The Legend of Suriyothai (2003)

Bangkok--Jul 11--Mongkolmajor Release Date: June 20th, 2003 (LA/NY); expands to other cities at later dates Thailand Release: August 12th, 2001 (where it broke box office records, topping the previous 10-day record held by Godzilla; the demand was so great that big Hollywood productions stayed away during its first two weeks; Jurassic Park III opened in Thailand on its third weekend) World Premiere: May, 2001, Cannes Film Festival (apparently as a work-in-progress as postproduction didn't wrap until the next month) U.S. Premiere: January, 2003 (Sundance Film Festival, Special Screening) Title Note: 3/11/02 - Variety reports that the full title in the U.S. will include Francis Ford Coppola Presents. MPAA Rating: R (for violence and some nudity) Language: Thai with English subtitles. Award Submission: 9/17/01 - This is almost certainly going to be Thailand's official submission to the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language category. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics Running Time: (9/17/01) Approximately 210 minutes (in Thailand). This may be part of why distribution hasn't quite happened yet; I think it's possible the theatrical version in the USA could be considerably shorter than that. The original edit is rumored to be well over five hours long. (2/26/02) Indeed. Francis Ford Coppola is personally overseeing the editing to get this down to the 120-150 minutes range. (3/11/02) Variety reports that the U.S. release will be 150 minutes, cut down from 180 minutes. (9/25/02) More specifically, the final running time for the U.S. release is 154 minutes. Production Company: Sahamongkolfilm (financed by Queen Sirkit), Zoetrope Studios (postproduction) Narrator Note: According to the official site, Jeremy Irons may do the English language narration. Cast: M.L. Piyapas Bhirombhakdi (Queen Somdet Phra Francis Suriyothai), Johnny Anfone (Panbut Srithep), Marisa Anita, Sorapong Chatri (Baron Muen Rachasineha), Siriwimol Charoenpura (Tao Sri Sudachan), Ronrittichai Khanket (Phra Chao Prome), Supakorn Kitsuwon, Sombat Medhanee (Minye Sihatu), Chatchai Plengpanich (Khun Pirenthorathep), Sinjai Plengpanich (Tao Sri Chulalak), Suchao Pongvilai (Somdet Nor Putthangura), Saharat Sangkapricha (Phra Maha Uparacha), Suphakit Tangthatswasd (King Hantawaddy), Wannassa Thongwiset (Phra Akrachaya), Pongpat Wachirabunjong (Somdet Phra Chairachathirat), Varuth Waratham (Sihatu), Sarunyoo Wongkrachang (Somdet Phra Thienracha) Cast Notes: Piyapas Bhirombhakdi is the daughter of the Royal Dresser of Queen Sirkit. Director: Prince Chatri Chalerm Yukol of Thailand (Sia Dai, Song for Chao Phraya, Sia Dai 2) Screenwriter: Prince Chatri Chalerm Yukol of Thailand Based Upon: The true story of the 16th century Thai queen Suriyothai. Specifically, a prime source was the book of the same title by Domingos de Seixas. This film's origins lie partly in the controversy over the 1999 film, Anna and the King (which filmed in Malaysia because Thailand would not allow it there), though both films started production at around the same time (and this film was in development for five years before that), as the Thai monarchy wanted to make a film that reflected more accurately Thailand's history. Sequel Note: Prince Chatri (and other Thai filmmakers) has three sequels in development, covering the Taksin and Narai periods. Premise: Set in 16th century Thailand over the course of 57 years (1491-1548), this is an epic tale and political history of the Kingdom of Ayothaya, culminating in the story of Queen Phra Suriyothai (Bhirombhakdi), who rode into battle against the Burmese invasion to protect her husband at the Battle of Hantawaddy in 1548. Synopsis: In 1548, Thailand's Queen Suriyothai leads her people into war against the invading Burmese army and their King Tabinshweti. After months of violent conflict, heroic Suriyothai gave her life to the cause, fighting alongside her countrymen. Filming: Production on this movie took place over the span of two years (starting in July, 1998) in Thailand, as the most expensive Thai film ever. Since it was funded and directed by Thai's royalty, it also had unique access to dozens of authentic historical locations. The battle scenes incorporate 2,000 extras and 50 elephants. The exact budget has not been revealed, with reports of the budget varying, from $8.8 million to $25 million (USA). Since it's subsidized by the Thai royalty, finding a true comparable cost may ultimately be impossible. Genre: Action, Eye Candy, Female, Historical, Thai, War Unofficial Fan Site: Francis Ford Coppola Presents: SuriyothaitheMovie.com The king's warriors marched bare-breasted, blood-soaked women prisoners toward execution stakes, angry crowds following and chanting for the captives to be beheaded. Budgeted at Bt250 million the film will be the most expensive ever made in the Kingdom and comes at a time the moribund Thai film industry is hoping for a revival.''I'm not at liberty to say the exact amount but it is very expensive," said the prince. He added, ''I think it is definitely Thailand's most expensive film." Lengthy Article about the Star: FourElephants.com A star is born: ML Piyapas Bhirom Bhakdi ML Piyapas Bhirom Bhakdi never dreamed about becoming an actress. She did not harbour any ambitions, ever, to be a star of the big screen. And it certainly never crossed her mind, not even for a fleeting instant, that she might one day take the leading role in the most expensive film in the history of Thai film-making. Yet here she is today in precisely that role. She's more than halfway through filming Suriyothai, the historical epic based on the 500-year-old story of Thai heroine Queen Suriyothai, the wife of King Mahachakkraphat, who died in order that her husband might be saved during a Burmese attack on Ayutthaya. Piyapas, of course, plays Queen Suriyothai. When we meet in her oasis-like home she is quick to point out that she is not at all confident in her ability to act. "I'm still not sure if I'm good enough," she says. "It was really Her Majesty's wish, this movie. She's always been proud of Queen Suriyothai, a woman who sacrificed herself for her nation." Piyapas' mother, the late Thanpuying Viyada Kridakon na Ayudhya, was Her Majesty's personal dresser, so the Queen has long known Piyapas. Her Majesty encouraged Prince Chatrichalerm Yugala, otherwise known as Than Mui, to capture the legend on film around six years ago. And she wanted Piyapas to take the title role. "My first thought was that I would ruin the movie. That's what I am afraid of the most. It's an honour that Her Majesty picked me, and Than Mui thinks that I'm okay. But at the same time I'm afraid that I might ruin everything. The other actors and actresses are top stars in Thailand, and the crew are the top people in the business." Her modesty is very real; there is a nervousness in her voice which suggests she might fear a quiz on the finer points of the trade. But while she may appear petite and even fragile dressed in her beige three- quarter length pants and white zip-up top, her physical movements suggest a certain vitality and strength. She excuses herself several times to answer the phone; her days are hectic and filled with numerous commitments. After the initial shock of being cast was over, Piyapas says she didn't hear anything further for some time, and thought the project had perhaps been postponed. Little did she know that those five years were being spent in painstaking research about the Ayutthaya period to make the film as authentic as possible. When she got the news that it was going ahead, she spoke to Than Mui . "I said I don't think I can do it. You had better make sure that I'm okay with a camera and I'm okay with acting." She had some basic training in the fundamentals just prior to filming getting underway last year. Since then, 15 to 20 days per month have been spent on the set, and there's still around 30 per cent of the film left to shoot. "The big scenes haven't been done yet - like the battle scene, which I'm afraid of!" When I ask her if she's been having fun, she answers thoughtfully. "It's my character to have fun. Whatever I do, whether I like it or not, I try to get along with it. I try to feel that I like it, and that helps - it makes your work come out well while giving you peace of mind." She says she has gained a lot of experience by acting in this movie. "But, if you were to ask if I wanted to do it again, I would say no, thank you! Once is enough!" She laughs deeply - one certainly can't imagine a director persuading her to appear in another film any time soon. "I am a movie-lover," she says. "But before I didn't realise that scenes that appear for two minutes in a movie can actually take three hours to make!" Piyapas didn't have a problem with Than Mui's technique of giving actors the script just prior to filming, which he does to keep their acting fresh, as she wasn't used to anything in the first place. What was difficult was the older Thai language the period-acting called for: "Nearly every day, before shooting, one of Than Mui's colleagues would have to call a professor at Chulalongkorn to check whether what we were saying was alright." Queen Suriyothai's existence is in fact disputed by some scholars. "For me, I believe in her," Piyapas says. "I think she really is a part of the history of us. The details - I can't say whether they are right or wrong, but Thai people have been told this story for hundreds of years. It is only some historians and critics who seriously question her. Perhaps she was created in the olden days because we needed a story to unite us - whether it's true or not, it made us proud of ourselves. And you need to be proud of yourself, proud to be Thai." Comparisons with Anna and the King, given that they are both interpretations of Thai history, are bound to be made. Piyapat says the main difference between the two is that Anna and the King was made entirely by foreigners who didn't understand Thai history. "I do understand why the committee made their decision to ban the film - they didn't allow the film to be made here I the first place, so they couldn't contradict themselves. I understand this. But, as I have seen the movie, I would like it to be shown here, just to show the people who disagreed with the committee - those people who believe Hollywood is God for movies - that it's a lousy movie." Does she think the story could be a good film? She pauses. "It could be - but you have to understand that right from the beginning, even the book is wrong. Anna calls herself a governess - but she's not. A governess looks after and lives with children. She was only an English tutor who came in to teach for a few hours a day. It's wrong from the start." Suriyothai has taken up a lot of her time, and she does look forward to her life returning to normal. Her three children, Chitpas, who is almost 15, Nantaya, 12, and Naiyanobh, 10 have their own opinions about their mother-turned-actress. "They make fun of me, of course!" Piyapas says. At the moment the children are studying in England at a school just outside London. They each left to study there when they turned 10. Her eldest child had suffered from allergies and digestive problems, and found that when she spent a summer there with a friend when she was nine, her health improved. The girls wanted to stay on, so the two families agreed to let them go back there to school "Because they were together, we felt better about it," she says. She laments that the house is so quiet without them, but believes she is giving them a big advantage in their lives by ensuring they have an international education. "When I do business with foreigners, I don't have confidence with my English," she explains. "If my children have the chance to study in England, they will have a good chance to know both worlds. They are Thai - and I believe that they should learn how to be real Thais. They have to learn how to wai, they have to respect older people, and learn our way of life. And I teach them our history. "At the same time they know England, they know America and they know Europe. An education is the best thing I can give them - other things people can take away from you - what you have here," she says, tapping her temple, "will stick with you all your life." Even with the children out of the house, Piyapas has a hectic existence. Married to Chutinant Bhirom Bhakdi, whose family owns the Boon Rawd Brewery enterprise, her time is spent helping to run the separate business the two of them own. She also owns an interior decorating business with a partner, although that has been scaled down compared to when they first started it. In her quieter moments, Piyapas enjoys reading, playing a Gameboy or sleeping. She might curl up with a video - Moonstruck and The Thomas Crowne Affair are two of her favourites, while Audrey Hepburn is a favourite actress. She used to enjoy painting and drawing, and even took lessons, but these days does so more rarely. She tries to get away with her husband on weekends, when they like to go to Pattaya or Hua Hin, and a few trips abroad each year are made to England to visit the children. The two were almost childhood sweethearts - their parents knew each other, and Piyapas was a friend of his sister. "We met when I was about ten! But nothing happened between us until I turned 19, then we became boyfriend and girlfriend." She turned down the opportunity to pursue her masters degree overseas when he persuaded her to marry him. Would she recommend marrying young to her children? "It really depends on the person. I knew my husband for a long time. I knew his character and his way of life well. We were boyfriend and girlfriend for almost three years before we got married." Her husband was worried about her acting in Suriyothai, and also about the impact it might have on their private lives - but he supported her nevertheless. When I ask Piyapas whether she learned much about herself during the filming, her honest and straightforward answer is instructive of her strong character: "I think I had already learned about myself before the film." Festival Profile: Sundance 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, 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, King Chakrapat, and saved her kingdom. Based on five years of archaeological and historical research, and drawing on accounts by a Portuguese traveler of the period, the 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. This most-ambitious Thai film ever made involved 2,000 extras, 80 elephants, and 70 horses over two years. Intended to spark Thai interest in tradition, this unforgettable spectacle will most certainly awaken in western audiences an appreciation for Thai aesthetics, history, and a society that valorizes its courageous women. Official Site: Sony Pictures Classics Message Board: Share your thoughts on our "The Legend of Suriyothai" Message Board Input about Greg's Previews of upcoming Movies, or any movie covered here, is encouraged. Just e-mail Greg Dean Schmitz using our feedback form. Please note that all release dates are subject to change. End. -NM-

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