Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 8, 1994 TAG: 9401080122
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: C12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Though he has referred to it as the conclusion of his Vietnam trilogy, following "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July," it stands on its own, and attempts to take a larger, omniscient view of the war. The film is based on the life of Le Ly Hayslip. She's a Vietnamese woman who saw the war and its aftermath from several sides, and wrote two books about her experiences, "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places" and "Child of War, Woman of Peace."
Le Ly is a strong character, and her portrayal on screen by newcomer Hiep Thi Le is remarkably effective. Even though she ages some 30 years over the course of the action and is called upon to display every imaginable emotion, she's always believable. More importantly, she's interesting. You sympathize with this woman and want to know what's going to happen to her. That's the key to the film's success.
It begins with a stickily romantic introduction. In voice-over narration, Le Ly describes an idealized childhood. Stone presents it as a beautiful, bucolic little village complete with prosperous peasants, happy kids and fluttering doves in the background. But then the French soldiers come to Central Vietnam, followed by the Viet Cong and finally the Americans.
Though Le Ly's father (Haing S. Ngor) and mother (Joan Chen) care little about politics, their family, like the village itself, is drawn into the conflict. At first, the Viet Cong seem to be the best of the bunch, but their methods and tactics are just as vicious as their opponents', and just as destructive.
It wouldn't be fair to reveal many details of the plot because it progresses with the episodic, unpredictable pace of those tumultuous times. But it's not giving away any of the surprises to say that a Marine sergeant, Steve Butler (Tommy Lee Jones), and the fall of Saigon figure prominently in the story. Later, Debbie Reynolds makes a brief but memorable appearance as Butler's mother.
Perhaps the most curious aspect of "Heaven and Earth" is its structure. After about an hour and a half, the story comes to a conventional ending. But it's still got almost an hour to go. That part of the film is the most problematic. It manages to be simultaneously fascinating, frightening, realistic and far too talky. It's oddly reminiscent of the conclusion to "JFK." There, having made his points, Stone felt it necessary to underline, explain and embroider them.
Some rigorous editing would have strengthened the end of this film, too. But Stone had reasons for his choices. Having come so far and done so much, these characters deserve the time to explain themselves.
By then, some viewers will be ready to listen; others will be ready to leave.
\ Heaven and Earth: ***
A Warner Bros. release playing at Valley View Mall 6. 140 min. Rated R for torture, graphic violence, rape, strong language, subject matter, brief nudity.
by CNB