Question

Questions from Roland Joffe’s The Killing Fields (1984) for my HUM2020 class.

How are Pran's Buddhist beliefs and values at the core of his character and a determiner of his interactions with everyone?

Consider the three-part structure of the film. How would you characterize those sections? Why?

Answer 1

The killing fields (1984) is a film directed by Roland Joffe and produced by David Puttnam. This is story based on the Cambodian communist regime by  Khmer Rouge who is responsible for the killing of millions of Cambodian by starvation or mass execution.

The story is told through two journalists one of them is Cambodian Dith Pran and an American journalist Sydney Schanberg.

The plot of the film is that the American journalist is assigned a new post in Cambodia in the year 1973 and Dith Pran is his interpreter-guide It pictures the Khem Rodgers regime that is responsible for the countries downfall after the war Vietnam followed by civil war.

The Khem Ruger was fighting the war with Cambodian National Army. The Khmer Rouge defeated the Cambodian army and over Cambodia. Khmer Rouge was systemically killing the people, they separated people from each other thus balancing them with an intention that no common man can standup fighting for their right.  They forced millions of residents of Phnom Penh and other cities out of their homes, It was a systemic genocide.

Dith Pran was a Buddhist and companion of the American journalist the Buddhist religions golden word was very strong in Dith Pran that there is dissatisfaction and suffering exists universally the reason behind is th desire and attachment but this dissatisfaction and suffering can end if the person follows the right path have right thinking, right conduct and speak politely and do right thing with right mindful and concentrating on the right goal. The golden words are that a person should not do any harm. Most of the Cambodian population follows Buddhist Religion. it emphasis that does not take that do not belong to you do not kill the living creature and refrain from spreading hate and intoxicating others.

These teaching were part of his characters that made him help his friend to get him free from Khmer regime's army and helped him to get out of the disturbed country.

The pictures depict the incident starting from 1973 to 1979 wherein 1979 the American Journalist gets his Journalism award, but it is shown that he shares his award with his friend Dith Pran.

The first part of the film shows the American Journalist came to cover the unrest in the country. The belief was that the US is present behind the unrest with Vietnam forces that shows the unwillingness of people to accept the American as their friend. The second part deals with the deadly regime of Khmer Rouge killing their own people for keeping the country in the hand and it shows the escape of Pran from the hands of that killing regime and uniting with his family and friend.