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Borrowed costumes: Actors Pham Tien Loc (right, as Ly Cong Uan) and Pham Anh Dung are seen in the controversial TV series Ly Cong Uan: Duong Toi Thanh Thang Long. — File Photo |
HA NOI — A recently completed television series on King Ly Cong Uan is awaiting permission from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism before it can be aired, after a controversy erupted surrounding the series' similarities to earlier Chinese television series.
Le Ngoc Minh, deputy head of the ministry's cinematography department, confirmed that the assessment panel had not made the final decision to permit the series entitled Ly Cong Uan: Duong Toi Thanh Thang Long (Ly Cong Uan: Road to Thang Long Citadel) to be broadcast in Viet Nam.
"Many of the scenes were shot in China. That's why many people think that the film is similar to a Chinese product," said Khuat Duy Tan, head of the department's film distribution section.
Dinh Xuan Dung, a member of the jury, said that he had viewed the entire series and found that the film's ideology was sound.
"We should enhance the Vietnamese characteristics which have been put in the series, including music, characters' manners and historic occurrences," Dung said.
Painter Doan Thi Tinh spent many years researching and designing the historic costumes for the series, while researcher Phan Cam Thuong worked as an adviser on historic settings and rituals.
The panel asked producer Truong Thanh Media Joint Stock Co to make some changes, including cutting some outdoor scenes which are typical of a Chinese television series, some scenes with a large number of Chinese extras, scenes with characters wearing Chinese-style costumes, and changing some of the wording.
The series, consisting of 19 45-minute episodes, was produced with private funding by a Vietnamese and Chinese crew and was intended to air as part of the millennial anniversary of Ha Noi.
Leading cast members included Pham Tien Loc (as Ly Cong Uan), Nguyen Thuy Van and Pham Anh Dung.
Truong Thanh general director Trinh Van Son said it was difficult to recreate details of Vietnamese history but that the series had been changed in accordance with the panel's demands. — VNS