually, Mui develops and secures the affection and faith of her
housemaid and becomes a beautiful young woman. The housemaid begins to
treat her as her own daughter. But later because of a sudden financial
crisis strikes the family, the housemaid hands Mui over to a well-to-do
relative of their family-a pianist to whom Mui had a concealed affection
from her childhood. But unfortunately for young and lively Mui, this man
is engaged to another woman.
One day this young man picks up a statue of Buddha and stares at it,
and suddenly realizes the Buddha's face and smile are something he has
been seeing everyday-on Mui. From there onwards, both of their lives
transform. The man teaches Mui literacy and eventually they get happily
married.
'The Scent Of Green Papaya' is in fact an evocative exploration of
typical Vietnamese servant and village life. It has a memorable
Vietnamese rustic local colouring. It also depicts Vietnamese's
religious faith and trust quite effectively.
The film not only traces the growth and development of Mui's life. It
also portrays a slice of daily Vietnamese life. Even though the movie
takes all of its visual cues from Mui's point of view, it clearly has
its share of impartiality as well.
'The Scent Of Green Papaya' is so evocative and evokes many responses
in the audience's mind. It creates a soothing effect on the audience.
Rustic innocence and mildness runs throughout the film. Yet it is
obvious that the movie is very much realistic in its portrayal of Mui's
rags to riches journey. It shows that hard working and devotion always
earn you success. The director's presentation of all these issues is
remarkable for its captivating simplicity. His originality as a budding
genius is conspicuous in every aspect of the film.
Purity vs potentialities
The film is full of subtle symbols and imagery. We come across the
central image itself very early in the film in a fresh morning- an
unripe papaya fruit which bears immature seeds inside representing the
purity, innocence and the potentialities of little Mui.
This should not be overlooked as well, the entire movie is set (or
cast) in a soundstage in Paris, yet the scenes and sounds are so
convincing that you'll hesitate for hours to believe that it had been
cast in an artificial soundstage. Credit once to the director!
Well, you may not call 'The Scent Of Green Papaya' a cinematic
masterpiece, but it'll be a cool and calm breeze for you. I am sure its
mild language, innocent flowing and slowness will altogether enable you
to enjoy this soothing and life-affirming 2 hour ride in a tropical
Vietnamese village sharing their joys and sorrows. Don't forget to
inhale the scent of green papayas in the journey. |