List of films shot in Thailand
- This is a list of foreign films shot in Thailand. See also: List of Thai films
Dozens of foreign films have been shot in Thailand, with the kingdom either playing itself or standing in for a neighboring country, such as Vietnam or Cambodia.
The availability of elephants, exotic jungle and beach settings, relatively low production costs, and a mature domestic film industry that provides a legion of experienced crew members, have made Thailand an attractive location for many Hollywood films and other foreign productions.
Films set in Thailand include Around the World in Eighty Days, The Big Boss, The Man with the Golden Gun and The Beach. And Thailand has been used as a stand-in setting for such Vietnam War-era films as The Deer Hunter, Good Morning Vietnam, Casualties of War and The Killing Fields.
In addition to providing work for Thai film crews and extras (including the Royal Thai Army), films that use Thailand as a location help Thailand promote itself as a tourist destination. As a result, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is keenly interested in attracting production companies to make films in the Kingdom.
However, over the months, the locations of some films have been criticized as being harmful to the environment. The island used to depict villain's hideout in The Man with the Golden Gun is now a major draw for tourism operators in Phuket's Phang Nga Bay. Environmentalists also protested the filming of The Beach, in which the film crew made alterations to the location that were viewed as damaging.
History
Hollywood has played an important role in the development of Thailand's film industry. One of the first feature films made in Thailand, 1923's Miss Suwanna of Siam, was a Hollywood co-production, made with the royal assistance of King Vajiravudh, who gave the production free use of his 52 automobiles, 600 horses, use of the Royal Thai Navy, the Grand Palace, the railways, the rice mills, rice fields, coconut groves, canals and elephants.
The 1927 documentary, Chang, by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, was made in Thailand.
In recent years, even the Bollywood film industry has chosen Thailand as location.
For 2005, the Thailand Film Office reported that 497 films and productions earned 1.14 billion baht, a jump from the 441 films and productions that earned 1.13 billion baht in 2004. The line-up in 2005 included 248 documentaries, 188 commercials, 21 feature films, 13 TV series and 27 music videos. The leading foreign films made on location were Japanese, with 161 productions, followed by Europe with 105, the US with 23 and Australia with 20.[1]
List of foreign films shot in Thailand
1920s-1970s
- Chang (1927) – Directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack were assisted by Prince Yugala Dighambara in the production of their silent docudrama about a family of subsistence farmers living in the jungle, battling elephants, tigers and other animals. Among the cast is a gibbon named Bimbo.
- Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) – Director Michael Todd was able to borrow one of the royal barges of King Bhumibol Adulyadej when the production was in Bangkok.
- The Ugly American (1963) – Thai statesman Kukrit Pramoj appeared on screen with Marlon Brando, portraying the prime minister of the fictional Southeast Asian country of Sarkhan. He was later elected Prime Minister of Thailand, serving in office in 1975-76.
- The Big Boss (1971) – Bruce Lee portrays a young fighter from Guangdong who comes to Thailand to sort out his life and finds a job working in an icehouse. He tries to be peaceful, but they just keep pushing him.
- Duel of Fists (1971) – David Chiang travels to Bangkok looking for his long-lost brother (Ti Lung), who's a muay Thai boxer in this Shaw Brothers Studio film by Chang Cheh. Pawana Chanajit co-starred as a love interest for Chiang's character. Locations include the Dusit Thani Hotel on Rama IV Road, long before overpass bridges and the Bangkok Skytrain were built, as well as the Siam Intercontinental, since razed to make way for Siam Paragon.
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) – Filmed around Bangkok and Phang Nga Bay near Phuket. Bond attended a boxing match at Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadium in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district. One of the islands seen in the film is known as the "Nail" island (or Ko Khao Tapoo). This island houses the solar panels. The hideout of Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) is actually Ko Kow-Phing-Khan. Both islands are now tourist attractions. The "nail" island is referred to as "James Bond Island" in tourist literature. The location was extremely hard hit by a tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
- The Deer Hunter (1978) – The Russian roulette bar was in Patpong in Bangkok, while the POW camp was in Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi Province.
1980s
1990s
2000s
2000-2003
2004
- 2046 – Wong Kar-wai's follow-up to In the Mood for Love was filmed partially in Bangkok, and the film underwent post-production processing at Bangkok's Kantana Group labs, where the director made last-minute edits to the film before delivering it late to the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
- Two Brothers – This family-friendly story about two tigers had some scenes made in Samut Prakan Province, at a tourist site called Mueang Boran (Ancient City), which has scaled-down replicas of many of Thailand's important structures. The tigers used in the film were from the Si Racha Tiger Zoo near Pattaya. The film was set in neighboring Cambodia, and many locations were used there was well.
2005
2006
2007
2008
2011
List of films set in Thailand
Several films have been set in Thailand, but were made elsewhere. These include:
- Anna and the King of Siam (1946) – The first film adaptation of stories written by Anna Leonowens. The film is banned in Thailand for historical inaccuracies and because Thai authorities feel its depiction of King Mongkut denigrates and trivializes the monarch and the royal family. It was filmed in California.
- The King and I (1956) – The film of the musical, it is banned in Thailand for the same reasons as Anna and the King of Siam.
- The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) – Based on a novel by Pierre Boulle, David Lean's highly fictionalized account of work on the Death Railway contains many historical inaccuracies. It was actually filmed in Ceylon.
- Anna and the King (1999) – With a Thai adviser and many Thai actors in the cast, Andy Tennant's remake of the 1946 film went through several rewrites in an effort to win approval by the Thai government so the movie could be made and shown there. However, the screenplay still contained too many inaccuracies, so the production was moved to Malaysia. The film is banned in Thailand, though home-video copies have found their way into the Kingdom and the film has gained a following.[10]
- Brokedown Palace (1999) - Alice and Darlene, best friends, decide to take a trip to Thailand to celebrate high-school graduation. While there, they are befriended by charming Australian rogue Nick Parks. Nick convinces them to take a weekend side trip to Hong Kong, but at the airport, they are busted for smuggling drugs. They are convicted in a show trial and sentenced to 33 years; in desperation, they contact Yankee Hank, an American lawyer based in Thailand who has been reported to be helpful if you've got the cash. Most scenes were filmed in the Philippines.
- Bright Rainbow After the Rain (2010) - is directed by a Filipino teacher from the Philippines. The movie is unique in a sense that it is in English and it could be known as the first English movie in Thailand done by Thai students. The movie was filmed in Phayao Province, Thailand. It is heartwarming drama about two girls who were best friends- น.ส.สิริพร จันทร์เอี่ยม (Siripon Janauem) as Ana and น.ส.ณัฐณิชา ขอนพิกุล (Natnicha Khonpikul) as Sara. The two have a very opposite economic status. Ana was rich and Sara was poor with no father (daddy) around her when she was growing up. Sara's mom was selling vegetables at the market for a living. She also helped her mom make a living by having a part time job. On the other hand, Sara’s best friend Ana wants to study overseas and so she had searched on the internet to find overseas scholarship available for Thais. Sara also wanted to avail a scholarship overseas but didn't have confident to apply, feeling she is too poor to apply. She has a very low self esteem. Finally, Ana found a scholarship abroad in Canada, but seeing her very poor best friend struggling in poverty has brought pain in her heart and has become her turning point. She couldn’t afford to see her best friend having so many difficulties in life while she is enjoying life's comfort. So Ana decided to help Sara escape poverty, but wanted to do it secretly. She has pretended as Sara and apply for a scholarship using Sara's name. Ana did this without Sara's knowledge. She stole Sara's personal information and passport to complete Sara's scholarship application. Ana wanted to study abroad but had sacrificed her dream for the sake of her best friend Sara. At the end, Sara was able to get an overseas scholarship in Canada through Ana's secret help. The "Bright Rainbow After the Rain" is the first English movie in Thailand with Thai students as the cast. The director Alejandro Cardeinte is an English teacher teaching at Phayao Pittayakhom School (โรงเรียนพะเยาพิทยาคม), the main goal of the movie is to help Thai students learn English. The movie has English subtitle but has no Thai subtitle added to challenge Thai students to try to understand the story of the movie. The movie has very simple day to day English. The main music soundtrack of the movie "Rain" is original written by the movie director himself. But partly, some music he used is not cleared with copyright yet. The movie is for educational purposes only and not for business. Visit "Bright Rainbow After the Rain" website to watch the full movie for free.
See also
References
- ^ Corben, Ron. "Thai Empire Strikes Back", Asia Image (retrieved July 17, 2006).
- ^ The Nation, December 1, 2006. Filming 'damaged beach' (retrieved on December 3, 2006).
- ^ Phoborisut, Penchan (April 30, 2003) "Seagal brings Hollywood to Thailand", Bangkok Post (retrieved via Steven-Seagal.net, August 10, 2006).
- ^ 2Bangkok.com, May 30, 2005, "Krabi: Wookiee home planet" (retrieved September 27, 2006).
- ^ Thepararat, Chatrudee. October 26, 2006. "Denzel and Sly head for blockbuster shoots in Thailand", Bangkok Post.
- ^ Agence France Press. October 26, 2006. Denzel Washington, Sylvester Stallone to shoot films in Thailand, via The Nation.
- ^ Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "Rambo to rescue Karen - in the movies", via Bangkok Post (retrieved October 11, 2006).
- ^ Production Weekly. October 6, 2006. "Stallone looks 'In the Serpent's Eye'" (retrieved October 11, 2006).
- ^ The Nation, September 23, 2006. "Bangkok is not dangerous for Cage" (retrieved September 24, 2006).
- ^ Towira, Pimpaka. September 21, 1999. "Heart of a Patriot", The Nation (retrieved via ThaiStudents.com on October 17, 2006)
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