Film History & Movements Codexery

Cinema of Thailand

Thai cinema spans from royal patronage to global festival acclaim.

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The first known film screening in Thailand was on 9 June 1897, using the Lumière cinematograph.[1] In 1905, the Japanese Cinematograph became Thailand's first permanent movie theater, established by Japanese entrepreneurs.[2]

Making and release

Prince Thongthaem Sambassatra, considered the father of Thai cinema, brought camera equipment from Europe and exhibited his films commercially.[3] Thailand's highest-grossing film is Pee Mak, which earned more than 1 billion baht worldwide.[4] Bad Genius, a school heist thriller, is registered as a national heritage film by the Thai Film Archive.[5] The Wasuwat brothers' Bangkok Film Company created the initial entirely Thai feature, Chok Sorng Chan (Double Luck), in 1927.[6]

On 1 April 1932, Long Thang (Gone Astray), the first Thai film with sound, had its debut.[7] Following World War II, the Thai film industry experienced a revival, using 16 mm film to create numerous action-oriented movies.[8] Thai film production relied on 16 mm as its standard format from 1947 through 1972.[9] Chalong Pakdivijit, also known as P. Chalong or Philip Chalong, achieved international market success and profitability with his 1973 action film 'GOLD' (S.T.A.B.), a first for a Thai director.[8]

Pen-Ek's 1997 crime comedy Fun Bar Karaoke marked the first time in two decades that a Thai film had an international presence, being selected for the Berlin Film Festival.[10]

What the cited sources add

The 1938 musical Klua Mia (Wife-phobia) was shot on 35-mm colour stock and starred Chamras Suwakhon and Manee Sumonnat, the first Thai actors recognized as movie stars.[11] The term nang yipun became the common word for all motion pictures due to the high popularity of Japanese films.[2] Established under Prince Kamphangphet, the Topical Film Service of the State Railway of Thailand created promotional documentaries and served as a key training ground for future filmmakers.[12]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Anchalee Chaiworaporn, The Birth of Film Screening in Thailand , Thai film foundation (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: History of Thai film (ประวัติภาพยนตร์ไทย) , Rimping foundation (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Prince Sanbassart (Prince Thongthamthawanwong) - The Father of Thai Filmmaking. , Thai film foundation (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brzeski, "Teenager Dies in Thailand Imitating Scene From Hit Film 'Pee Mak'", The Hollywood Reporter, May 3, 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ayunda, "24 Rekomendasi Film Thailand Terbaik Dari Berbagai Genre", ImajiBlog, 2024-03-20; Wangtechawat, "How a film shaped and captured restless Thai generation", Nikkei Asia, July 17, 2019; "รายชื่อภาพยนตร์ที่ได้รับการขึ้นทะเบียนเป็นมรดกภาพยนตร์ของชาติ ครั้งที่ 8 ปี 2561", Thai Film Archive (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Rétrospective Introduction au cinéma thaïlandais - La Cinémathèque française", www.cinematheque.fr; The rise of Thai cinemas (ความรุ่งโรจน์ ของอุตสาหกรรมภาพยนตร์ยุคบุคเบิก) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: History of Thai films part 4 , Thainationalfilm.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Antithawat, "The Wild Bunch: A Brief Overview Of Thai Action Films", www.fareastfilm.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thai films in 16-mm era , Thai film foundation (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Williamson, "Thai cinema: sustainable development or imminent decline?", Thai Film Foundation, 3 November 2005 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Natee, Kritya (translator) and Himes, Robert (editor). January 1, 2004. "Manee Sumonnaj (The Shining Star)" , Thai Film Foundation. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Cinema of Thailand" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Edmondson, "East of the Sun, West of Moon: A Region in Memory", Introductory essay for the “Memory of the World” film series, as published in the catalogue of the Giornate del Cinema Muto, Sacile, Italy, September 2003; The rise of Thai cinemas (ความรุ่งโรจน์ ของอุตสาหกรรมภาพยนตร์ยุคบุคเบิก) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Cinema of Thailand (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Cinema of the United StatesThai peopleAction film

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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