A Soldier's Sweetheart is a 1998 television film directed by Thomas Michael Donnelly and starring Kiefer Sutherland,[1] Skeet Ulrich, and Georgina Cates. It is based on a short storybyTim O'Brien, "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong."[2] The story was part of his book, The Things They Carried (1990).
| A Soldier's Sweetheart | |
|---|---|
Film poster
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| Directed by | Thomas Michael Donnelly |
| Written by | Tim O'Brien Thomas Michael Donnelly |
| Produced by | William S. Gilmore Marianne Moloney (Exec.) |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Jacek Laskus |
| Edited by | Anthony Sherin |
| Music by | Gary Chang |
Production |
Showtime Networks |
| Distributed by | Showtime Networks |
Release date |
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Running time | 112 minutes |
| Language | English |
The film was shot in New Zealand, at Studio WestinWest Auckland.[3]
The film is only available on VHS, and a petition has been set up at IMDb urging the companies that own the rights to the film to consider reissuing it in DVD format.[4] It was also premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival in 1998. The film received a theatrical release in Belgium in 2010.
Bob Batz from Dayton Daily News gave A Soldier's Sweetheart a very positive review, stating: "The film, based on Tim O'Brien's award-winning short story Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, is a brutal, often bloody story of the Vietnam War and how it changed many of the men - and women - who were part of it. It is filled with excellent dialogue and has enough plot twists to keep viewers riveted to their easy chairs for the entire two hours."[5]
Ken Eisner from Variety magazine also gave the film a good review, concluding: "Just when you think all the basic Vietnam stories have been told, helmer Thomas Michael Donnelly puts a new spin on America's lost cause by viewing it from a female angle. Striving for mythic levels — although there's plenty of scary grit to it — "A Soldier's Sweetheart" taps into an aspect of warfare that transcends gender. Subject, then, is a difficult one, but extremely well-mounted pic could resonate with women if Paramount can find a way to package it for theatrical release".[6]
A Soldier's Sweetheart was nominated for two awards. One Primetime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special"[7] and one Golden Reel Awards for "Best Sound Editing - Television Movies of the Week - Dialogue & ADR".[8]
