Saturday, November 04, 2006

Dy Saveth - Cambodia's Bridgette Bardot

I'm hoping someone can tell me more about one of Cambodia's most famous faces, movie actress Dy Saveth, who was dubbed the Cambodian Bridgette Bardot in her heyday and who at 62 years of age, has lost none of her vivacity and sparkle. Today Dy Saveth is a professor of fine arts at the Royal University of Phnom Penh and is sharing the secret of her success with Cambodia's next generation. Indeed, her latest film, The Crocodile, released in 2005 and directed by Mao Ayuth, is regarded as one of the country's finest for many years. Perhaps her most famous film role was as the Snake Girl in the 1971 adaptation of a Khmer folk tale, though she starred in a great many films including Crepuscule (Twilight), in 1969, a film directed by and starring Norodom Sihanouk and his wife Monique. Dy Saveth, a face known to all of Cambodia's cinema-goers in the '60s and '70s, managed to escape from the turmoil of Phnom Penh in 1975 and settled in France, one of the very few actors to survive the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge.

If you have more details about the life and career of Dy Saveth, please let me know.

3 comments:

Jinja said...

Saw her sing at a party no more than two weeks ago. She looks like she's doing well, I'll dig up more info.

Anonymous said...

Dee Sawayt Never live under the Khmer rouge. When pol pot victory in April 17th 1975 she was outside the Country, she is the good luck star. She is in Cambodia right now.
She came to the United States in the 1983 we saw her on the stage apearance she was looking young.

Mostly Vichara Dany starring the most films. Or Som VanSodany good actres. Som Van Sodany Star in the Cambodian movie in the 1970 name Kromom Chaul Maloup. I have never seen that movie but only the preview of it.

If all the Cambodian movie stars had known what will going to happen during the pol pot khmer rouge going to kill innocent Khmers people, the would have got out to other countries Like France or United States.

During the pol pot Khmer rouge you are not allow to go anywhere even the next town you need to have a permission in writing in order to go in a very short distance.


Khmer rouge got helped from fat King Sihanouk and viet cong, north viet helped side by side with the khmer rouge to give Khmer rouge victory. Arms supply from China to Khmer rouge.

Ken Dy said...

Wow.. my Aunty is on the internet!