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The Killing Fields
Sign in to saveAlso known as Killing Fields, La Déchirure, La Dechirure
1984 film by Roland Joffé
Film · TMDB
7.5New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story — a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.
Cast
- Sam Waterston as Sydney Schanberg
- Haing S. Ngor as Dith Pran
- John Malkovich as Al Rockoff
- Julian Sands as Jon Swain
- Craig T. Nelson as Military Attaché
- Spalding Gray as U.S. Consul
Themes
- journalist
- vietnam
- cambodia
- civil war
- based on novel or book
- photographer
- mass murder
- 1970s
- evacuation
- embassy
This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
Ratings
IMDb
7.8/10
63,342 votes
Rotten Tomatoes
91%
Metacritic
76/100
- Year
- 1984
- Runtime
- 141 min
- Genres
- Biography, Drama, History
- Rated
- R
- Awards
- Won 3 Oscars. 28 wins & 24 nominations total
via OMDb · IMDb
Key facts
- Directed by
- Roland Joffé
- Screenplay by
- Bruce Robinson
- Based on
- The Death and Life of Dith Pran , by Sydney Schanberg
- Produced by
- David Puttnam Iain Smith
- Starring
- Sam Waterston Haing S. Ngor Julian Sands Craig T. Nelson John Malkovich Athol Fugard
- Cinematography
- Chris Menges
- Edited by
- Jim Clark
- Music by
- Mike Oldfield
- Production companies
- Goldcrest Films International Film Investors Enigma Productions
- Distributed by
- Warner Bros.
- Release date
- 2 November 1984 ( 1984-11-02 )
- Running time
- 141 minutes
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Languages
- English French Khmer
- Budget
- $14.4 million
- Box office
- $34.7 million
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Duration
- 141
- FilmAffinity ID
- 396406
Show 3 more facts
- publication date
- 1985-02-22
- title
- La Déchirure
- review score
- 91%
Sources (15)
via Wikidata · CC0
~11 min read
Article
The Killing Fields is a 1984 British biographical drama film about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, which is based on the experiences of two journalists, Cambodian Dith Pran and American Sydney Schanberg. It was directed by Roland Joffé and produced by David Puttnam for Goldcrest Films. Sam Waterston stars as Schanberg, Haing S. Ngor as Pran, and John Malkovich as Al Rockoff. The adaptation for the screen was written by Bruce Robinson; the musical score was written by Mike Oldfield and orchestrated by David Bedford; and the costumes were designed by Judy Moorcroft.
The film was a success at the box office and an instant hit with critics. At the 57th Academy Awards it received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture; it won three, most notably Best Supporting Actor for Haing S. Ngor, who had no previous acting experience, as well as Best Cinematography and Best Editing. At the 38th British Academy Film Awards, it won eight BAFTAs, including Best Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ngor.