The Killing Fields (film)

The Killing Fields is a 1984 British biographical drama film about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, which is based on the experiences of two journalists, Cambodian Dith Pran and American Sydney Schanberg. It was directed by Roland Joffé and produced by David Puttnam for Goldcrest Films. Sam Waterston stars as Schanberg, Haing S. Ngor as Pran, and John Malkovich as Al Rockoff. The adaptation for the screen was written by Bruce Robinson; the musical score was written by Mike Oldfield and orchestrated by David Bedford; and the costumes were designed by Judy Moorcroft.

The film was a success at the box office and an instant hit with critics. At the 57th Academy Awards it received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture; it won three, most notably Best Supporting Actor for Haing S. Ngor, who had no previous acting experience, as well as Best Cinematography and Best Editing. At the 38th British Academy Film Awards, it won eight BAFTAs, including Best Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ngor.

In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Killing Fields the 100th-greatest British film of the 20th century. It is now seen as one of the greatest films of all time.

Plot

In 1973, New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg arrives in Phnom Penh to cover the civil war between the Cambodian national army and the communist Khmer Rouge. Schanberg is joined by photographer Al Rockoff and Dith Pran, a Cambodian journalist and interpreter. Pran and Schanberg travel to Neak Leung to investigate an alleged bombing by an American B-52. The pair are detained there trying to photograph the execution of two Khmer Rouge operatives. Schanberg is furious when the international press corps arrives with the U.S. Army.