Spend a lifetime looking for movie memorabilia

Spending his youth and more searching for and preserving cinema memorabilia as an endless passion, artist Quang Dat has accumulated and built a cinema museum with many priceless antiques.

Artist Quang Dat was born in 1962, originally from Da Nang, currently living in Binh Thuan province. He has participated in more than 100 domestic and foreign films in many roles: director, actor, martial arts consultant, designer... (domestic films: Tay Son Hiep Khach, Ngoc Tran Than Cong, Criminal Police, My Nhan ...; films in cooperation with foreign countries: Nguoi My Tam Lang - USA, Tat Biet Song Ba - Korea...). As People's Artist and Director Dao Ba Son - a "big tree" in the Vietnamese cinema industry said: Quang Dat has a strange passion for cinema.

Artist Quang Dat next to the editing machine of the famous film Wild Field - PHOTO: NGUYEN ANH

Traces of time inside the museum

Over the past decades, artist Quang Dat has traveled from North to South to research and collect items and memorabilia associated with the country's cinema industry, with characters who have made many contributions to the 7th art form in Vietnam. There are things that people consider old and outdated, but to Quang Dat, they are priceless mementos.

Like the fact that he collected, kept and considered a "treasure" - the film editing machine used in post-production of the film Wild Field (released in 1979, won many awards at home and abroad; director: Nguyen Hong Sen, screenwriter: Nguyen Quang Sang). Or he went everywhere, asking for 99 shoes of famous directors and actors, to create a "one of a kind" collection: The artistic footprints of time.

Visit the house of the "mutant" who collected 1,000 movie memorabilia in the heart of Binh Thuan

He said he only asked for one, because if he asked for a pair, people would think he was profiteering and selling. "I still remember the time I asked for a shoe from the late Meritorious Artist Ho Kieng (famous for the role of Mr. Ba 'sleeping' or the role of 'the old man eating raw fish' in the film Dat Phuong Nam (director: Nguyen Vinh Son), which haunted viewers. He only had one pair of western shoes, but was willing to give me one," artist Quang Dat said. But then he immediately bought a new pair of shoes and gave them back to artist Ho Kieng.

The Cinema Museum is a marvelous collection, like Quang Dat's life and love for cinema.

People's Artist Dao Ba Son

Gradually, many people in the industry who knew he collected film memorabilia proactively contacted him to entrust and give him "treasures" that the deceased's family kept. Typically, the family of the late director, Meritorious Artist Khuong Mi gave him all of his lifetime memorabilia, such as: cameras, projectors, medals, etc.

He explained: "I'm afraid that in the future, everything will fade away, and few people will know how our ancestors' generation went through hardships and suffering to create such films. I want to preserve 'cinematic youth' through each item, each simple story, that's it."

Artist Quang Dat next to the car with 499 signatures of artists - PHOTO: NGUYEN ANH

The Car of Love and Loss

Artist Quang Dat has been recognized by the Vietnam Book of Records Center for many records, such as: a Lambretta car with 449 signatures of famous artists; a pen with 99 signatures of reporters and journalists; a video camera with 99 signatures of cameramen...

Currently, on the car there are 499 signatures of artists that bring him many emotions. And each time he uses a red pen to mark an "x" next to the signature of a character, it means saying goodbye to a human life. He said that the signatures on the car gradually increase in red x's, according to the law of nature... Le Cong Tuan Anh (the actor who committed suicide at the peak of his career) was the first person he marked an "x" right next to his signature, in pain and regret. Because, he has acted in many movies, plays, and made movies with Le Cong Tuan Anh - a friend from the same time... This car full of his memories currently has more than 80 red "x"s.

Coming to Quang Dat's Cinema Museum, people feel like they are lost in cinematic stories that few places have. And because of the treasures and vivid stories inside this museum, someone once offered to pay 29 billion VND for all the memorabilia he collected. He refused, because according to him, if it were for money, he would have spent his whole life earning money, not exchanging his youth to find cinematic antiques.

Artist Quang Dat's Cinema Museum in Binh Thuan - PHOTO: QUANG VINH

Few people know that Quang Dat is a martial artist, with a martial arts school in Long Hai (Vung Tau), but because of his passion for the call of cinema, he devoted himself to the 7th art. He participated in many films, but mostly played villain roles, either a rapist or a villain, a murderer. For example, in 1995, he played the role of "the bald man", who broke into Vo Thi Sau's grave in the film Like a Legend . Only appearing in a few scenes in the film, but "the bald man - Quang Dat" angered the audience. People even hated him in real life. He only explained that it was a role. According to People's Artist Dao Ba Son, Quang Dat is as vicious in the film as he is in real life, he is as gentle and lovable. "When Quang Dat came to Ho Chi Minh City to work in the arts, he stayed at my house. My mother loved Quang Dat like her own son. Dat and I are like real brothers. Dat always plays villain roles, but anyone who has played with Dat will understand: Dat is a kind and loyal person".

About Quang Dat, director Hong Phu Vinh said: "I have known Quang Dat for more than 20 years. In the profession, he is respectful to his elders, gentle and does not blame those who cause him trouble. 20 years ago, I heard him confide that he wanted to collect relics and memorabilia of Vietnamese cinema into a collection. I thought he was joking, but who would have thought he was serious. Without his passion and perseverance, it would be difficult for him to build the Cinema Museum as it is today. Anyone who wants to know about the history of Vietnamese cinema, just come to Quang Dat's museum and you will have it all."

Quang Dat is a Vespa rider who has made 7 meaningful cross-country journeys. Typically, in 2006, he made a cross-country journey: "For Agent Orange victims". In 2008, he continued his second cross-country journey: "For Vietnamese childhood", raising more than 300 million VND to buy warm clothes for poor children; or for 3 consecutive years, he called for 800 million VND in support for many heroic Vietnamese mothers across the country...

He is also the person who holds the record: The person who has traveled across Vietnam the most to do charity work.

In 2009, artist Quang Dat decided to build a Cinema Museum on an area of ​​130 m2 ^of his family in Binh Thuan province, to conveniently collect and display priceless artifacts, such as: the original script of the late director Hong Sen, ancient film projectors that once served remote villages, 20 film cameras, including the film camera of cinematographer Le Dung, the late People's Artist Nguyen The Doan, the late People's Artist Duong Tuan Ba ​​(who won the award for excellent cinematography in the film Wild Field ), the late Meritorious Artist Khuong Me, the late People's Artist Pham Khac...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/danh-ca-doi-di-tim-ky-vat-dien-anh-185250210103424954.htm