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By FRANKLIN SHUFTAN The war waged in Cambodia during the late 1960s and early ’70s was conceived in private and at first fought in secret. When Richard Nixon announced the invasion of this Southeast Asian nation in 1970, domestic resistence exploded; Kent State was the most dramatic result.Yet deepening U.S. involvement in Cambodia as a sideshow to the Vietnam war did little except mortally destabilize that nation. About a year after North Vietamese troops rolled into Saigon, Cambodia also fell. What followed in Phnom Penh and else-“The Killing Fields, ” starring Sam Waterston, John Malko-vicb and Haing S. Sgor, ***.where boggles the civilized mind to this day.This weekend is the second at suburban theatres for “The Killing Fields,” a film which finally has brought to the fore a little-known chapter in the horrors of Southeast Asia, horrors that to some extent continue to this day.“THE KILLING Fields” is a long (almost two and one-half hours) movie that is at times tough to sit through. But it is not the length of the film that might bring discomfort to the viewer, simply, it is impossible to watch this human tragedy unfold and retain any sense of detachment.The movie is not just another war story. On the contrary, it is more the torment of two persons and the death of a peaceful nation. And it is a true account in which one of the central characters lived an experience as harrowing as the one he played.The film focuses on the last days of Cambodia through the experiences01 an American reporter and hisCambodian colleague-guide-interpreter. Sydney Schanberg (played by Sam Waterston) was then a New York Times correspondent stationed in Phnom Penh. In fashion one would expect from a journalist of his stature, he aggressively pursues stories to illustrate the disintegration of this once-idyllic nation. In doing so, he clashes with the American military establishment whose purposes are not necessaily served by reporting of the whole truth. No matter Schanberg and his assistant. Dith Pran (played by Dr. Haing S. Ngor, whose personal story of escape from Cambodia mirrors that of his character), make their own way to stories and battlegrounds that are often hidden from the press pool.For Schanberg, Pran was indispensable. But as Khmer Rouge troops began closing in on Phnom Penh, reality dictated that Pran and his family had to make a quick decision, stay or leave. Schanberg succeeded in evacuating the family, but did not force Pran to join them. He later was to be criticized for not being more insistent with his friend.THE KHMER Rouge entered thecapital city on April 17, 1975, and their bloody acts of terror began almost immediately. In a memorable scene, Schanberg and a handful of other Western journalists were kidnapped by Khmer Rouge soldiers. They were taken to a revolutionary camp where, it appeared, they would be killed. While madness reigned, Pran pleaded with the commander and finally succeeded in gaining theirrelease.Soon after, all foreign journalists were expelled from Cambodia. Schanberg and his western mediaSyndney Schanberg, a New York Times correspondent played by Sam Waterston, is surrounded by deadly Khmer Rouge troups in *The Killing Fields.colleagues attempted to sneak Pran out with them but they failed.No film could adequately depict the tortures of Cambodia from that point. Thousands who were affiliated with the former government or the merchant class were killed. The Khmer Rouge government ordered all cities evacuated and establishment of a new agrarian society. Millions are estimated to have died in this process. Socialization of the young to reject all that preceded Khmer Rouge conquest was instituted. Men and women such as Pranbecame slave laborers: when their LJ‘ gave out, their usefulness — and their lives — expired.A clever and resourceful man, Pran eventually escapes and slowly heads toward Thailand. This effort, which makes up most of the film’s second half, is a tribute to human determination and perseverance.Meanwhile, from New York Schanberg, whose awards for his war reporting mount, ceaselessly seeks news of his lost friend. He is guilt-ridden and remorseful over the fate of his friend. Eventually, Pranreaches the Thai border and he and Schanberg are reunited in a refugee camp there.“The Killing Fields” was filmed mainly in Thailand, which to this day houses a substantial number of Cambodian refugees. These are the persons who are largely forgotten when a war ends. But “The Killing Fields” is a reminder to take notice of these victims and an effort to spotlight a chapter in the bloody recent history of Southeast Asia that probably received too little attention when it occurred.triri'Killing Fields' reveals horrors of Southeast Asia
Newspaper Details
Homewood Star
Homewood, Illinois, US
Sun, Feb 10, 1985
Page 100
Full Page
Clipped by
Jon C.
NJ, USA 14 Jan 2020
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