what could have be a wonderful film about the twilight of french indochina be irretrievably lose in the turgid pot boiler of a melodramatic boy girl mom love triangle that seem to have be plot and script ( even in the original french ) by a first year drama student . cinematography 100 % though represent it make you weep . such an opportunity miss . perhaps the film should be consider a a precursor of the late 90 series of classic film where location and the reproduction of period detail become the focus of the production and overlook the need for realistic or at least believable dramatic progression . the character be beautiful people ( catherine deneuve be spectacular a always ) and the location shot be wonderful and but the storyline be only just this side of trite . the film could be use a a classroom example of style over substance .