In 1897, Thai people discovered cinema. In 1923, Henry McRay directed Nang Sao Suwan, a love story between a lowly clerk and a nobleman's daughter, starring an all-Thai cast.
The Thai word "PAPHAYON" (ภาพยนต์) is a polite word for movie. The Thai word "NANG" (หนัง) is the common word for movie used in daily conversation.
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In 1927, Merian C Cooper, who later went on to produce King Kong,
made a film called Chang in Nan province, featuring a disastrous attack
by a herd of rampaging elephants on a forest village.
The first Thai films appeared in 1930s.
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| Old cinema in Udon Thani |
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Years 1958-1970 were highlighted by the actor Mitr, who appeared in a phenomenal 266 movies, mostly dramas and action films. In the 100 or so films released each year, he was the star of 30 of them.
Most of the movies were shot without synchronised sound on 16mm colour reversal stock. There was never an original negative to hold on to, let alone archive. The camera original and any additional exhibition prints (depending on the producers' budget) were circulated to cinemas around the country or projected from the backs of trucks on to sheets hung between trees at fairgrounds.
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Sound effects and dialogue were provided live by the projectionist. They were
filled with whatever regional references and topical humour seemed to work best with the crowd.
The prints were screened and rescreened until they became scratched beyond repair.
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| Open-air cinema |
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There were three kinds of open-air cinema:
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Decades ago movie distribution companies supplied films to outdoor screens
in the rural areas. Suppliers carried suitcases containing rolls of films to
travelling projectionists who wandered provincial Thailand with their canvas
screens.
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| Movie shown in temple |
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Viewers were charged five or ten baht. The revenue was split between distribution companies and the projectionist.
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In Thai cinemas before each film there is the King's anthem. During 30 seconds
there are pictures about the King, his family, the Thai flag and
actions that the King did for his subjects. Everybody shall stand up.
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| Movie shown in temple |
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Many 1950-1960s movies available on VCD have a very poor image quality and often a recent soundtrack. All Thai films in the 1960s, even the 35mm ones, were dubbed. Toward the late 1960s, 16mm films that had to be live-dubbed later were being phased out. 35mm film had arrived, allowing for sound synchronization. This brought about a resurgence in film-making, a proliferation of cinema halls and bigger audience numbers.
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Some movies have been damaged beyond repair. Only the
billboard pictures remain as a testimony. Some others have been copied from tapes to VCD
so being left with a poor image and sountrack quality. Wide shooting was done for movies then
when movies were put back on vcd, they were cut. Many old movies transferred to dvd are
only digitally transferred from vcd, so the image quality remains poor.
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| Thai old movie |
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The director ChatriChalerm Yukol was the first to reject dubbing in his movies. He was also the first to have original sountracks and not American soundtracks. It is very common in Thai 1970s movies to hear Star Wars soundtrack!
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"NANG RIM MUANG" (หนังริมเมือง) or movies at the edge of
town refers to the titles that usually make
more money in the suburban theatres of Bangkok. Despite their image, these edge-of-towners
represent a big slice of the cake in the whole cinema industry.
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| Old cinema in Udon Thani |
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A few big superstars had gone through Thai showbusiness. Mitr Chaibancha and Petchara Chaowarat, at their height in the 1960s, dominated Thai cinema. After Mitr there was Sombat Metanee and after him there was Sorapong Chatree. In the female league, Aranya Namwong was considered as Petchara's heiress. Other famous names are Pitsamai Wilaisak, Yodchai Meksuwan, Jarunee Suksawat and more. The last superstar couple was Santisuk Promsiri and Jintara Sukapat in the 1980s.
The early seventies was the golden age of Thai cinema, with around 200 movies being made annually. For years, locally produced films made practically no attempt to sell outside Thailand. It is believed that the smaller number of movies, dropping from over 200 titles in a year during 1970s, results in a better screening and quality works. So Thai actors were forced to make a living by playing also in TV series.
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In 1970s new realistic films appeared breaking
with the conventional style of Thai film with an increasing use of sexuality, better storyline,
photography, lighting and sound, more realistic and elaborate.
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| Thai old movie |
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In the 1970s Bangkok's leading intellectuals made fun of Thai conventional films, calling them "NAM NAO" (น้ำเน่า - polluted water) to convey their state of rotten stillness. But Thai cinema in the 1970s took an interest in reflecting social ills. Politics, left and right, was the fabric of daily life.
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The first wave came in the 1970s when the intellectuals
entered the film industry and made the so-called 'socially critical cinema'. This emergence needs to
be understood in parallel to the change of the country's politics and culture, triggered by two
major political events: the student uprisings of October 14th 1973 and the attack on
demonstrating students on October 6th 1976.
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| Thai old movie |
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The Motion Picture Export Association of America had to stage a sustained boycott of the Thai market following the increase in import taxes on films in Jan 1977. The boycott stopped in May 1981.
Under the 1930 Film Act, theater owners and broadcasters must submit films that they plan to show to the film censorship board for review. It is a hindrance to the development of the Thai film industry. This makes critical and experimental filmmakers insecure.
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During the anti-communist years, actors found themselves
in the Cold War by playing soldiers and mercenaries in many action films in which they
fought the red menace in the jungle. Most of these were low-profile, though some were popular
as they played to the national sentiment. All actors carried machine guns in those films.
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| Thai old movie |
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During Thanin Kraivichian's government (1976-1977) period, the production of serious films stopped as Thai people were tought to be afraid of communism. Politics gradually disappeared from Thai films in the 1980s.
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Very commercially successful in the 1980s were gangsters films modeled on
Hong Kong genre including a vast amount of gunplay and general quarrels.
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| Thai old movie |
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In 1980s the television and pirated videotape recordings competed with the film industry and pushed film business into an economic decline. These media influenced the new pattern of movies theatres from stand-alone movie theatres to mini-theatres in shopping malls.
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Teen films became a new popular genre in response to the new targeted
audience of the shopping malls. About one hundred films per year were released until the late
1980s. A decrease in audiences, especially adults, attending movies
theatres occured, as they were happy with TV and videotape entertainment in their homes.
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| Thai old movie |
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In the 1990s, mini-theatres in shopping complexes were replaced by multiplex movie theatres. In the 1990s, Thai TV soap operas boomed. While Thai soap became popular, Thai film declined. Moreover many film superstars such as Jarunee Suksawat and Sorapong Chatree turned their career to work in TV drama.
In 1993 the government decreased the import tax on films. As a result, the number of Thai films produced decreased such that in 1999 and 2000 only 9 movies were released. The Asia crisis in 1997 didn't help also!
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Currently, there are more than 200 screens in Thailand and it is still a growing number.
The expectation of higher profits in the increased theatrical
situation has been attracting investment into the production of the Thai films.
Such old Thai cinema with one huge screen has been replaced by major Cinema operator
complexes having several screens.
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| Old cinema in Udon Thani |
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Convential Thai film were popular in 1960s and 1970s. The convential Thai film began to decline popularity around the 1980s however this style has been presented in Thai soap operas (ละครโทรทัศน์). Thai people still enjoy the convential style.
In early 1990s the invasion of American blockbusters saw most local producers attempt to attract the under-17 audience, where they felt they could still find a market. The result was a preponderance of teen comedy and teen action movies. Plots and themes often centered on the classroom. Between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, the Thai film industry suffered a major decline. A sudden trend for teen flicks drove large sections of the filmgoing audience away from cinemas, and by the mid-1990s the industry was producing barely ten films annually. Between 1988 and 1997, Thai movies quantity drops dramatically from 60 to 8 films per year.
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In early 1990s, the average budget for a Thai film
was five million baht. Now it is about fifteen million baht, an increase of 300
percent over a decade.
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| Open-air cinema |
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In the 1990s, the political events of "PREUSAPA TAMIN" (พฤษภาทมิฬ - Black May 1992) inspired filmmakers to produce Third Cinema films. These films emphasized the role of the military in political affairs.
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Nowadays Thai audiences are not all that hungry for well-made productions with a
social or moral message. They prefer simply and easy-to-digest entertainment.
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| Old cinema in Udon Thani |
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The style of films from the new directors (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Nonzee Nimitbut...) in late 1990s was different from the previous decade. They presented films that were influenced by advertising and music video clips. There were more focus on urban life and people enjoying consumerism. The number of films that presented the story of urban life and middle class increased. On the other hand, the number of films for provincial people (Action movies and Ghost movies) declined.
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In the 1990s, the number of Thai films being produced decreased
dramatically. During this time Thai film genres such as Teen movies, Action movie, Drama movies,
Social movies were no longer popular and began to disappear from the local film market. They were
mainly replaced by American movies.
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| Old cinema in Wan Chai |
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Since 1999, some Thai movies such as "Nang Nak", "Iron Ladies", "Bang Rajan", "Jan Dara", "Ong bak" have been released outside Thailand in Asian countries such as Hong Kong. Even Francis Copolla has shown a great interest in Suriyothai and has promised to help to make a shorter version for US audience. Thai cinema is now breaking down the barriers between the local and international markets.
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First Bangkok International Film Festival started in
year 2003. The top movie receives a Golden Kinnaree.
The Subhanahongsa Awards are the Thailand's equivalent to the Oscars and are
organised annually by the Federation of Film Associations of Thailand.
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| Thai old movie |
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Since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the Thai movie production has stronly increased. Thai films have enjoyed a revival and the market share of Thai films has increased from 1 percent to 20 percent (only 9 movies in 2000, 17 films in 2001, 21 films in 2002, 46 films in 2003, 44 films in 2004, 39 films in 2005). The majority of annual releases (around 30 to 40 titles) are still occupied with old popular genres like Horror, Action and Comedy. Since 2005, around 45 to 50 Thai films have been made each year. About half of them are either ghost or comedy movies, followed by action movies featuring martial art.
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