Trailer
Plot summary
Le Ly is a girl in a Vietnamese village when communist insurgents arrive to fight first the French and then the Americans. Troops on both sides suspect her loyalties, and she endures torture and rape. After that, her place in the village is gone, and her family moves to Saigon. There she works for a household whose master leads her to believe he cares for her; she becomes pregnant by him. When his wife finds out, the family is sent back to their former province. Le Ly meets Steve Butler, a Marine Gunnery Sergeant. She has no interest in a relationship after all she has suffered, but Steve treats her well and falls for her.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Heaven & Earth (1993)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Thuan Le Elston, a reporter who covered the open casting call, ended up cast as Le Ly's sister Kim after the casting crew asked her to stand in for supporting roles during the audition process.
- While the script was still in development, a casting call for Vietnamese-American actors was held in Little Saigon in Westminster, California, in December 1991. Those auditioning were given no script and were asked instead to improvise based on their own war experiences.
- The Vietnamese village of Ky La was constructed from the ground up in Phang Nga in the south of Thailand. The solid hardback architecture of its houses had not been seen in previous Vietnam War films, but accurately reflected the architecture of Central Vietnam.
- Several extras from North Vietnam were hesitant to work on the film because it was an American production, but were convinced to take part once they were told of participation from other countries as well.
