Heaven & Earth
(1993)
R | 142 mins | Drama | 25 December 1993
Director:
Oliver StoneWriter:
Oliver StoneProducers:
Oliver Stone, Arnon Milchan, Robert Kline, A. Kitman HoCinematographer:
Robert RichardsonEditors:
David Brenner, Sally MenkeProduction Designer:
Victor KempsterProduction Company:
Heaven & Earth Changed PlacesThe film begins with the following written prologue: "This film is based on the true life story of Phung Thi Le Ly Hayslip, from Ky La, a rice-farming village in Central Vietnam. It is the early 1950's and Ky La has been under the domination of France for nearly seventy years as part of the country's vast Indochinese colonial empire. The French rulers are far away in Saigon, Hanoi or Paris, but in Ky La, life goes on as it has for a thousand years, protected by Father Heaven, Ong Troi, and Mother Earth, Me Dat. Between Heaven and Earth--Troi va Dat--are the people, striving to bring forth the harvest and follow Lord Buddha's teachings." The film concludes with the epilogue: "Phung Thi Le Ly Hayslip co-authored the two memoirs on which this film is based. She lives in California with her three sons and has helped build several health clinics in Vietnam through the East Meets West Foundation."
On 8 May 1989 HR announced that screenwriter Ronald Bass and actress Joan Chen were preparing to option screen rights to Le Ly Hayslip’s 1989 memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman’s Journey from War to Peace, co-written by Jay Wurts. However, the 11 Aug 1989 Publishers Weekly reported that Oliver Stone had optioned the property in association with Robert Kline of Transatlantic Enterprises for an undisclosed six-figure price, including a share of the film's profits. Hayslip’s 1993 follow-up memoir, Child of War, Woman of Peace, co-written by James Hayslip, was also later optioned.
According to production notes in AMPAS library ...
The film begins with the following written prologue: "This film is based on the true life story of Phung Thi Le Ly Hayslip, from Ky La, a rice-farming village in Central Vietnam. It is the early 1950's and Ky La has been under the domination of France for nearly seventy years as part of the country's vast Indochinese colonial empire. The French rulers are far away in Saigon, Hanoi or Paris, but in Ky La, life goes on as it has for a thousand years, protected by Father Heaven, Ong Troi, and Mother Earth, Me Dat. Between Heaven and Earth--Troi va Dat--are the people, striving to bring forth the harvest and follow Lord Buddha's teachings." The film concludes with the epilogue: "Phung Thi Le Ly Hayslip co-authored the two memoirs on which this film is based. She lives in California with her three sons and has helped build several health clinics in Vietnam through the East Meets West Foundation."
On 8 May 1989 HR announced that screenwriter Ronald Bass and actress Joan Chen were preparing to option screen rights to Le Ly Hayslip’s 1989 memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman’s Journey from War to Peace, co-written by Jay Wurts. However, the 11 Aug 1989 Publishers Weekly reported that Oliver Stone had optioned the property in association with Robert Kline of Transatlantic Enterprises for an undisclosed six-figure price, including a share of the film's profits. Hayslip’s 1993 follow-up memoir, Child of War, Woman of Peace, co-written by James Hayslip, was also later optioned.
According to production notes in AMPAS library files, Stone felt something was missing from his story, but after taking a research trip to Vietnam with Le Ly Hayslip, and reading Child of War, Woman of Peace, he “found the third act of the film.” The 19 Dec 1993 NYT reported that Stone hired Hayslip as a technical advisor on the film, and “leaned on her like a crutch.”
Referring to the picture as Where the Sky Meets the Earth, the 29 Nov 1991 Screen International announced that TriStar Pictures would produce the project with a Mar 1992 start date. According to the 13 Dec 1991 HR, the picture was originally slated as a project for Carolco Pictures, but Stone searched for a new production company when Carolco revamped its business and sold off its properties.
The 18 May 1992 HR noted the alternate title, Heaven On Earth, and reported that filming would begin in Sep 1992 in Southeast Asia. A 26 May 1992 HR production chart listed a principal photography start date of 28 Sep 1992, and indicated the film was a Warner Bros. production.
The 23 Jul 1992 DV reported that Oliver Stone was trying to secure locations in Vietnam, but the Vietnamese government required script approval. Additional shooting locations were planned for Thailand. Production notes report that Stone could not film extensively in Vietnam because of “U.S. diplomatic non-recognition and a trade embargo,” although filmmakers travelled throughout Vietnam for research. Phang-Nga, Thailand, was chosen to recreate the village of Ky La because of the similarities in landscape.
According to production notes, open casting calls began in Sep 1991 and were held in Vietnamese communities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Oliver Stone was searching for an unknown actress to play the role of “Le Ly.” Hiep Thi Le, a physiology major, told the Dec 1993 San Francisco Focus that she auditioned in San Jose, CA, with some friends “on a lark,” and had never considered acting before. Production notes report that Stone cast the twenty-three-year-old Le in the lead because of her “spirit” and “purity of character.”
The 2 Sep 1992 HR reported delays in the start of production due to torrential rains in Phang-Nga, and an Oct 1992 start was anticipated.
Principal photography finally began on 26 Oct 1992, as announced in the 27 Oct 1992 HR production chart.
The Royal Thai Army provided soldiers and equipment, and while filming a scene on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, on 13 Dec 1992, locals reportedly believed an actual coup d’état was in progress, according to the 4 Jan 1993 Var.
Crewmembers relocated to Los Angeles, CA, in early Jan 1993, for four weeks of filming, according to production notes. Expecting temperate weather, filmmakers were discouraged by pouring rain, and some felt shooting in Thailand was “easier.” The 5 Jan 1994 HR reported locations in Bangkok, Thailand, which stood in for Saigon, and San Diego, CA.
The 7 Dec 1993 NYT reported a $23 million budget, and stated that Oliver Stone sent a documentary team to Vietnam to “surreptitiously” film some scenes for Heaven & Earth.
A benefit premiere was held on 16 Dec 1993 at AMPAS, in honor of Le Ly Hayslip's East Meets West Foundation.
The picture opened in limited release on Christmas day 1993 in order to qualify for Academy Award consideration, according to the 3 Jan 1994 HR. The 5 Jan 1994 HR announced wide release on 7 Jan 1994 in 775 theaters.
End credits include the following dedication: "For my mother Jacqueline Stone." Also stated are the acknowledgments: "'Tomorrow Show' with Tom Snyder-courtesy of NBC News Archives, San Diego TV News-courtesy of KGTV Channel 10, San Diego," and, "Special Thank You: Evan Green, Phil Radin, the People of Thailand." End credits conclude with: "Filmed on location in Vietnam, Thailand & the United States of America."
Heaven On Earth
When Heaven and Earth Changed Places
Where the Sky Meets the Earth
In the central Vietnamese village of Ky La, young Le Ly Hayslip works alongside her mother in the rice paddies. The French invaded the idyllic village in 1953, burning it to the ground, but Le Ly and her family have helped to rebuild the community. In 1963, however, Ky La is forever changed when communist Viet Cong rebels arrive, Angry that the French and Americans have divided their country into North and South. When Le Ly’s brothers, Bon and Sau, join the rebel army, she fear she will never see them again. In time, Vietnamese government soldiers, under the guidance of Americans troops, arrive in Ky La to train the peasants to fight against the Viet Cong. Although Le Ly is sent to a work camp and indoctrinated with anti-Viet Cong propaganda, she joins her fellow Ky La villagers in ambushing government soldiers, and is taken prisoner. She is interrogated and tortured until her bribes an official to get her released. However, the Viet Cong believe Le Ly is a traitor, and hold a rifle to her head. She vows her allegiance, but is raped by the leader. Afterward, she moves to Saigon with her mother and sister, and finds work in the home of a wealthy couple named Madame Lien and Master Anh. There, Le Ly is seduced by Anh, and her mother notices she is pregnant. Cursing her daughter’s stupidity, she takes Le Ly to an herbalist to abort the baby, but the remedies do not work. Madame Lien discovers the pregnancy and forces Anh to send the girl to Danang. He promises ...
In the central Vietnamese village of Ky La, young Le Ly Hayslip works alongside her mother in the rice paddies. The French invaded the idyllic village in 1953, burning it to the ground, but Le Ly and her family have helped to rebuild the community. In 1963, however, Ky La is forever changed when communist Viet Cong rebels arrive, Angry that the French and Americans have divided their country into North and South. When Le Ly’s brothers, Bon and Sau, join the rebel army, she fear she will never see them again. In time, Vietnamese government soldiers, under the guidance of Americans troops, arrive in Ky La to train the peasants to fight against the Viet Cong. Although Le Ly is sent to a work camp and indoctrinated with anti-Viet Cong propaganda, she joins her fellow Ky La villagers in ambushing government soldiers, and is taken prisoner. She is interrogated and tortured until her bribes an official to get her released. However, the Viet Cong believe Le Ly is a traitor, and hold a rifle to her head. She vows her allegiance, but is raped by the leader. Afterward, she moves to Saigon with her mother and sister, and finds work in the home of a wealthy couple named Madame Lien and Master Anh. There, Le Ly is seduced by Anh, and her mother notices she is pregnant. Cursing her daughter’s stupidity, she takes Le Ly to an herbalist to abort the baby, but the remedies do not work. Madame Lien discovers the pregnancy and forces Anh to send the girl to Danang. He promises to send Le Ly money, but it never arrives. Meanwhile, her mother returns to Ky La, and her father disowns her for having a baby out of wedlock. However, he travels to Danang to see Le Ly at the home of her sister, Hai, who works as a prostitute. Le Ly is too ashamed to see her father, but she overhears him tell Hai that he forgives her. After he leaves, Le Ly chastises Hai for disrespecting their father, and Hai evicts her. Le Ly gives birth to a son she names Jimmy, and struggles to support herself. Resisting prostitution, she sells cigarettes on the street. However, after months of starving, she accepts a proposition from two high-paying American G.I.s. Afterward, she returns to Ky La to visit her dying father, and is stunned to see the devastated village. Her father says he is proud of her, and that her life’s mission is to be a good mother. When he dies, Le Ly pays for an elaborate funeral, and mourns him for 100 days. A year later, the war continues, but Le Ly’s luck improves when she gets a job as a cocktail waitress. When her prostitute friend asks her to help trick an American G.I. out of his money, she reluctantly agrees. The soldier, Steve Butler, takes a liking to Le Ly, and begins following her. He asks her to spend time with him, promising he is only looking for friendship. Le Ly tells Steve she is not interested, but after a night spent talking, Le Ly is won over, and makes love to Steve. Despite her reluctance to get involved, Le Ly is lured by Steve’s promises to take care of her and her mother after the war in his home town of San Diego, California. Three years after their marriage, the war drags on and they live in a village with their new son, Tommy. Le Ly tries to convince her mother to move to America with them, but she insists on staying in Ky La. When their village is attacked, Steve puts Le Ly and her sons on a helicopter with a letter, pleading for evacuation. The pilot drops them off a short distance away, and they join the thousands of peasants fleeing the war-torn countryside. Miraculously, Steve finds Le Ly on the street, and the reunited family moves to San Diego. Le Ly is welcomed by Steve’s family, and learns that they will live with his mother because Steve is penniless from paying child support to his former wife, Beverly, for their two children. In time, Le Ly struggles to adapt to American culture. When she tells Steve she wants to work so they can afford their own home, he shares his plan to retire from military service in three years, and that he has been promised a high-paying civilian job selling arms overseas. Le Ly is furious that he would accept such a position, and accuses him of lying to her to get her to marry him. Against Steve’s wishes, Le Ly takes a job at a circuit board factory and secretly saves money to open a restaurant. When Steve discovers her plan, they fight, and over time he becomes an abusive alcoholic. The conflict comes to a head when Steve learns Le Ly has been exchanging letters with Jimmy’s father, Anh. As she asks for a divorce, he points a shotgun at her head, then drops the weapon and admits he has been discharged from the Marines. He reveals he will not be getting the arms-selling job, after all, and rambles about the atrocities of war. Believing he has lost his mind, Steve puts the shotgun in his mouth, but Le Ly stops him from pulling the trigger. She comforts him and shares that she, too, went through hell in Vietnam. Le Ly insists they must not give up, but in time their marriage crumbles. Le Ly speaks with a divorce lawyer, and wonders if she should return to Vietnam. Sometime later, Steve kidnaps Tommy and their youngest son, Alan, threatening Le Ly to drop the divorce. Desperate, she seeks advice from a Buddhist monk, who tells her to forgive Steve if she hopes to find redemption, and heal her karma. Le Ly telephones Steve and says she wants to give their marriage another chance, professing her love for him. However, Steve later shoots himself in the head. In time, Le Ly prospers from real estate investments, and from owning a restaurant. Thirteen years after the war, she returns to Vietnam with her sons, and takes Jimmy to meet his father, Anh, wondering if her true love has changed. Although Anh has lost his wealth, he is pleased to see Le Ly, and embraces his son. Le Ly returns to Ky La and is reunited with her elderly mother, and brother, Bon, who is angry that she married an American “enemy.” Bon reveals their mother has suffered since the war, and Le Ly feels guilty for leaving. Later, however, her mother tells her she is proud. Le Ly makes an offering at a Buddhist temple, and tries to find peace between her past and present.
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