The Killing Fields        

By Tom Keogh

This harrowing but rewarding 1984 drama concerns the real-life relationship between New York Times reporter Sidney Schanberg and his Cambodian assistant Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor), the latter left at the mercy of the Khmer Rouge after Schanberg--who chose to stay after American evacuation but was booted out--failed to get him safe passage. Filmmaker Roland Joffé, previously a documentarist, made his feature debut with this account of Dith's rocky survival in the ensuing madness of the Khmer Rouge's genocidal campaign. The script spends some time with Schanberg's feelings of guilt after the fact, but most of the movie is a shattering re-creation of hell on Earth. The late Haing S. Ngor--a real-life doctor who had never acted before and who lived through the events depicted by Joffé--is outstanding, and he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Oscars also went to cinematographer Chris Menges and editor Jim Clark.

Academy Awards

The Killing Fields received Academy Awards for Supporting Actor (Haing S. Ngor), Cinematography (Chris Menges), and Film Editing (Jim Clark). The Killing Fields also received Academy Awards nominations for Best Picture (David Puttnam - Producer), Actor (Sam Waterston), Directing (Roland Joffe) and for Writing (Best Screenplay based on material from another medium: Bruce Robinson) .

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