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Reflects culture: A poster for Khat Vong Thang Long (Aspirations of Thang Long) depicts the life of King Ly Cong Uan, who was credited with establishing Thang Long Citadel. |
HCM CITY — A movie about the life of King Ly Thai To who moved the capital from Hoa Lu (now in the northern province of Ninh Binh) to Thang Long (today's Ha Noi), is now being shown at cinemas across the country.
The producer, Ky Nguyen Sang Company, released the film to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Ha Noi.
The film, Khat Vong Thang Long (Thang Long Aspiration), is written by an overseas Vietnamese, Charlie Nguyen, and directed by Luu Trong Ninh.
Nguyen spent four weeks writing the screenplay and three months researching King Ly Thai To.
"However, the thought of a film about a hero who established Thang Long as the capital occurred to me two years ago," he said.
After reading the screenplay, director Ninh said he and filmmakers expected the film to be successful.
The work portrays the King Ly Thai To who was born in 974 in Co Phap Pagoda in the northern province of Bac Ninh.
He was named Ly Cong Uan and raised by Van Hanh, who was a respected monk in the anterior Le dynasty court, at the Quan Su Pagoda in Hoa Lu Citadel.
Uan visited the capital as a youth and became a high-ranking officer in the army.
After King Le Dai Hanh died, Uan became disappointed with the court after seeing the battle for the throne that finally fell to Le Long Dinh.
In 1009, the King Le Long Dinh died at the age of 24. Uan ascended to the throne, which began the era of the Ly dynasty.
Eight months after being named king, he issued the Edict on the Transfer of the Capital, moving it from Hoa Lu to Dai La and renaming it Thang Long (Rising Dragon).
For the movie, Ninh and the producer spent four months casting the roles by interviewing candidates across the country.
They selected a new face among the 3,000 candidates for the leading role of King Ly Thai To, the fashion model Quach Ngoc Ngoan. The role of King Le Long Dinh was given to actor Dinh Toan.
"All of them have been excellent," Ninh said.
However, some audiences have left the cinema somewhat dissatisfied because of the films' vague ending.
The film ends when Uan lover sacrifices herself to save him from the arrow of Le Long Dinh. The final image is that of King Ly on a boat going toward Dai La.
Tran Thu Trang said she was interested in the opening of the film, but was disappointed with the ending.
"I felt so proud when I saw the nice scenes and costumes reflecting Vietnamese culture from that era," she said.
Ninh said the crew had only two and a half of months for production and a month for post-production.
"We tried hard to depict the image of the country 1,000 years ago."
The film was shot at beautiful sites in Ha Noi, Ninh Binh, Thua Thien-Hue and Dac Lac, and post-production was done in South Korea by the Kinomotive Company.
Khat Vong Thang Long is the only historical movie about King Le Thai To that is being screened during the 1,000th anniversary of Ha Noi.
Le Minh Tam, chairwoman of the board of directors of the Ky Nguyen Sang production company, said she hoped to make a quality historical film to be screened here and abroad that would help youth and overseas audiences learn more about the history of Viet Nam. — VNS