Three Seasons

This is the film which we should take our friends and relatives to who wonder about our obsession with Vietnam. It is one of the loveliest films I have seen and manages to balance realism with a romantic vision.

It is not a comprehensive portrayal of Vietnam today because it focuses on four archetypical poor people (a cyclo driver, a flower seller, a prostitute and a street child) and one American veteran.

Economic growth and other positive changes are the counterpoint, not the point, of Tony Bui's film. Modernization provides a backdrop for his characters' lives, and a challenge to traditional values. They may be victimized by the inequality of wealth in the emerging market economy but they do not carry themselves as victims. Their stories are moving, not depressing.

Unidentified Vietnames Actors and "Kien An" (Nguyen Ngoc Hiep)
in a scene from Three Seasons.

Tony Bui, a twenty-six year old Vietnamese American film maker is the writer and director. His cast performs outstandingly and includes Vietnamese (Don Duong, Nguyen Ngoc Hiep, Nguyen Huu Duoc, Tran Manh Cuong), a Vietnamese-American (Zoe Bui) and one famous American actor (Harvey Keitel). The dialog is largely in Vietnamese with English subtitles.

Three Seasons was a hit at the Sundance Festival of independent films, winning the Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award and the Best Cinematography Award. It deserves to catch on with a mass audience which would give you a chance to see it as it merits on a theater screen. But if it doesn't make it to the local multiplex, be sure to get the video.

The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch will become the first professional symphony orchestra to perform in Vietnam. The trip to Vietnam was made following an invitation from the Vietnam Ministry of Culture and Information. It is sponsored by CIGNA corporation and also includes performances in Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

The Orchestra will arrive be in Vietnam for a five-day visit. During their visit they will perform a special free concert for the children of Hanoi on May 21, an evening concert at the Cultural Palace in Hanoi on May 22, and a concert at the Hoa Binh Theater in HCM City on May 23.

In April, Dr. Tran Thu Ha, Dean of the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music met in Philadelphia with Orchestra staff and arranged for some members of the orchestra to conduct master classes for student's of the Hanoi Conservatory of Music. Dr. Ha is pictured below with Governor Tom Ridge who will also be in Vietnam leading a trade delegation from Pennsylvania that coincides with the visit of the Orchestra.