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Saturday, 16/04/2011 08:21

New series narrates founding of capital

HCM CITY — VTV3 will next week screen a series about King Ly Cong Uan who founded the former capital Thang Long in what is modern-day Ha Noi.

The 70-episode Huyen Su Thien Do (Legendary History of the Capital's Relocation), scripted by Nguyen Manh Tuan, has been produced by the Viet Nam Feature Film Studio 1 and Sao The Gioi Co.

It narrates events taking place in the country, especially the capital Hoa Lu, in 1004–1009 before Ly Cong Uan founded the Ly Dynasty and ascended the throne.

In 1010, eight months after becoming king, Ly Cong Uan made the seminal decision to shift the capital from Hoa Lu in what is now Ninh Binh Province to Thang Long.

The series is one of several feature and TV films made since 2009 to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi.

"We are sorry we could not release Legendary History of the Capital's Relocation during the millennium celebration," director Dang Tat Binh said.

"The production of a historical TV series is not easy."

"Despite lacking resources, we have tried to [ensure] quality."

Legendary History of the Capital's Relocation will be on VTV3 at 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays beginning on April 21.

But audience expectations are at rock bottom.

"I hope the series will be better than the TV series Ve Dat Thang Long (Arriving in Thang Long) and the film Khat Vong Thang Long (Thang Long Aspiration) that came last year," Luong Minh Tri, a second-year student at HCM City University, said.

"Scenes of battle in Arriving in Thang Long look fake. It made the series uninteresting."

"I have seen many well-known historical films made by directors in the US, China, and South Korea. Their actors perform well. When we watch them fight, we believe what we see on the screen.

"Thang Long Aspiration was good in the beginning but its ending was unclear."

Nguyen Thi Tuyet, a young woman, said Thang Long Aspiration was about Ly Cong Uan "But King Le Long Dinh seems to be the protagonist because he appears in almost all the important scenes."

King Le Long Dinh died in 1009 at the age of 24 just before Uan ascended the throne to establish the Ly dynasty.

"Audiences could see similar scenes in several Vietnamese historical series because they are all shot at the same place – in Hue or at Co Loa Studio in Ha Noi," Tuyet said.

"Filmmakers should research history, build modern studios, and use professional costumes and weapons to make interesting historical series and movies."

"We are waiting for some locally-made historical films that are worth watching." — VNS


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