Suriyothai

Suriyothai is a stunning film: Spanning 2 DVDs, and full of political intrigue, history, and glorious battle scenes. There are so many main characters, and all of them command a huge amount of weight, and against movie tradition, there isn't really even a traditional Hero character, even Suriyothai herself playing minor roles in much of the drama.

Some have criticized the actress's acting as stiff and wooden, but I thought that Suriyothai was poker-faced intentionally, because she is a Queen after all. Most period pieces from any country have characters like this. I think you have look past her obvious cues and look for the more subtle ones, in order to appreciate her character: passionate about her country and her people, and devoted to her role.

In fact there are many cards that other productions would have played, that this film doesn't, and much to its credit it stays away from many of the obvious manipulative narratives that are the mainstays for this genre of film, especially in the west. The film has a historical and legendary basis, and I am unsure exactly how closely it stays to that, but I found the film had the great level of depth and realism that only the best historical films attain.

Watching hundreds of extras, alongside elephants, charge into battle, clashing swords and dodging cannon fire, is exhilarating. It's hard to see which army has the upper-hand until the final moments. There appears to have been a conscious decision to not fall for the trappings of making each battle into "hero's battle", so the action often stays away from focusing on main characters, and chooses to present to the viewer the sheer chaos of war.

Oh, and it needs to be said: The elephants are awesome.

If you are interested in this film, get at least the the 3 hour long version, as it is the closest to the way the film was intended (reportedly it was originally going to be a mini-series). While this longer edit of the film has a lot more political intrigue and dialogue, it that brings with it much more depth to the characters and situations. If you are not part of the "Attention Deficit Generation" bred by Hollow-wood, you can't go wrong with this REAL version.

I can see why this film was edited down for the USA release. It is very long, and there is a lot of references and content that is probably assumed knowledge for most Thai people. However, while I can see the logic in removing parts of a film because of cultural barriers, isn't one of the reasons for watching foreign film, to find out more about other cultures? Granted, there is much that went over my head while watching this film, but I have to say that I didn't mind, and now I will find out more if I can about Thailand and its history: The Internet is a wonderful invention.

Francis Ford Coppolla has some serious balls to have resold this film BACK to Thailand after he deleted most of it. I doubt he would take a film by Ridley Scott, and slice it to pieces. Faced with that particular situation, I am sure he would be all about "preserving the vision of the artists". It seems to be to be just another example of Hollow-wood being unwilling to let Asian Film compete on its own merits in America, and at least an ingrained xenophobia.

Suriyothai is an amazing film. It is an epic that I have not seen bested by any other, and maybe even the mythical long edit of Tsui Hark's Seven Swords would have an near-impossible mission to dethrone it. The sheer size and quality of this production, together with the unique chance that it gives to see Thai history represented so gloriously and elegantly, are reasons enough to hunt down the Thai DVD.

If you don't mind stepping out of the Hollywood made-for-the-average-audience recipe, and if you are curious about things and places, whose ruins you've see in exotic travel programs then by all means see this.

Glimpse the culture and mind-set of 16th century South East Asia, through the looking glass crafted director Tan Mui, extraordinary costume and set design and beautiful cinematography.

A complex plot and subtitles make this a little difficult to follow, and it is a little long, but if you like a change of pace, then see what it was like a long time ago, in this palace, far, far away.

I was pleasantly suprised by this film. It's a compelling tale of a nation's painful evolution, a unique mixture of murder, ambition, betrayal, duty and national pride. It has flaws - clumsy action scenes, wooden acting, confusing plot - but overall the heart and emotion of the film won me over, that and the fact that I have a soft spot for anything Thai. It's basically a Thai version of Joan of Arc, mixed with lethal doses of political scheming and battlefield mayhem. The title character is a princess who gives up the man she loves and agrees to marry into a more politically advantageous situation for her family. Suriyothai is loyal, self-less heroine who's smart enough to give her husband shrewd advise on how to improve his political standing and survive during the volatile times (mid 1500's). We watch as one King suffers a gruesome death to small pox, leaving an infant on his throne who is quickly overthrown by an ambitious prince. The new King loses his wife during childbirth, then takes another woman as his consort. It's this second wife who sets into motion the main drama of the film as she plots to kill her husband and disrupt the royal succession. All the while Thailand is fighting off rebellious provinces and staving off their aggressive neighbor, the King of Burma. The resulting parade of beheadings, poisonings, sneak-attacks and political backstabbing would put Italy's Borgias to shame. The finale features a battle against overwhelming odds with heroic sacrifices that help explain the reverence Thai people have toward their monarchy. If you can handle subtitles and love historical drama (and battles featuring elephants), then "The Legend of Suriyothai" is for you.

This film should be seen, evaluated and considered in its own merit. I find some of the racist comments in this section very detracting and unnecessary. Most of the people who have slammed this epic have demonstrated little or no sensitivity to the depiction of another cultural setting. The film is historical in that it is based on recorded events; the film is traditional in that it is a story known to most of the Thai people. That it does not rise to level of X Men, Kill Bill or the Matrix slamming, moaning and groaning is certainly to its merit. For those weaned on Hollywood, it will seem too long, to drug out and too "expressionless," "Southeast Asians hacking each other up," "boring..." Ugh.

When will some of the viewers take the time to consider that not every one of us love exploding cars, graphic shoot'em ups and mindless dialogue. Just consider the film for what it is: an artistic view of an epic from Thai history...and thank God, it ain't Hollywood.

It is true that the movie is long. But it has to be long or else the audience will not understand nothing. Further more the tone, style and the speed of the speech is believe to be talk by Thai people of the old days according to the historical evidences.Thailand's history (and every nations) is complex and consist of many matters.

Interesting is that the story is 90 percent real,the costume, the implied cultural and social believe are hundred percent real comparing to Anna and The King. The fact is that it made and cast by the Thai production team.

And I do not think that "Jan Dara" the other Thai film will be better. It focus on a different aspect.

If some one wants to know Thailand in terms of history, costume, culture and believe, this film is good value for money. Do not expect to wash only the film that last only an hour.

This is the Fact.