The Killing Fields
Over the weekend I finally had the chance to watch The Killing Fields, a film that had been sitting by my tv for a few weeks knowing it was not something to be treated lightly. Extremely powerful in it’s own right, there’s something about seeing a film like this after you’ve been a place making it strike home that much harder. Even harder to grasp was how the events of this film – the mass killing of nearly 2 million Cambodians (a third of the population) happened not all that long ago. (Also crazy to think that when my mom visited Cambodia nearly 40 years ago, these events hadn’t happened – and it’s still beyond me how mass killings like this could ever happen.)
Read more about the life (and recent death) of Dith Pran, the journalist partner of Sydney H. Schanberg, portrayed in the film.
design for mankind.
June 23, 2008 at 3:41 pm //
WOW– what a powerful film. Thanks for the intro, dearie!
Janelle
June 28, 2008 at 6:30 pm //
I went to report a story about a nude beach in New Jersey for the NYTimes, and met my photographer at the beach. I didn’t realize who he was until the end of our day reporting – he was so very busy trying to capture the best angle and shot, and to present photos that would still run in a family newspaper. Only after we’d spent the day together rehashing the life of a lifeguard he dip into his own. I had been working alongside Dith Pran the entire time. Needless to say, it was one of my more ridiculous moments, and I was sorry to hear of his death. You can read the story here and see his pics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/nyregion/31ink.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/B/Beaches
Prêt à Voyager
June 29, 2008 at 11:06 pm //
Wow! How incredible, Janelle! What a memory.
Anne
Marta Mourão
August 19, 2008 at 4:26 pm //
I bought this movie when I was in Cambodia. Really powerful indeed!