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My Experiences with Roland Joffe's 'The Killing Fields' - Part 2

Continuing with the second part of story about 'The Killing Fields', Dr. Haing S. Ngor who essayed the role of The New York Times Photojournalist Dith Pran was a renowned gynaecologist in Cambodia. Khmer Rouge, in the wake of Vietnam War, initiated an opertaion called 'Year Zero' that targeted the intellectual banishment and slavery in Democratic Kampuchea. Dr. Ngor had to hid his identity as a Doctor and instead act as an uneducated taxi driver in order to save his own as well as his wife's life. Her wife died because of pregnancy related complications in one of the labor camps. She needed a ceasarian operation for giving birth to their first child but Dr. Ngor could not give up his real identity in order to achieve the parenthood. He feared the death of all three if Khmer Rouge found about his actual identity. Little did he know that consequences to follow will lead to an inevitable death to his wife anyway. He decided at that very moment that he had to continue living on for his wife and motherland's sake and when presented with a suitable opportunity, bring forward the reality of the oppressive regime of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. The result of this determination and relentless pursuit of a life of freedom paved way for the project known as 'The Killing Fields'.

The Killing Fields won 8 BAFTA awards and 3 Oscars. Dr. Ngor became the second non-actor and first Asian actor to win the elusive Oscars under the best supporting roles category for Male. He established a legacy and finally fulfilled his promise to his wife and motherland.
Vietnam War had earlier provided the motion pictures aficianados with two exceptional masterpieces; Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter. Former is an epic and the later a drama. Former stars Marlon Brando and later Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. The Killing Fields stars Sam Waterston and Dr. Ngor, first a very good actor and second a non-actor and a first-timer. And still this movie has created a niche for itself. Why does it rank so high in Critics' and Moviegoer's list is anybody's guess. Its cinematography and production design is groundbreaking but apart from those technical nous, it lets us know that despite the danger of encountering death on any given moment, some individuals still manage to defy the odds and rekindle the spirit of endurance in human beings through their actions.......Mr. Dith Pran and Dr. Haign S. Ngor, ladies and gentlemen, were two such individuals.................‪#‎Legends‬.........‪#‎UnadulteratedRespect‬.............‪#‎TheKillingFields‬

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