The VC roadblock - The Sapphires (2012) Discussion

[–] barbreen 12 years ago

This is probably the scene I thought about most after seeing the film, which is why I'll offer my opinion: fairly mystical but not unbelievable. It was a meeting of two indigenous cultures, very different, but both rich in cultural traditions that were/are impenetrable to the colonial mind-set.

It wasn't Julie who spoke but Kay, who was stolen as a child and was comfortably passing for white when the sisters came to her in Melbourne. She spoke directly to the Vietnamese in aboriginal dialect. We know from the subtitles that Kay is claiming her heritage as a Yorta Yorta woman. I'm not knowledgeable, but watching the film, it seemed that she was speaking as an elder would, requesting safe passage in a "ritualistic" manner that felt like it had centuries of tribal dignity behind it.

I think, simply (?mystically?), that the Vietnamese felt the vibe. NO white person would have done what Kay did. She was three sigmas from the mean when she opened her mouth. Everybody on that patrol instantly knew Something Else just happened. The patrol leader called it. "Go." No quarrel here.

Love that tight shot on Shari Sebbens face as she transitions from scared white chick to tribal elder. Props.

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[–] LauraCohle 12 years ago

Awesome comment, so agree!

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[–] journeybear 11 years ago

I'll add to those who said this scene was edited out of the print I saw. So was the song, "Sadie The Cleaning Lady." The song was in the credits, however, though not included on the soundtrack album. Another song left off the album is "Soul Sister, Brown Sugar," the song everyone is dancing to during the party scene in Melbourne. The exclusion of this song, with its message of black pride and empowerment, which underscores the girls' bonding when they sing it together, is inexplicable.

I wonder if any other scenes have been deleted.

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[–] brupey-1 11 years ago

It was a meeting of two indigenous cultures
_________________________________________________

The Cham and Khmer might not agree with your assertion that the Minh are indigenous to southern Vietnam!

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[–] brupey-1 11 years ago

oops... I meant Kinh

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[–] PoppyTransfusion 8 years ago

@barbreen

Couldn't have said it better. The VC man did not know the language but he recognised that she was not his enemy and in that was so much symbolism for Kay and for invading/colonial people.

A bird sings and the mountain's silence deepens.

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[–] psdhart 8 years ago

This is probably the scene I thought about most after seeing the film, which is why I'll offer my opinion: fairly mystical but not unbelievable. It was a meeting of two indigenous cultures, very different, but both rich in cultural traditions that were/are impenetrable to the colonial mind-set.

^this

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[–] subase 12 years ago

I think the VC quite simply felt the respect that oozed from Sadie's asking for passage in her native tongue in a traditional manner.

Although the scene is rather fantastic. It's not unreasonable to expect they would have responded positively to that and let them go.

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[–] darklineuse 12 years ago

I just saw the movie today (in France) and loved it.

Anyway, there is no VC roadblock scene in the copy I saw. Does this take place when the girls are travelling to Nha Trang in the black car, without an escort?

This scene is NOT in the French (although English speaking with subtitles) version...

I find it odd... why would they cut this scene... and maybe others?

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[–] subase 12 years ago

Maybe they thought the french would be too sensitive about Vietnam? The scene is kind of exploitative (given how fantastic it is), how do you think it would have gone down?

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[–] darklineuse 12 years ago

I honestly have no idea why...

The French weren't even involved directly in the war, and I don't see how such a scene could "hurt" or "harm" anyone here.

I've asked to the distributor for France (Diaphana) whether they can confirm that this scene was deleted (and/or others as well), and why! Hope I'll get an answer, it's kind of bothering me now ;-)

The movie is announced 103mn on IMDB, in France, 1h40mn. So 3 minutes are missing?

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[–] subase 12 years ago

Excuse me if I'm wrong. But french indochina was a french colony. After the french were defeated in the indochina war that territory broke up and one bit became vietnam. So perhaps someone viewed the scene of paying respect to the native people of vietnams land, as a rebuke of the colonisation of the french. Since they obviously didn't respect the native claim to the land.

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[–] cliff314 12 years ago

The French had a significant and disastrous history in Vietnam over many years until 1954.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu marked the end of French involvement in Indochina. Giap's Viet Minh forces handed the French a stunning military defeat, and on 7 May 1954, the French Union garrison surrendered. Of the 12,000 French prisoners taken by the Viet Minh, only 3,000 survived.

I imagine that Vietnam remains a difficult memory in France.

That being said, I don't understand why the particular scene in question would be cut.

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[–] sdalcorn 12 years ago

"The French weren't even involved directly in the war"

That's the funniest thing I've read all day! :)

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[–] chas77 11 years ago

It just opened in the U.S. and we saw it today (in a crowded theater of 4 people!)

I do not recall that scene. I saw in the end credits a "VC Commander" and I asked my wife about any scene with a Viet Cong dude and she said, "not that I saw."

So for some idiotic reason the US release prints don't have that scene either! That sounds like a cool scene!

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[–] BPD1586 11 years ago

Saw it in D.C. today and I also didn't catch that scene. Wonder why they edited it out. We actually had a fairly packed theater, I'd say about 20-25 range.

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[–] Bree140 11 years ago

I'm glad chas chas77 and BPD1586 have already weighed in on this, or I would have thought I was crazy: no such scene was in the version of the movie I saw in NYC today. I had the same reaction as chas77 to the credit for the "VC Commander" ("where was he?").

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[–] NYHORRORFAN 11 years ago

this was not in the US release I saw either :(

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[–] acordovax 11 years ago

I saw this movie today at a local theater that bills itself for the artsy crowd. No VC or NVA road block in the movie I saw

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[–] blue-3 12 years ago

subase on Tue Aug 14 2012 19:45:08 wrote:

....Although the scene is rather fantastic. It's not unreasonable to expect they would have responded positively to that and let them go.

Given that Kay is the one least likely to know her ancestral language, it's doubly fanciful.

I think of it as an example of what I call "understated hyperbole", something like the kangaroo hunting scene in Samson and Delilah. It's a particularly charming addition to the whole experience of hearing such great singing and an entertaining story. I was in a large audience in a superb auditorium where it was enthusiastically received.

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[–] julius-guthrie 12 years ago

I enjoyed this movie but wasn't really paying enough attention, and thought that Kay had conveniently learned Vietnamese beforehand

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[–] blue-3 12 years ago

julius-guthrie on Thu Sep 6 2012 05:40:36

I enjoyed this movie but wasn't really paying enough attention, and thought that Kay had conveniently learned Vietnamese beforehand

Without knowing any Viet Namese or any Australian aboriginal language, I'm sure my ear can tell the difference in the sound of them. They're as different as a violin is from a tuba.
(OK, maybe that's a bit overstated.)

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[–] Barricade_Girl 12 years ago

The scene seemed to be cut from the premiere at TIFF last night as well.

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[–] subase 12 years ago

Not really Fay's forced to lose that part of her identity and her resentment of that, means she would probably cling even more strongly. A more complex and deep character than appearances would indicate.

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[–] phil_rutherford 12 years ago

The French were indeed very involved in Vietnam. In the south there were many plantation owners/managers who paid protection money to the Viet Cong or actually assisted them with intelligence against the US and friendly forces. I didn't read too much into this scene - in fact it struck me that the NVA commander (the guy in the helmet) may have thought that they were French.

Other than this part I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I served in Vietnam with the Australian forces and thought that save for the occasional silly bit (like the firefight towards the end) this was a very realistic and honest movie.

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[–] krasny 11 years ago

I'm pretty certain that she was speaking Vietnamese.

Don't Care What The Governments Say
They're All Bought And Paid For Anyway

- Sun Green

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[–] elendil_peredhil 11 years ago

She looks to be 9 or 10 when she's taken away so of course she would know her own language at that age as well as English.

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[–] jacinta-wyld 11 years ago

she was speaking her native language. the VC's probably just recognised it wasn't English and picked up on her tone/respect and the fact she wasn't white. im sure other cultures have similar practices that can be recognised/related to. many indigenous peoples will acknowledge who's land it is and such.

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[–] liam_morty 11 years ago

The answer is quite obvious really. If you weren't speaking English then you're not American, English, Australian or New Zealander so you weren't an enemy of the Vietcong. They don't look Spanish, Thai or Philo so there's no way they could be an enemy.

The commander heard her speak in a foreign dialect he had never heard before and assumed no threat. Nothing mystical about it, even though assumption is the mother of all muck ups.

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[–] blue-3 11 years ago

chrysler101 on Tue Feb 26 2013 02:33:28 writes:

...The commander heard her speak in a foreign dialect he had never heard before and assumed no threat....

A fairly good answer but you'd have to include Korean and French in the list. OTOH That tiny segment of Sadie the Cleaning Lady would not have sounded familiar either so it could have had the same effect.Anyway, it was a great scene and I'd gladly give them any necessary license required.

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[–] MrBullo 11 years ago

BTW, "Apocalypse Now" (Redux version) has restored a previously deleted scene where Willard and his men are taken in by the French owners of one of the few French plantations left in Vietnam.

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[–] andyg35 8 years ago

Recorded the film off BBC2 here in the UK over Christmas and watched it last night. It had the road block scene in it, and I took it to understand that the VC commander responded to the non-English speaking voice by deciding they weren't a threat.

Not a bad scene, but it did seem a little surreal compared to the rest of what was a very good film - maybe a reason it has been trimmed?

AndyG

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[–] markann-2 11 years ago

We just watched it. I assume there was a roadblock on the totally unreal drive to Nha Trang but it wasn't on the DVD.

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[–] Riotboy-1 10 years ago

Sounds like an interesting scene, too bad it's deleted from the US version. :( 9/10

Look at the night sky, where does it end?

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[–] DaliParton 10 years ago

I agree. It isn't even on the French bluray as an extra.
It would be cool if someone were to upload a copy to youtube.
(I already checked and there isn't one yet.)

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[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] cowgoesmoo 7 years ago

I saw it in Sydney when it first came out and again today on a friend's (in Australia) DVD. Both have the roadblock scene intact, so it only seems in the rest of the world you can't see it.

Maybe the answer is due to legal problems? "Sadie the Cleaning Lady", as far as I know, was only a hit in Australia. Maybe someone in the movie business forgot to buy worldwide rights to the song? Or else worldwide rights were too expensive? If the song can't be used legally outside Australia, it may have been easier to just cut the scene for non-Australian markets.

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