THAI HISTORICAL MOVIES
Historical movies often happen during the kingdom of Ayuthaya period. Ayuthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767 until it was invaded by the Burmese. Suriyothai and the King Naresuan movies were extraordinary hits in Thailand but hardly travelled internationally despite their qualities as cultural and historical gems. A film with intense action elements like Bang Rajan (2000) remains one of the best-known Thai historical films outside Thailand.
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This movie is about Bang Rajan village. This village is located north of Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam, predecessor state to modern Thailand. The village played a famous role related to its resistance against the Burmese in the war that saw the destruction of Ayutthaya city in 1767. Tap is a Siamese soldier leader. Siamese people have internal conflicts while they are also fighting with Burma (พม่า). Siamese soldiers kidnap two ladies, who are Tap's sister and Tap's fiancee. They are raped. Tap has the difficult task to choose between rescuing his sister and fiancee or leading the villagers far from Burmese soliders. They take refuge inside Bang rajan village. They help and support each other. Siamese from various villages lure a group of Burmese soldiers with the promise of young women and then turn upon them and kill the whole group. This event leads the whole Burmese army to Bang Rajan. Tap, after taking care of the villagers, goes to rescue his sister and fiancee. His fiancee is soiled (ตัวเสีย) so they cannot come back together. Tap forgives to the Siamese men as they promise to take care of the young ladies so they join his group in Bang Rajan. Burmese army starts to assault Bang Rajan. Burmese has guns but Siamese people have only swords. Women are fighting also. It is the duty for men to become soldier and protect the nation. Burmese come with elephants and big guns. Siamese people needs a big gun to fight back Burmese army. Ayutthaya king refuses to give them a big gun as Bang Rajan is a small village only. Ayutthaya people donate utensils for Bang Rajan to mold a big gun but it is fissured during moulding. Siamese are disadvantaged by their lack of firearms. As Burmese do not succeed to enter inside Bang Rajan with their infantry, they build forts surrounding the village. Siamese soldiers cannot destroy the forts built by the Burmese and suffered casualties from infantry assaults upon those forts. One of the Siamese leaders becomes drunk and furious. Upon a water buffalo, he takes a few men and attacked the Burmese. This event remains a forever legend and has been reused on poster of the 2000s Bang Rajan movie. He was killed and his men routed. Tap and his men succeed to neutralize the big gun before it destroys Bang Rajan walls. But they fail when Burmese use weapons similar to Katyusha multiple rocket launchers. Villagers are outnumbered and killed. Bang Rajan villagers and soldiers sacrifice their life for the nation. Tap and his new girlfriend are the only one to survive. They are rescued by future King Taksin, who liberated Siam from Burmese occupation after Ayutthaya fall in 1767. Such movies were very popular during nationalist era of Thailand, i.e. 1960s with communist threat risk and the 2000s folliwing the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. This movie highlights the sacrifice of villagers not supported by the official administrators. Sombat Methanee got a gold statuette award (รางวัลตุ๊กตาทอง) received from HM the King for his best actor work. In 1966 the government renovated Bang Rachan camp (ค่ายบางระจัน).
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It deals about the opposition between two men during Ayuthaya period. One is part of aristocracy, one is a commoner but both love the same woman. The commoner is forced to live in clandestinity. But thanks to courageous performances during war, he deserves respect and title. This movie has won Three Thai oscars. A remake was done in 2003.
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It deals about the Thai King Naresuan. The King Naresuan is famous for having a duel on elephants with the Burmese Crown Prince and won against him in 1593. King Naresuan regained independence from Burma for the Ayuthaya kingdom.
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In 1766 the Burmese were moving close to Ayutthaya. But before they could reach the capital, the Burmese soldiers had to pass through Bang Rajan, a town northwest of Ayutthaya. Led by a few brave souls, the Bang Rajan villagers put up a strong fight against an entire Burmese army. During several months and many assaults, the villagers stood strong, until finally they were overwhelmed. The movie was Thailand's biggest box office hit ever until movie Suriyothai was released. Bang Rajan 2 is on the way for 2010! This historical epic is based on the theme of ancient rivalry with Burma and ferocious patriotism.
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It is about a legendary Thai princess who died fighting the Burmese on elephant-back. The film required five years of research and two-and-a-half years of shooting. It has broken almost every record in Thai film history. It is the most expensive at 400 million baht, the most star-studded, with a cast of 2,000 extras and more than 50 elephants and 70 horses. It has the longest shooting time and the longest screening time, i.e. three hours and five minutes. In 2003, an updated five hours version was released. In 2003, the film was also released in the United States with a shorter running time. This version was edited by Francis Ford Coppola, an old classmate of ChatriChalerm Yukol. Reigning monarch Queen Sirikit instigated this movie, financed most of it, arranged for palaces and historic sites to be opened to a film crew for the first time.
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It is the story of a famous Thai boxer, Nai Khanom Tom, who, having been captured by the Burmese, regained his freedom by defeating nine of the enemy's gladiators in a contest witnessed by the Burmese king.
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Manee is a Paris-based archive specialist. A mysterious French work is brought to her for interpretation at the Thai consulate in Paris. Manee is agitated by the record's allusions to Siam's past. When she returns to Thailand, she finds herself slipping back and forth in time between the present day and the time of Siam's exploitation by colonialists from France and Britain. Manee learns much about her country's history and becomes a fighter alongside her ancestors. She finds valuable lessons in life and love along the way.
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This movie takes place in 16th century when portuguese citizen were living in Ayuthaya kingdom. Following his ship sinkage, Fernando De Gama, traded as a slave, is rescued by Maria. As he's an experienced soldier, Fernando and Tong, a Thai soldier, become the Thai King's personal guards. Unfortunately the King is poisoned by his wife, who targets to set her lover as the new King. Fernando and Tong are accused and need to fight against each other. It was produced by UK, directed by a Thai and written by an English scriptwriter.
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This movie is made in three parts and relates the story of the greatest hero in Thai history, i.e. King Naresuan who was born in 1555. At the age of nine, he had been taken as hostage to Burma for 6 years to ensure Phitsanulok's loyalty to Burmese kingdom. In Pegu, Naresuan is treated as a son of the Burmese king, Bayinnaung, and is afforded all the respect due to a prince. Naresuan is ordained as a novice monk in a Buddhist temple under the supervision of the monk, Khanchong. There he became acquainted with sword fighting and methods of war. As his sister is also held hostage, Naresuan decided it is time for him to return to Siam. He attracted a band of loyal fellows and made his escape back to Phitsanulok.
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Naresuan was sent back to Pegu to represent his father in paying homage to King Nandabayin, who had succeeded Bayinnaung, who passed away in 1581. Naresuan participated with his troops in a Burmese expedition against a Shan state and succeeded in taking a city after the Burmese crown prince and another prince had failed to do so. Naresuan thereby gained the jealous animosity of the crown prince, who plot various attacks against him. Naresuan proclaimed independence from Burma. When crossing River Satong, Naresuan had his forces under attack. With his army across, Naresuan is given a long rifle by his tutor, the monk Khanchong. Naresuan takes aim at the Burmese General across the mile-wide river and fires, killing the man and causing the Burmese troops to loose their morale and cease to follow. In 2009 King Naresuan 3 and 4 are being filmed with government financial support. The Ministry of Culture prioritises its financial support to films that deal with promoting loyalty to the pillars of nation, religion and monarchy. We are back to old times under Thanin Kraivichian's government (1976-1977), where Thai people were tought to be afraid of communism and that the way to survive was already to protect the nation, the religion and the monarchy.
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Two young women and one man from the present are mysteriously destined to travel back in time to an old forgotten Siamese village during Ayuthaya period. This village is blocking Burmese military troops' path to Ayuthaya. The villagers are ready to die for their land in order to protect the capital city of Ayuthaya from being conquered and overthrown. Anna, Gif, and Boat from present day Bangkok use their modern skills in order to help the villagers. As their ancestors sacrified their life to save Ayuthaya against Burma, will they be ready to sacrifice their life also to save their land?
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Langkasuka is a small kingdom in South of thailand during Ayuthaya period. A Queen is managing the city as the King of Langkasuka was assassinated. The Queen is under threat as several assassination tentatives are performed. She wants her daughter to marry the Prince of Pahang to get more protection for Langkasuka city. Her daughter is not willing to marry the Prince of Pahang but finally accepts. Langkasuka is under threat and the Queen is looking for big cannons to protect the city. Pari is a young skilled man that has been trained since his chilhood in order to swim fast under the sea, to able to breathe under the sea and listen to noise under the sea. With local villagers, he has to often confront pirate boats. In their village a Chinese cannon expert is living. One day, all villagers are killed by Black Raven pirates who kidnap the Queen's daughters coming to convince the Chinese expert to make cannons for Langkasuka city. Pari, whose wife has been killed, follows the pirates and help to free the Queen's daughters. Pari and one daughter are separated from the group and then rescued by Master White Ray, who teachs him some black magic and to be able control sea creatures. The master has a white and black personalities. Black Raven pirates succeeds to make cannons and through an alliance with other local kings decide to take over Langkasuka. A Langkasuka soldiers team tries to destroy the cannons but fails. The Master, under his black personality, helps the pirates to retrieve a big cannon under the sea to destroy Langkasuka. Hopefully the intervention of Pari will be decisive during the battle.
Some historical movies happen in the 20th century
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This movie deals about a group of Chinese refugees in North of Thailand area, who are the survivors of the 93rd Division of Chiang Kai Chek's Nationalist Army, the Kuomintang, who fled from China after communist victory and settled in these mountains in 1949. They live close to the borders with Laos and Myanmar in the middle of the poppy-growing area of the Golden Triangle. In return for the Kuomintang's military help, the soldiers and their families were given Thai ID papers that permitted them to live in this area. These ex-soldiers of the Kuomintang had to find ways to survive. They grow poppy and also levy a forfeit on the opium convoys that passed through their territory. In this movie, Thai villagers are fed up with Chinese villagers behavior that grow poppy to make opium. They want them to stop to harm Thai society. A group of Chinese villagers kidnap Lannoi, a young Thai lady. Her brother, Seua, a strong Thai young man, fights and wins to get her back but finally encourages her to stay to better know Chinese customs and marry a Chinese villager. She marries Fong Fong but there is no love. She discovers some Chinese customs (concubines, smoking opium, foot binding, women doing hard chores, cemetery with tombs, Chinese food...). She finally understands that Fong Fong loves her. Knowing that an opium convoy will exit soon from the village, she alerts the Thai villagers. A fight occurs and Chinese villagers have to step back. Lannoi admits she is the one to have warned the Thai people because Chinese people should stop opium commerce that harm society. Arguing happens between pro and con opium people. Finally Lannoi is condemned to death and shall be shot by Fong Fong, who do it dejectedly. Seua comes back to Chinese village for vengeance. Many pro opium fighters are killed and even Fong Fong is killed by one Chinese fighter. Following this disaster, Fong Fong's father promises they will stop growing poppy from now on. (Nota: The cover given with the VCD is wrong and belongs to another movie!)
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This movie deals about the life of a pro-democracy activist and his wife, who joined the PLAT (Popular Liberation Army Thai) in Laos after the 14 October 1973 massacre. In the jungle, they face harsh life, military conflicts against Thai soldiers, political conflits inside the communist party and understand that they are toys manipulated by the Chinese external policy. China helped them in 1975 when Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia became communist but helped Thai goverment to counter Vietnamese influence after the eviction of Red Khmers by Vietnam in Cambodia in 1979. This movie has received 5 Thai awards. This movie is based on the life of 1973 student activist Seksan Prasertkul, and was the last large-scale "political film" to be made in Thailand in 2000s decade. It was a flop at the box office.
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A young man, Sorn, has a great passion for the xylophone. He was so skilled that he became a royal musician. However Sorn became too proud and was defeated in a competition by a rival. Sorn was able to learn from this failure. Sorn becomes a well-respected musical teacher in the period under Field Marshall Pibulsongkram. It was a time when the government strictly controlled the performance of traditional music, which was deemed "uncivilised". Under the policy of nationalism, the government ordered that folk artists had to have a license to perform in public. The passionate music teacher refused to obey the state's restrictions until the very last moment of his life.
Historical movies describe biographies of famous people.
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It deals about Suraphol Sombatcharoen, a murdered sixties pop star. Suraphol (1930-1968) is Thailand's all-time king of country music. Suraphol died on August 16, 1968 from gunshot wounds, leaving a rich repertoire of luk thung songs that embodied the spirit of the 1960s. Suraphol's immortal song is "Sip hok Pee Haeng Kwam Lang" (16 Years of Our Past). It was his last and most memorable creation. Suraphol wrote the song to depict the 16 years of his marriage in the most heart-broken and touching way.
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It deals about the creation of the famous Thai pop group Carabao. So it features many Carabao songs.
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It deals about a movie director getting crazy with women.
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It deals about Pumpuang's lovelife and her tragic death in 1992. Pumpuang Duangchan was a Thai singer called the Queen of Thai country music. She had many financial problems with her two husbands and with her family.
This Thai Historical movie page 1 contains 19 records.
ThaiWorldView movie database contains 507 records.
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