The Queen and I break new ground: director

A royal film-maker tells Sutin Wannabovorn about his latest project


AYUTTHAYA - Naked to the waist, long hair flowing, King Chairaja of Siam sits at dinner on his palace veranda and his beautiful wife pours him a drink.

The King's bodyguard, a Portuguese dressed in the style of the 16th century Thai court, watches suspiciously, convinced the drink is poisoned.

"Cut!" shouts the present day Prince Chatree Chalerm Yugala, one of Thailand's leading film producers, who has taken time out from his usual genre of gritty social documentary to portray the lives of his ancestors.

His latest project, Suriyothai, being filmed in the old Thai royal capital of Ayutthaya, tells the story of court intrigue amid Thailand's 16th century struggle for reunification and battle against Burmese invasion.

The inspiration was the diary of the King's bodyguard, Domingos De Seixas, a Portuguese who served in the role from 1526 to 1549. The diary was discovered in a library in Lisbon during the course of five years' research.

At about 200 million baht ($10 million), the movie's budget may be modest by Hollywood standards, but it is reckoned to be the most expensive film ever made in Thailand.

Prince Chatree said he was encouraged to undertake the project by Queen Sirikit and the film is being made as part of celebrations to mark the 72nd birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch and a cousin of the Prince.

"The Queen said I should make the film to help educate Thai people about their history and our ancient heroes and heroines. We hope it will be well received by local and international movie fans."

The Prince, who is 57, graduated from the University of Los Angeles film school and learned his trade working on sets of several Hollywood productions, including King Kong and The Quiet Man.

Film-making, like his title, is hereditary - his father Prince Anusorn Mongkolgala was a pioneer of the domestic film industry.

The Prince worked as a cameraman and scriptwriter in some of his father's films and has directed 22 of his own.

The Prince said he was spurred on in his present project by his annoyance at a Hollywood production, Anna and the King, underway in Malaysia portraying the life of King Rama IV, his great-great-great grandfather.

Fox planned to make the film in Thailand but shifted production to Malaysia after Thailand's National Film Board rejected several scripts on the grounds that they were historically inaccurate and demeaned the revered royal family.

The villain of Suriyothai, Queen Sri Sudachan, is played by Mai Charoenpura, Thailand's leading pop singer.

"It's a great honour to play in a great epic in such a demanding and important role," she said. "I have been praying for the spirit of Sri Sudachan to bless me."

Prince Chatree said the local film industry was struggling, especially given Thailand's present economic crisis, making life difficult for serious film-makers.

In the past he has concentrated mostly on documentary work portraying the lives of Thailand's poor and addressing social problems such as drug addiction and prostitution.