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Sad Song of Yellow Skin
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Wikipedia article
'Sad Song of Yellow Skin' is a 1970 direct cinema-style documentary film on the effects of the Vietnam War on street children in Saigon. The 58-minute documentary was written, directed and narrated by Michael Rubbo and produced by Tom Daly for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).
Production
Rubbo had originally gone to Vietnam with the stated goal of making a documentary about the work of Foster Parents Plan with Vietnamese war orphans. However, once there, and confronted with the enormity of what was taking place, he felt a film about this humanitarian operation was missing the real story. Rubbo's NFB producer, Tom Daly, supported him in his efforts to entirely rethink the film.
Rubbo met the children in the film through Dick Hughes, a young American who offered his apartment as a safe haven for street kids. Hughes was part of a group of American student journalists who adopted a New Journalism approach covering the wara highly personal and involved approach that would influence Rubbo's own style in making this film. This group of young journalists included John Steinbeck IV.
Rubbo recorded his own subjective observations in a diary and developed the idea for what would be the first of his self-reflexive documentaries with the NFB. In 'Sad Song of Yellow Skin', Rubbo often comments on his own actions within the film, expressing his doubts, fears and concerns, reminding the viewer they are watching a film and not an objective representation of reality.
Awards
Awards for 'Sad Song of Yellow Skin' included a special Canadian Film Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. It was named best film over 30 minutes at the 1971 Melbourne Film Festival.
References
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