C’est une tranche de l’Histoire de l’Indochine française des années 1920-1950 à travers une famille française coloniale des plantations d’hévéas, immergée dans le soulèvement de Vinh et la mutinerie de Yên Bay en 1927 jusqu’aux Accords de Genève de 1954 qui ont mis fin à la présence française en Indochine. À l’intérieur de ce cadre historique est une histoire d’amour entre l’héritière de cette famille et un lieutenant de vaisseau de la marine française qui a opté pour les nationalistes vietnamiens par amour une princesse vietnamienne devenue communiste dans les bagnes français. Alors, le chef de la « Sureté » coloniale française l’a « suicidé ».


France / Fiction / 1992 / 1h32 / 35 mm / Couleur / VO

* Réalisation : Régis Wargnier
* Scénario : Régis Wargnier, Catherine Cohen, Louis Gardel, Erik Orsenna, Conseiller historique : Benjamin Stora
* Image : François Catonné
* Montage : Geneviève Winding
* Musique : Patrick Doyle
* Avec : Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Perez, Linh Dan Pham, Jean Yanne, Dominique Blanc
* Production : Paradis films, Bac films, Orly films, La générale d’images, TF1 Films
* Distribution : Tamasa Distribution: Paris – Tél : 01 43 59 01 01 – [email protected]

Camille, from an Annamese aristocratic family, is adopted by Eliane Devries after her parents died. Madame Devries owns a rubber plantation. Madame Devries meets and has an affair with a French Marine officer Jean-Baptiste. In an accident, a French police officer almost kills Camille, and she is rescued by Jean-Baptiste and she too falls in love with him. Madame Devries has Jean-Baptiste sent away to protect Camille from being hurt.

Camille goes through with an arranged marriage to Tanh, a young man who was studying in France and supports the Communists. After one day of marriage, Tahn allows Camille to leave and look for Jean-Baptiste up north. Camille travels with a Vietnamese family, and reaches the island where Jean-Baptiste is. The island is being used as a slave market, and Camille ends up shooting a French officer when Jean-Baptiste tries to take her away.

Camille and Jean-Baptiste sail away to a secret cave and are rescued by the Communists. Tahn arranges to smuggle the two lovers into China with a Communist theatre troupe. One day when baptizing their new son Etienne alone, Jean-Baptiste and Etienne are captured by the French. Madame Devries takes Etienne, but Jean-Baptiste is murdered by the Communist agents because he knows too much. Camille is captured and sent to prison where she too becomes a Communist. After years, Camille is released and joins the Communist Party.

Madame Devries and Etienne return to France, where Etienne has a chance to meet his mother while she is in Switzerland at the Geneva Conference. Etienne does not meet Camille because he says Madame Devries is his mother because she has raised him.