The Killing Fields

'The Killing Fields' is a 1984 British drama film directed by Roland Joffé, exploring the Khmer Rouge reign of terror in Cambodia and the experiences shared between two journalists: Relentless New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) and Cambodian interpreter Dith Pran (Dr. Haing S. Ngor). The casting for the movie was chosen appropriately and the storyline portrayed an accurate historical representation of the events that occurred in Cambodia and the treatment of prisoners in the labour camps. Through perfecting both aspects of casting and storyline accuracy, Joffé has created an emotional yet historically accurate movie to be enjoyed by a wide range of audiences.

Ngor’s life experiences during Pol Pot’s regime significantly
In 1962, Pol Pot began forming a guerrilla army known as the Khmer Rouge to oppose Prince Norodom Sihanouk’s rule. In 1970 when the United States attacked Cambodia, the Vietnamese were driven deeper into Cambodia where they eventually joined the Khmer Rouge. A combination of the happenings resulted in economic and military regression in Cambodia and led to many favouring Pol Pot. A key event was the incident in which the American B-52 Stratofortress accidentally bombed the town Neak Leung. This is one of the first scenes where Schanberg and Pran are seen together and they observe the situation. Joffé creates a particularly moving scene is when the camera focuses on a young girl, sitting atop a pile of rubble whilst crying and shaking in the aftermath of the bombing. People are seen running around frantically, many wounded and dead surrounding the pair. Further into the film, there is a scene where Khmer Rouge are parading through the city with the Cambodians and everyone is in a light-hearted mood. Joffé’s use of sudden change in music shows how only hours after the Khmer Rouge ‘befriend’ the Cambodians, they are sending them out into the countryside as part of the ‘Four Year Plan’; a plan which ‘called for the collectivisation of all private property and placed high national priority on the
Joffé’s masterpiece provides an realistic, non-Hollywood approach to the film through casting a veteran of the Khmer Rouge regime and providing an accurate recount of the events that led to the Khmer Rouge takeover and punishments in camps. By tying all these aspects together, Joffé’s work is sure to remain in history as one of the greatest historical reconstructions of all