April 19, 1993 -- ``Indochine,'' winner of the best foreign film Oscar for 1992 appeared in the Spring Film Series last Sunday. It is one of those big, sprawling epics the academy likes so well. This one is done better than most, and that includes ``Out of Africa.''

The French subtitled film stars Catherine Deneuve as the tough owner of a plantation in Indochina (later called Vietnam) who adopts a young royal daughter, played by Linh Dan Pham. Unfortunately, both of them fall for the same handsome young French naval officer.

We see the religious, political and social fabric of Indochina unravel, along with three people's lives as the film rolls majestically along to its final bittersweet conclusion. The photography and scenery are excellent.

``Indochine'' is a little simplistic in its approach to the politics of the time and it is certainly manipulative. While it falls short of its lofty goals, at least it attempts much and achieves much. It also packs a real emotional wallop. It rates a B.

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