Film : A critical history

A scene from "Tongpan", one of the most important and
least seen "political films".


Politics rarely serves as an active muse for contemporary Thai filmmakers. Elsewhere - from the US to Korea - protests, uprisings, coups d'etat and government scandals have inspired a number of movies, but making art that has a direct link to social realities has become a scarce practice here, especially among studio films. Bhandit Rittakol's 2001 film, 14 Tula Songkram Prachacon (or The Moonhunter), based on the life of 1973 student activist Seksan Prasertkul, was the last large-scale "political film" to be made in Thailand (a flop of course), though the movie fits more in the category of biopic


rather than sociological critique.

In fact, we need to go back to the 1970s to see Siamese filmmakers airing their politics in their works. These works bear testament to the fact that Thai movies once had a serious relevance and were not always the comical distractions they've largely become. Film historian Dome Sukawong marks the bloody uprising of October 14, 1973 as the initial spark. "Freedom was the key word in those days," he says. "Everybody was calling for democracy after the dictators had been ousted, and even commercial filmmakers like Sor Asanajinda put anti-dictatorship messages in his action movies."

In 1973, Prince Chartreechalerm Yukol made Khao Chue Karn (Dr Karn) about a country doctor who fights against bureaucratic corruption. And in 1974 the prince made Theptida Rongram (Hotel Angel). In the film's key sequence, the director intercuts scenes of violence at the 1973 student uprising with images of a prostitute being beaten by her pimp.

Things got more complicated in the events leading up to another uprising on October 6, 1976. A wave of anti-Communism had spread infectious paranoia among the citizens, and there were clear distinctions between the patriotic Right and the rebellious Left. A number of mainstream directors adopted the no-Commie attitude, while leftist filmmakers prowled the fringe.

Believing in the persuasive power of moving images, the government made a documentary called Kor Ted Jing 6 Tula (The Facts of Oct 6) which openly blames student protesters for being Communists and inciting violence. According to film archivist Dome, the doc was shown at an outdoor theatre as part of an exhibition put together by the government.

Two major political films in 1976, with a strong leftist proclivity, were Jon Ungpakorn's documentary Kamakorn Ying Hara (The Factory Workers of Hara), finished before October 6, about the uprising of female factory workers, and Tongpan, a semi-documentary made by a group of filmmakers and activists recounting the plight of a poor villager who's forced to abandon his field to make way for a dam construction. Tongpan was supposed to premiere on television, but the broadcast was cancelled after the incident on October 6. The film was edited and finished in England, before being smuggled back into Thailand around 1978, when the anti-Communist movement was still very much active

Also in 1976, former PM and respected politician MR Kukrit Pramoj appeared in a movie made specifically to canvass votes. The film is called Pu Tan Nok Sapa (The Unelected MP) and stars famous actor Sorapong Chatree as an idealistic parliamentary candidate who's shot dead by political enemies on the day he wins the election. Mr Kukrit showed up briefly at the beginning of the film, playing a party leader who gives a pep talk to the candidates. Not long after that, a new law prohibited political parties from attracting votes by screening films.
Surasee Pahtham made the acclaimed Kru Bannok (The Country Teacher) in 1978, presenting yet another story of failed ideology in the face of blatant injustice. In 1981, Manop Udomdej made Prachachon Nok (On the Fringe of Society), a social-realism film that discusses the urban migration of rural workers. Hailed for its tough realism, the independent film was screened at many overseas film festivals.

"Politics gradually disappeared from Thai films in the 1980s," says Dome. "The proliferation of television meant movies became less influential. Thai society underwent a big change too. No longer were students and young people interested in freedom and politics. The 'yuppie' lifestyle took over."

Source : http://www.bangkokpost.com/290607_Realtime/29Jun2007_real22.php