De l’usage des préjugés et des clichés dans le cinéma de Tran Anh Hung

How does an intercultural director, who is familiar with stereotypes and clichés from a variety of cinematic traditions, present his/her work to a primarily western audience? This paper examines the work of Tran Anh Hung, the director of L’Odeur de la papaye verte (1993), Cyclo (1995) and À la verticale de l’été (2000). His personal construction of Vietnam in these films reflects the contrasting influences of his Vietnamese roots and his European experience and education. However, only À la verticale de l’été has been released in Vietnam, and all three films were financed by European creditors and producers. An analysis of the use of cliché in these films reveals how the director has adapted and subverted the traditions of both Western and Eastern cinema to present his personal vision of Vietnam to a mainly Western audience. Article by Delphine Benezet, a 2008-09 Visiting Fellow at the IGRS. It was first published in the peer-reviewed e-journal, Post-Scriptum. Full citation details are given at the end of the article.