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The Legend Of Suriyothai
A Film by Chatri Chalerm Yukol
Produced by Francis Ford Coppola
Reviewed by Madelyn Miller
A story of intrigue, romance and war set in a dramatic
period of Thailand's history, "The Legend of Suriyothai" is based on actual
events in 16th century Thailand.
And although keeping track of whose side is ahead and
whose side each character is on gets confusing at times, the movie is
breathtakingly gorgeous and well acted. It is bound to be a classic and
loved by anyone who enjoys history and Thailand.
But I am prejudiced.
I recently spent three weeks in Thailand and fell in
love with the country, its people and its heritage.
 “The Legend of Suriyothai” begins during a peaceful
era, but forces from both outside (Thailand's neighbor Burma to the north)
and within, conspires to test the strength of the nation.
Filmed at spectacular locations throughout Thailand,
with a true cast of thousands, this Cecil B. DeMille-sized epic chronicles
the life of Suriyothai, a beautiful young princess, who must choose between
marrying her true love, a gallant young warrior named Piren, or doing her
duty to wed Prince Tien, the son of the "second king," in a marriage
arranged by their two very powerful families.
As the story unfolds, the Thai kingdom of Ayuthaya is
enjoying a period of peace and prosperity, but the country's stability will
be threatened by corruption and civil war. Colossal battle scenes with
archers atop elephants, bare-breasted amazon fighters armed with spears, and
invading Burmese legions firing cannons, are photographed on a scale not
seen in the cinema for decades. Written and directed by Chatri Chalerm Yukol,
a prince in the Thai royal family, the film was made with the support of
Thailand's Queen Sirikit.
Palace intrigues and deceptions abound, with memorable
characters and plot twists: one king who takes the throne in a coup d'etat
is then deceived by his beautiful new wife, a former high courtesan named
Srisudachan. She plots her husband's downfall, pushing her lover Worawongsa
to usurp the throne, and to restore her clan, the U-Thong in its claim to
power.
A band of loyalists joins Princess Suriyothai to
assassinate the pretenders Srisudachan and Worawongsa, and to restore the
monarchy in a daring sneak attack. Tien leaves the priesthood to become
king, and to reunify Thailand. In a dramatic finale to the film, the Burmese
invade Ayuthaya. Queen Suriyothai heroically rides an elephant into battle
and dies in a valiant effort to save both her country and her husband's
life. The life of Suriyothai has become a legend.
Historical Notes
Spanning more than half a century, Suriyothai is a
story of a country's survival. It depicts the history of the Thai kingdom
Ayuthaya from the reign of King Ramathibodhi II to the great battle with
King Tabinshwethi of Burma in 1548.
Ayuthaya's peace and prosperity was dependent on the
descendants of four royal dynasties: Suphannabumi, U-Thong, Phra Ruang and
Sri Thammasokaraj. Regardless of which family held power, the stability of
the regime depended on the support and cooperation of the other royal
households.
During the reign of King Ramathibodhi II, the kingdom
had two monarchs: Ramathibodhi II in the south and his younger brother Phra
Atitay in the north. Both were descendents of the Suphannabumi dynasty.
At the beginning of the film, we meet two members of
the Phra Ruang dynasty--Suriyothai and Piren--whose fates will be joined
throughout the story. Raised together since childhood, Suriyothai and Piren
were regarded as brother and sister even though they were not related.
Despite their love for one another, marriage was out of the question since
Suriyothai was betrothed to Tien, the son of King Atitaya. Their union was
seen as a political marriage that would strengthen the ties between two very
powerful royal families.
In 1529, King Ramathibodhi II died and the resulting
changes in the kingdom's political structure severely tested its stability.
King Atitaya moved to the north; Chairacha (the son of Ramathibodhi II)
became, by royal decree, ruler of the south. Tien moved north with his
father bringing Suriyothai and his children. A smallpox epidemic, political
corruption, civil war and an invading army from Burma plunged the country
into chaos. In the midst of this, Chairacha reestablished himself as ruler.
But he was a Warrior king and often away protecting his country from
neighboring armies. So it was Tien, in the role of viceroy, who was
assigned the task of administering the nation's affairs as viceroy. But he
could not control Srisudachan, Chairacha's concubine from the U-Thong
dynasty who, during his absence, began a relationship with a fellow member
of the U-thong household. Together they plotted the successful
assassination of the king and Srisudachan was made queen.
Throughout this turmoil, Suriyothai was preoccupied
with the safety of her children and her husband. She also took part in a
plot to overthrow the new king and queen so that Ayuthaya could return to
peace and order. For this purpose she called upon her childhood friend
Piren who helped to mobilized the armies, depose the king and install Tien
on the throne, with Suriyothai as his queen.
News of this internal strife came to the attention of
the King of Burma who assembled troops, crossed the border and surrounded
the capital of Ayuthaya. A fierce battle ensued and when her husband faced
certain death, Suriyothai placed herself in front of Tien and died in battle
to insure the safety and future of her country.
Chatri Chalerm Yukol
Prince Chatri Chalerm Yukol is one of Thailand's
pioneering filmmakers and an international representative of Asian cinema.
Prince Chatri was born on November 29, 1942, a son of HRH Anusorn and Mom
Ubon Yukol. He was educated at Geelong Grammar School in Australia and
continued his education at UCLA in Los Angeles, where he majored in Geology.
His first contact with motion pictures was when he was
very young – both of his parents were early supporters of the Thai film
industry. His father made the film "Lavo"(1938) before Prince Chatri Chalerm
was born.
While Prince Chatri Chalerm was in Los Angeles he
apprenticed under director/producer Merian C. Cooper ("Chang," "King Kong,"
"The Quiet Man," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," "The Searchers"). Prince Chatri
Chalerm first worked in the film industry as a cameraman on a number of Thai
films. He made his debut as a director and writer in television.
"Out of the Dark" was the first feature length film
that Prince Chatri Chalerm directed. This was followed by "Doctor Karn."
Prince Chatri Chalerm launched the career of Thailand's leading actor
Sorapong Chatri and has received Thailand's Best Director Award.
Since then, he has directed several other films and
television programs,including "The Angel," "The Colonel," The Violent
Breed, "The Yellow Sky," "The Citizen," "Last Love," "Gunman," "The
Elephant Keeper, " "The Song Of Chaophaya," "Power Road," "Sia Dai," and
"The Box."
Prince Chatri Chalerm has won numerous awards as
director, screenwriter, and editor. His films are shown frequently at
international film festivals.
Production Facts
Yukol is a member of the Thai royal family; he carries
the title of prince.
Original Thai version was released in Thailand on July
12, 2001. It broke all box office records.
Film was funded and largely supported by the Queen of
Thailand for the purpose of educating a new generation of Thais about their
history.
Film was researched for 5 years.17 months were spent in
actual production.
The Queen of Thailand personally inaugurated the first
day of photography. Battle sequences - Thai army and navy were conscripted
by the thousands.
160 elephants were used in the production.
The International crew, included a Czech and Polish
camera department, American and English sound department, English composer.
All props were made from scratch; including authentic
16th century European, Thai and Burmese weapons.
Locations (including palaces and royal grounds) were
actual historical sites.
Many scenes were shot in and around the ruins of the
ancient capital Ayutthaya.
3500 extras were used in the battle scenes. 400 people
on crew.
1400 roles of film shot (more than 1/2 million feet of
film).
263 hours of sound recorded.
The 6-channel Dolby digital soundtrack was edited and
mixed and Francis Coppola's American Zoetrope post facility in the Napa
Valley.
142 minutes. Rated R by the MPAA. In Thai with English
subtitles
A Sony Pictures Classics Release.
VISIT THE SONY PICTURES CLASSICS INTERNET SITE AT:
http://www.sonyclassics.com
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