Bangkok Cinema Scene special: King of the White Elephant rides again on Peace Day, August 16

The King of the White Elephant (พระเจ้าช้างเผือก, Prajao Changpeuk), a 1941 historical battle epic, will be shown all across Thailand on Monday, August 16 – Thai Peace Day – in simultaneous screenings, all starting at 6pm, right after the National Anthem.

The movie was written and produced by statesman Pridi Banomyong in the months leading up to the December 8, 1941, Japanese invasion of Thailand.

It's actually an anti-war movie, and, uniquely, it's an English-language film, and it aimed to voice the pacificist stance of Pridi and others opposed the government of Field Marshal Pibun Songkram.

After the Japanese invasion, Pibun made Thailand an Axis ally and declared war against Britain and the United States. Pridi helped organize the Free Thai resistance movement.

August 16, 1945, the day after the Japanese surrendered, was declared Peace Day in Thailand.

The screening of King of the White Elephant is part of a project organized by the Pridi Banomyong Institute, the Thai Film Archive and the Thai Film Foundation.

The film will be shown in 76 provinces, mostly on DVD at universities, but in Bangkok, it will unspool in 35mm in an outdoor screening at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center. Check the Facebook event page for more details (in Thai).

The historically significant film was almost lost, but a 16mm copy was recovered from the U.S. Library of Congress. It was restored through the efforts of Technicolor and the Thomson Foundation, along with a 1962 drama, The Boat House (Ruen Pae).

The restored 35mm print of The King of the White Elephant was presented at the first Phuket Film Festival in 2007.

Kong Rithdee, writing in the Bangkok Post, has more about the project, and he talked to Pridi's daughter, Dusadee Banomyong:

"Father foresaw that when Germany invaded Poland, another World War was inevitable," says Dusadee. "He wrote The King of the White Elephant and made it into a movie – an English-language movie – with the aim of showing the world that Siamese people love peace, that the conflicts in war are between kings or heads of state, but not between the people."

In the film, which alludes to the ancient rivalry between Siam and Burma, the King of Ayodhaya battles the King of Honsa in an earth-trembling sequence of elephant marches still unmatched in terms of cinematic audacity by any other films. Though Honsa is defeated at the end, the philosophy the film expounds concerns forgiveness, patience and respect for your enemies – as the King of Ayodha shows that he can rise above the conflict and assures the safe passage home for the defeated army.

In the frying pan of current Thai politics, peace has been cooked, claimed, possessed, even exploited and abused. The King of the White Elephant discusses the possibility of peace in the classical yet never naive sense. It doesn't dismiss the spectre of conflict, but it doesn't hammer home the point of chest-thumping patriotism, even against a neighbouring country with a history of antagonism. Rather, the film has power because of its belief in humanism, in the ability of leaders to go beyond the obvious and the crudeness of "victory" to something more morally luminous.

The screening is part of celebrations of the 110th anniversary of Pridi's birth.

Among other activities is the Thai Film Foundation's competition of documentary films based on Pridi's life and work, and the six finalist films will be shown at the upcoming 14th Short Film & Video Festival.

Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening August 12-18, 2010

Toy Story 3


The beloved Disney-Pixar animated franchise comes to a close with Toy Story 3.

The toys' owner Andy is headed off to college. His mother gives him a choice: Either box the toys up and put them in the attic or throw them all away.

Either option causes distress for the cowboy Woody, his Space Ranger buddy Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang, though they've known all along that Andy's growing up was inevitable and they should have been prepared for this day.

A mix-up has the toys delivered to a day-care center, where things take a dark turn.

Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return to voice Woody and Buzz Lightyear respectively with Joan Cusack again doing duty as rootin', tootin' cowgirl Jessie. John Ratzenburger again voices the know-it-all piggy bank Ham, and Don "Hockey Puck" Rickles is back as Mr. Potatohead.

New to the cast are Michael Keaton as a Ken doll, Timothy Dalton as a British hedgehog toy named Mr. Pricklepants and Ned Beatty as a grandfatherly teddy bear and leader of the day-care gang.

As with the first two Toy Story movies, critical reception is overwhelmingly positive, but with critics saying it falls just short of the perfection the earlier entries achieved. Kids may find some things disturbing, but adult fans of the series won't be able to hold back the tears.

It's in 3D in some cinemas, including Imax. Rated G.

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Also opening


First Love (สิ่งเล็กๆ ที่เรียกว่า...รัก, Sing Lek Lek Thee Riak Wa … Ruk, or literally "a little bitty thing called ... love") – Mario Maurer is 21 years old, but the Love of Siam star can't seem to get away from being cast as a schoolboy. Here he's the heartthrob of the school and crush object of a rather plain schoolgirl (Pimchanok Luevisetpaibool). A makeover is needed. So ditch the schoolgirl uniform and maybe the glasses. But she could also wipe that dumb look off her face, or else it'll freeze like that. Sudarat "Tukky" Butrprom plays a teacher who's trying to catch the eye of the gym teacher. This teen romance is a co-production of Sahamongkol Film International and TV production house Workpoint. Putthiphong Promsakha na Sakon Nakhon and Wasin Pokpong direct. Rated G.


Luangphee Teng 3 Roon Ha Khayao Lok (หลวงพี่เท่ง 3 รุ่นฮา เขย่าโลก) – Phranakorn Film's hit monastic comedy series started in 2005 with comedian Teng Terdterng playing a former street hood who seeks to redeem himself as a monk. He joins a down-at-the-heels temple in a small town and faces all kinds of new situations in helping the locals deal with their problems. It was the biggest box-office hit of the year. The series continued in 2008, with rapper Joey Boy taking over the lead role, playing a monk who preaches in a rapid-fire style, energizing the disadvantaged residents of a rural area. Now comes singer-actor Krissada "Noi Pru" Sukosol Clapp, who is known for taking on challenging film roles. But here it doesn't seem to be much of a stretch for the 13 Beloved leading man, as he plays a rock star named Noi who enters the monkhood. As a new and somewhat rebellious monk, he has to deal all kinds of new situations. Chalermpon “Jack Fan Chan” Thikampornteerawong, Natee Ekvijit (Oui from the rock band Budda Bless) and veteran comedian Der Doksadao also star. Musician Ad Carabao rides in on his Harley to help out. As always, Bumrer “Note Chernyim” Phonginsee directs. Rated 13+.

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Also showing


Mundane History (เจ้านกกระจอก, Jao Nok Krajok) – Playing as part of Extra Virgin's Director's Screen Project, director Anocha Suwichakornpong's family drama is loaded with symbolism as it comments on Thai society as well as life, the universe, and, well, everything. The story is about a young man who's been paralyzed in an accident. He's the scion of a well-to-do Bangkok family. The dad is cold and distant, too busy with his work to care much. He hires a male nurse for his son. The two are ill at ease – the rich kid because he's bitter about having to waited on hand and foot, and the nurse because he comes from upcountry and is ill-equipped to deal with the way his new patient looks down on him. The film is made unique by a non-linear structure, which gives it a jagged, jazz-like feel that's enhanced further by an alternative-rock soundtrack by the bands Furniture and the Photo Sticker Machine. Mundane History has been winning lots of awards, most recently the Grand Prix at the Era New Horizons International Film Festival in Poland. It screens until September 1 at SFX the Emporium, with nightly screenings at around 7 and additional Saturday and Sunday matinees at around 2. The showtimes are not fixed exactly, so check the SF website or Extra Virgin's calendar for the latest timings. Every Saturday, there's special activities, with a director's Q&A after the evening show. Rated 20-.


Aisha – Sonam Kapoor stars as a precocious, presumptuous Delhi socialite who plays matchmaker for all her friends. It's adapted from Jane Austen's "Emma". Here's a review. In Hindi with English subtitles at Major Cineplex Central Rama III on today at 4, on Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 4. Call (089) 488 2620 or visit www.BollywoodThai.com.

The Adventure of Sudsakorn – The late animator Payut Ngaokrachang's seminal animated feature is based on an episode from Phra Aphai Mani, a 30,000-line epic poem by Sunthorn Phu, and depicts the fantastic adventures of the young son of a mermaid and a minstrel prince. It's screening at the Thai Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, at 11am every Sunday until October 3. Call (02) 482 2013-14, ext 111.


Time of the Gypsies – Emir Kusturica's 1998 film tells the story of Perhan, a Gypsy teenager with telekinetic powers and his passage from boy to man that starts in a little village in Yugoslavia and that ends in the criminal underworld of Milan. It's the 270-minute extended version and is part of a program by Duangkamol Film House, FilmVirus and Thammasat University Libraries Tha Prachan, Cabaret Balkan: Rarely Seen Films from the Balkans. It's showing at 12:30pm on Sunday in the the Rewat Buddhinun Room, U2 Floor, in the Pridi Banomyoung Library at Thammasat University, Tha Phra Chan. Admission is free. You'll have to inform the library staff of your film-viewing purpose and show an ID. Call (02) 613 3529, (02) 613 3530.



A tout de suite (Right Now) – Benoît Jacquot directs this 2004 drama, set in the mid-1970s, about a young upper-class woman who embarks on a life of crime after falling in love with a hoodlum. It's showing on Wednesday, August 18 at 7:30pm at the Alliance Francaise, which regularly shows French films on Wednesday nights, with English subtitles. Admission is free.


Who Killed Chea Vichea? – This 50-minute film's title asks a question it doesn't answer. This "documentary about an untrue story" does clearly sum up that the two men, Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, who were convicted of the murder of labor activist Chea Vichea, didn't do it. So who pulled the trigger on January 22, 2004, when Chea was gunned down at a newsstand in Phnom Penh's Wat Langka neighborhood? Fingers seem to point at top police officials, cronies of self-proclaimed strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen. Bradley Cox worked over the course of five years to make this depressing and damning portrait of Cambodia, a country that despite decades of international aid, cannot break free of the rule of lawless thuggery that has dominated the so-called democracy since the end of the genocidal Khmer Rouge era of the 1970s. The voices of dissent are stifled by intimidation. Their absence is even more incriminating. And to prove that point, the Cambodian government has banned Who Killed Chea Vichea? and says it intends to stop screenings of the film “wherever they are held". But, after a kerfuffle involving scheduling, it was shown at the recent Phuket Film Festival, and it'll be shown again at 8pm on Wednesday, August 18, at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. Cox and Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Right Watch's Asia Division, will be present for a Q&A session.

Bangkok Cinema Scene: Movies opening August 5-11, 2010

Mundane History


The opener of Extra Virgin's Director's Screen 2010, Mundane History (เจ้านกกระจอก, Jao Nok Krajok) is a family drama that's loaded with symbolism as it comments on Thai society as well as life, the universe, and, well, everything.

The story is about a young man who's been paralyzed in an accident. He's the scion of a well-to-do Bangkok family. The dad is cold and distant, too busy with his work to care much. He hires a male nurse for his son. The two are ill at ease – the rich kid because he's bitter about having to waited on hand and foot, and the nurse because he comes from upcountry and is ill-equipped to deal with the way his new patient looks down on him.

The film is made unique by a non-linear structure, which gives it a jagged, jazz-like feel that's enhanced further by an alternative-rock soundtrack by the bands Furniture and the Photo Sticker Machine.

Since premiering at last year's Pusan International Film Festival and opening the World Film Festival of Bangkok, director Anocha Suwichakornpong's film has been on a tear through the festival circuit, winning the VPRO Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Transilvania Trophy at the Transilvania International Film Festival and most recently the Grand Prix at the Era New Horizons International Film Festival in Poland.

The movie has gained notoriety as the first Thai film to be given the restrictive 20- rating, which bars viewers under 20 years of age and requires an ID check if you look young. The rating is presumably for a much-talked-about bathtub scene involving the main character. Mundane History received the 20- rating so it could be shown at last year's World Film Festival of Bangkok. Since then, another movie, Sin Sisters 2, gained notoriety as the first commercially released Thai film to get the 20- mark.

Mundane History will play as part of the Director's Screen Project until September 1 at SFX the Emporium, with nightly screenings at around 7 and additional Saturday and Sunday matinees at around 2. The daily showtimes are not fixed exactly, so check the SF website or Extra Virgin's calendar for the latest timings. Every Saturday, there's special activities, with a director's Q&A after the evening show. This Saturday, Anocha will be around for both the afternoon and evening show, so if you have questions, ask away. Rated 20-.

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Boonchu 10


If you're not looking too closely at the poster, you might be led to believe the latest installment in Five Star Production's long-running Boonchu teen-comedy series has joined the 3D trend, which might be a historic first for Thai cinema.

But it's all just another marketing gimmick, with the 3D action actually presented in 2D.

What do you expect from the franchise that is on its eighth installment but is called Boonchu 10? The series skipped from Boonchu 2 to Boonchu 5 in a similar display of good-natured showbiz hucksterism.

Kiat Kitjareon, a Boonchu cast member from when the series started back in the 1980s, takes over as director for Bhandit Rittakol, the veteran helmer who died last year when this movie was in the early stages of production.

From what I can tell in the trailer, it has the same flavor, with loads of wholesomeness and nostalgia.

The original series starred Santisuk Promsiri as a country boy who gets up to adventures after he goes to university in Bangkok, where he meets his lifelong love Mo, played by Jintara Sukapat.

When the series was rebooted in 2008 with Boonchu 9, the action shifted to a new generation, with Boonchu's son Boonchoke leaving the monkhood to go to the city to study.

Thanachat Tulayachat reprises his role in Boonchu 10 (บุญชู จะอยู่ในใจเสมอ, Boonchu 10 Ja Yoo Nai Jai Samer) as the earnest Boonchoke. He's now studying at at Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai but is still adjusting to life outside the temple and struggling to keep his racing hormones from running off the road.

Meanwhile, parents Boonchu, Mo and their friends come to campus for a visit only find that the boy has gone to the jungle with his friends. They follow and so does adventure.

The shenanigans involve high-kicking hilltribe girl, played by Natthaveeranuch Thongme. The Shutter leading lady is doing her best Jeeja impression as she mows down a pack of villains with a flying double knee drop. Nice.

It's said to be the final entry in the series. But maybe that's just another gimmick? Rated 13+.

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Also opening


Salt – Angelina Jolie stars in this globetrotting action thriller as a CIA agent who goes on the run to clear her name and find out her true identity after she is accused of being a Russian double agent. Directed by Phillip Noyce (Rabbit-Proof Fence, The Quiet American), the script is by Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium, Ultra-Violet). Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor also star. Jolie has said she performed her own stunts. The movie has been long in production, with Tom Cruise at one point attached to play an agent named Edwin Salt. He bowed out, and Edwin became Evelyn when Jolie got involved. Critical reception is mixed, with the consensus being that it's a fine performance by Jolie, but is a typically predictable and ludicrous action flick. Rated 13+.


Baarìa – Giuseppe Tornatore directs this epic autobiographical comedy-drama that covers three generations in the Sicilian village where he was born. In Italian with English and Thai subtitles at the Lido. Rated 13+.


Step Up 3 – Check out the poster. It makes a point of saying "shot in 3D", to distinguish it from those shoddy pretenders that are filmed in 2D and then converted. Apart from that, it's the usual story of these dance movies. A New York street-dance crew tangles with a team of polished dancers from the university, and then they join to take on rivals in a make-it-or-break-it breakdancing contest. No critical reception yet. In 3D in some cinemas. Rated 13+.

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Also showing


Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives – Though it was scheduled to end its Bangkok run on July 25, continued interest has kept Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Golden Palm winner on the Bangkok big screen, and it moves this week over to SF Cinema City MBK before heading to the SF branch in Apichatpong's hometown of Khon Kaen on August 11. It's the strange tale of a dying man, living out his last days in the countryside, surrounded by his loved ones, including the ghost of his late wife and the monkey spirit of his long-lost son. Check SF Cinemas for the showtimes. Rated 15+.


FCCT-NETPAC Asian Film Festival – The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand's series of films accoladed by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema continues this week with Eliana, Eliana. Indonesian director Riri Riza's 2002 drama won the NETPAC Award at the Singapore International Film Festival as well as a Dragons and Tigers special citation at the Vancouver festival. Eliana (Rachel Sayidina) arrives home at the end of a day in which she lost her job and kicked a man in the groin to find her mother (veteran actress Jajang C. Noer), whom she has not seen in five months. Her roommate, Heni (Henidar Amroe), is missing. So the mother and daughter go searching while they work out some of their own issues. It screens at 8 tonight. Admission is 150 baht for non-members.


Bangkok IndieFest – Organized by Camerado Southeast Asia, the inaugural Bangkok IndieFest promises “a cross-cultural cinematic showcase of compelling non-mainstream independent films and videos from Thailand and the rest of the world”. The line-up has around 80 features and shorts, and includes documentaries, animation, comedy, cult films and music movies. The shows start at 1 on Friday with short documentaries in the main room and features on the sidebar screen. There's also room for the Short Film Jam, in which directors can bring just about anything they like, as long as its under 10 minutes and isn't porn or a commercial.
Bangkok IndieFest runs from Friday to Sunday at HOF Art on Ratchadapisek Road, about a three-minute walk from the Ratchadapisek subway station. Visit www.BangkokFest.com.

The Adventure of Sudsakorn – The late animator Payut Ngaokrachang's seminal animated feature is based on an episode from Phra Aphai Mani, a 30,000-line epic poem by Sunthorn Phu, and depicts the fantastic adventures of the young son of a mermaid and a minstrel prince. It's screening at the Thai Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, at 11am every Sunday until October 3. Call (02) 482 2013-14, ext 111.

Cinema Feminine – Film Virus and Toot Yung Gallery have organized a program of short films by female directors. The rough lineup includes shorts by Agnes Varda, Naomi Kawase, Lucrecia Martel, Marina De Van, Margaret Tait, Helke Sanders, Su Friedrich, Christelle Lhereux and Sara Driver. Toot Yung Gallery is at 19 Prachatipatai Road, in Pra Nakhon District, Bangkok, between Wat Tri Thosathep and Saphan Wanchaat. The show's on Sunday, starting at 2.


Eldorado – Bouli Lanners directs this 2008 comedy drama about a fortysomething car dealer bonding with a would-be auto thief on a road trip in an old Chevrolet. In French with English subtitles on Wednesday, August 11 at 7:30pm at the Alliance Francaise, which regularly shows French films on Wednesday nights. Admission is free.


Aisha – It's Bollywood teen romance in the Delhi upper-class world with its own set of social rules. Aisha (Sonam Kapoor) navigates her world, matchmaking for all her friends. It's based on Jane Austen's "Emma". In Hindi with English subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit (Ekamai) on Wednesday at 8 and at Major Cineplex Central Rama III on August 12 at 4, August 14 at 8 and August 15 at 4. Call (089) 488 2620 or visit www.BollywoodThai.com.