The Legend of Suriyothai
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Movie Reviews of The Legend of Suriyothai
Movie Review: Amazing with several flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
This grand film of epic proportions is a landmark in the history of Asian filmmaking. Directed by a Prince and presented by the Master Francis Ford Coppola, this movie is simply extravagant. In many ways the grandeur presented here mirrors that found in RAN by Kirosawa. This extraordinary tale is of a woman who becomes queen of Thailand due to a series of palace coups and machinations that lands her pious monk husband at the throne and sends her boyhood friend Prince Piren into battle against the invading Burmese army. Full of epic battle scenes, beautiful palaces and extraordinary scenes of Asian tranquility this film conjures up a culture and a time long gone. From swashbuckling Portuguese mercenaries to stampeding armies mounted atop elephants no expense was spared. The deleted scenes lend to the grandeur.Yet several issues remain that take away from this films greatness and call into question the many awards it has received. First the film should have been twice as long. It is an epic and the stories and the characters deserve far more developing. This leads to the second problem, which is the documentary like feeling you get since the characters don't have time to be developed much of the film has to be walked through by a narrator and every scene has to be presaged by the ever present name of the place you are viewing. Had the film gone on for four hours one would have become used to the different palaces and cities, but due to its choppy nature one feels like they are watching something less then cinematic. But regardless of these subtle issues, this film is a winner.
Seth J. Frantzman
Movie Review: Severely Overlooked
Summary: 5 Stars
What a great movie! I'll admit that it was hard at times to keep the names and places straight, but the plot is interesting, complex, and it all really happened. The costumes were catchy (should be nominated for an acadamy award), the setting was realsitic, the film quality is excellent, it was shot well, the script is appropriate, the battle scenes were exciting (cannons on elephant backs!)and the acting was decent. Admitedly, this will not appeal to everyone, as it is slower-paced. But those of us who appreciate films that truly deliver a lesson in history (a piece of history that I knew next to nothing about)will enjoy this.Movie Review: An accurate and entertaining Thai history lesson
Summary: 4 Stars
Ok, first of all...this was a historical film. There was, for all intents and purposes,no "script". Typically when hollywood makes an historical film it has to add a story behind the actual events so that the audience has something more to follow than just the "history lesson". Kind of like they did with Titanic. Big boat hits iceberg, begins sinking and lots of people die. Of course that would get pretty boring without a fictitous love story behind it. However, with Suriyothai, this is not the case. The film was commisioned by the queen of Thailand so that the people of Thailand could have an accurate depiction of an historical event and I for one feel they did just that. All the backstabbing, treachery, heartbreak AND violence, usually fabricated to give an historical movie substance, actually happened in the kingdom once known as Siam. The director and his team did tons of research that accurately reflects the true events that occured at the time. Of course, it is not for everyone and I'm sure most people unaware of the legend of Suriyothai, or simply not interested in the Thai culture, will pass this movie by and grab The Terminator 3 so they can be "entertained". This movie was made for one real reason; to give Thai people an historical picture of an event most, if not all, were unaware of. This is a kind of "North and South" for Thailand and Thai people. However, if you simply watch the movie and take in the "story" that's involved I think you will be pleasantly surprised, and you will learn something in the process as well. About 98% of this film is true. Little things like how someone was ACTUALLY executed or how someone rode an elephant into battle may be off a little, but for the most part this is an actual depiction of Thai history. I rented this movie because I am Thai, and felt intrigued to see what a "big-budget" Thai movie would be like. I enjoyed this movie for many reasons. The imagery, soundtrack and visuals are great. The story it tells is fascinating, made even more fascinating because it's true. The acting at times seems stretched and the direction during dialogue scenes may seem a little off to most westerners used to Hollywood movies. You more than likely would not see this movie unless you are Thai, related to someone Thai or interested in anything Thai. And that's too bad because it has a lot to offer for a movie that's just an "Historical Account".Movie Review: Once upon a time in Thailand
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a movie that's making the art theater circuit right now. It's a film from Thailand about one of their queens who became a legend in their culture. While she's far from the only character in it, you see the intrigue and backstabbing that went on during the early to mid 1500's when the movie takes place. Suriyothai, if she's like the movie, put her country first and her own dreams and ideals second. There are a number of beheadings and lots of big battles involving cannons and elephants. While it's not a movie I'd say to rush out and make sure you catch, it's very good in that it takes you to a place and a time you haven't seen in any movie before it.Movie Review: Eastern Cultural Complexities, a Western Recipe for Success?
Summary: 4 Stars
The Legend of Suryiothai, was first released in Thailand over two years ago and at the time, the movie was probably in excess of five hours in length. A movie of this length is unheard of in the West and would almost certainly not attract any viewers!It covers a span of nearly thirty years in the turbulent history of Thailand and its ongoing conflict with Burma. This was a particularly nasty time in worldwide history whether viewed from the colonial excesses of the resident power bases within Europe or the East. It is probably important to bear in mind that no matter how brutal some of the scenes recounted may be, it was equally bad, if not worse in Europe.
Given that the movie that I saw was in about half the time of the original thanks to some expert editing by Francis Ford Copolla's expert editing, it is very evident that the movie does jump from plot to sub-plot to new theme in a slightly disjointed fashion.
Nevertheless, with a little thought, it is very easy to follow the story through the good years and the bad ones. It is possible to see the political intrigue and the full range of very nasty emotions that arise purely as a vehicle to grasp power. As the saying goes, "..Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely..".
This movie follows the going on in Thailand around one character "Suryiothai" a princess in one of the many fiefdoms in Thailand. It follows her path on and off through the years and the power struggles that she is directly and in many case not directly involved in, until her death.
This movie has many merits and is possibly one of the best movies to come out of Asia in quite some time, so it is disappointing that so much of the flow of the movie was left on the editing room floor. This being said, I was not at all disappointed that I saw this movie and it was well worth the price of entry.