L'oiseau de Paradis

           
      
         
Director:  Marcel Camus
Year:  1962
Rating: 8.0
Country: France
Aka - Dragon Sky

This is simply a gorgeous film. A feast for the eyes and senses. Every inch of the screen is awash with vivid color. A spiritual journey into culture, myth, Buddhism, death and reincarnation. The screen is constantly filled with moments of wonder and beauty whether it is the dragon boat races, Buddhist monks chanting, festivals, children playing, a kickboxing match, rickshaws on the quite streets, a theatrical reenactment of the legend of Rama, Sita, Ravana and Hanuman and finally a visit to the grandeur of Angkor Wat where the carved stone faces have looked down on man's misery for hundreds of years. It is directed by Marcel Camus and located in Cambodia. All the characters are Cambodian but speak French. Cambodia had been a French colony. Shot in 1962 only a few years before the horror of Vietnam and then Pol Pot. Camus had directed in exotic (for those days) locales before - Black Orpheus and The Pioneers in Brazil and Fugitive in Saigon in South East Asia.



This shares similarities with Black Orpheus as the story reflects a local myth - that of Rama and Sita that is being performed on stage. Two people who are far apart on the social ladder realize they were lovers in a past life and that fate has brought them together where nothing matters except their love for one another that has lasted through time. A young boy plays the Hanuman of the story and an upper class disdainful Cambodian fills out the Ravana role. It is slow and lovely as it just indulges and bathes luxuriously in the details and spectacle of the country but eventually a love story emerges. The beautiful Dara (Nari Hem) is an upper class young woman and classical Cambodian dancer. She is being romantically pursued by Khem (Nope Nem) who is a complete scoundrel and treats the poor like dirt. Sok (Sam El) is a poor orphan who lives on his wits, his cheerful charm and friends. The three of them collide in inevitable tragedy fated long ago.




The story is poetic though fairly predictable. It is the setting, cinematography and music from Maurice Jarre that makes the film so compelling, nearly hypnotic. Perhaps I was so drawn to this film because I visited Angkor Wat back in 1991 and found it a wonderland of beauty, spirituality and ancient temples- still untouched for the most part by tourists - not so anymore I am afraid - they were still digging up land mines - and being charmed by the people - especially the small children who spoke perfect English and wanted to be your guide for $1 a day. I have a very soft spot for the country and seeing it like this in 1962 was just a gift.



Of interest to some perhaps is that the female who takes the lead in the performance of Rama and Sita in the last segment is Bopha Devi (also spelled Buppha - her name meaning Flower Goddess). The camera goes in for a close-up of her and you may wonder why since she has not been in the film. She also gets top billing. There is a reason for that. She is a Princess, daughter of King Norodom Sihanouk. She had an interesting life. She was the director and premier dancer of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia. Now mind you Cambodia ballet is not what we think of as ballet but a very stylized form using hands and small movements. When Pol Pot rose to power she went into exile but later went back and revived the Cambodian dance form of  Aspara that goes back over a thousand years. She passed away in 2019.