Suriyothai
Thailand,
2002, 154 min
Shown in 2003
CREDITS
- dir
-
Chatrichalerm Yukol
- prod
-
Kamla Yukol
- scr
-
Chatrichalerm Yukol, Sunait Chutintaranond
- cam
-
Igor Luther, Stanislav Dorsic, Anupap Boachan
- editor
-
Chatrichalerm Yukol, Pattamanadda Yukol
- mus
-
Richard Harvey
- cast
-
M. L. Piyapas Bhirombhakdi, Sarunyoo Wongkrchang, Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Chatchai Plengpanich, Johnny Anfone
- source
-
Sony Pictures Classics, 550 Madison Ave., 8th Fl., New York, NY 10022. FAX: 212-833-7911. EMAIL: sony_classics@spe.sony.com
-
COMMENTS
Chatrichalerm Yukol, Kamla Yukol in person.
OTHER
From the Ramayana to the Old Testament and Braveheart, every civilization boasts large-scale stories that celebrate the strength of its shining heroes and articulate underlying cultural values. The extravagant epic film, The Legend of Suriyothai, breathes life into fabled Thai heroine Queen Suriyothai, who valiantly died in a 1548 battle against Burmese invaders. Maneuvering her elephant in front of the Burmese king, Suriyothai took the sword thrust meant for her husband, and saved her kingdom. Based on five years of archaeological and historical research, this visually sumptuous film winds through the dramatic twists and turns of Suriyothai’s life from teenage years to her royal wedding, from courtly intrigues to internecine bloodletting, and of course, the Burmese invasion. With dazzling period costumes and lavish production design, veteran director Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol, himself a distant relative of current Thai queen Sirikit, resurrects a glorious past of gilded court splendor and grand, bloody battles. Intended to spark Thai interest in tradition, this unforgettable spectacle will almost certainly awaken in western audiences an appreciation for Thai aesthetics, history and a society that valorizes its courageous women. This most-ambitious Thai film ever made is presented by Francis Ford Coppola.
—Caroline Lebresco, 2003 Sundance Film Festival
FACTOID #202
At the 1978 SFIFF, Paul Mazursky received a tribute at the Palace of Fine Arts. Apparently, the facility’s janitorial staff had not been notified, and the padlocked doors of the Palace had to be cut so the filmmaker and his audience could be let in.
