192 KILLING FIELDS, THE
The Sunday Times try to forge a British passport for Pran, but their forgery proves
in effec tive when Pran’s image on the passport photo fades away. Pran is handed to
the Khmer Rouge. Schanberg returns to New York City and rallies support for a
campaign to rescue Pran. Meanwhile, in Cambodia, Pran serves as a slave laborer
under the Khmer Rouge’s “Year Zero” policy: an attempt to return to the agrarian
ways of the past. Pran also takes mandatory propaganda classes, getting by on his
ability to fake being simple- minded. During an attempted escape, Pran comes
across a pile of muddy wreckage that turns out to be rotting human bodies— part
of the “killing fields” under Pol Pot, where nearly 2 million Cambodians were ruth-
lessly murdered. In 1976, Schanberg receives a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage in
Cambodia. He assigns half of the award to Pran. At the ac cep tance dinner he tells
the audience that half the recognition for the award belongs to Pran. Rockoff later
incites Schanberg for not pursuing every pos si ble lead in the search for Pran. Schan-
berg feels incredibly guilty about his failed search attempts and admits that Pran
likely stayed in Cambodia because he “wanted him to stay.” In Cambodia, Pran is
assigned to Phat (Monirak Sisowath), the commander of a dif fer ent prison com-
pound, and charged with tending to Phat’s young son (Lambool Dtangpaibool).
Pran proceeds with acting like an uneducated peasant, refusing to show his captors
the true breadth of his knowledge. Phat even asks Pran to take charge of his son
in the event that he is killed in battle. By now, Khmer Rouge units are in the midst
of a border war with Vietnam. The conflict reaches Pran’s region, and a battle
ensues between the Khmer Rouge of the compound and two jet fighters sent to
destroy the camp. After the fighting ends (momentarily), Pran is told that Phat’s
son has both American money and a map that will lead the men to safety. Phat
attempts to stop the younger Khmer Rouge officers from ending the lives of his
friends, but he is killed in response. During the shooting, Pran and four fellow
prisoners get away. The group then starts a long journey through the wilderness
with Phat’s younger son. Pran and his companion follow Phat’s map, but the com-
panion unknowingly trips a landmine while holding the younger child. Pran begs
his companion to hand over the child, but the mine explodes, killing both man
and child. Pran grieves as he presses onward. Eventually he reaches the top of an
escarpment in the Dângrêk Mountains and spies a Red Cross camp near the bor-
der of Thailand. Informed of Pran’s miraculous survival, Schanberg calls Pran’s
family with the news that Pran is alive and safe. Soon after, Schanberg travels to the
Red Cross camp, is re united with Pran, and asks Pran to forgive him. Pran answers,
with a smile, “Nothing to forgive, Sydney. Nothing,” as the two embrace.Reception
The Killing Fields enjoyed substantial success at the box office; by the end of its
22- week domestic run (2 November 1984–7 April 1985) it had earned $34.6 million.
The movie also won numerous awards. Nominated for seven Oscars, it won three—
for Best Supporting Actor (Haing S. Ngor), Best Cinematography (Chris Menges),
and Best Film Editing ( Jim Clark). The Killing Fields also won a Golden Globe and
eight BAFTAs. Reviews were mixed and not quite commensurate with the film’s