The Queen Of Langkasuka (2008)Southern EpicNonzee Nimibutr, the director credited with Thailand's cinematic renaissance, veers into historical fantasy with his fifth feature, 'Queen of Lankasuka'
Kong RithdeeAnanda Everingham plays a sea gypsy in "Queen of Lankasuka."
The palace is a quasi-Javanese structure of real wood and fake gold. A plush divan sits in front of a throne, upon which a royal emblem is intricately carved. Dust glistens in the shaft of light. At one corner, a large canvas partitions a bedchamber on which an injured general lies. He wears a strange mask that covers half of his scarred face. Two servant girls in shoulder-baring costumes attend to him, and when the princess enters they bow and leave the set, allowing the lady a moment of romantic privacy with the man who's just saved her life.
There will be quite a number of life-saving stunts and palace intrigue - as well as eye-bulging whale attacks, sea-gypsy sorcery and political string-pulling - in Nonzee Nimibutr's new undertaking. The director originally called his film Queen of Pattani. Aware how sensitive that title could sound considering the current southern spat, Nonzee has decided to rename his 140-million-baht historical fantasy Queen of Lankasuka, after the ancient kingdom in the Malay peninsula.
"Queen of Lankasuka" is Nonzee Nimibutr's boldest endeavour.
"Yes, the original title was a little too blunt," the director says during a break from the hectic shoot at a giant studio in Min Buri. "There's really no need for something like that now."
Nonzee's fifth feature film will be his biggest and boldest, financially and perhaps politically. The man who's credited as the force that kick-started the renaissance of Thai cinema in the late 1990s with Dang Bireley and Nang Nak is crafting what is destined to become one of the most extravagant Siamese productions - second only to Suriyothai. The script of Queen of Lankasuka, or Puen Yai Jom Salat, has been written by Sea-Write winner Win Leowarin, and it involves ambitious sequences such as CG-enhanced underwater scuffles, a couple of magical adventures with giant whales and deep-sea creatures, a feisty cannon battle among the warring parties, and locations as disparate as sea gypsy villages and the pirates' gunships.
Shooting began in early August at Koh Si Chang in Chon Buri. The crew will complete the interior scenes at the Min Buri studio, before continuing to Krabi and Phang-nga for the seascape action. Hold your breath, the film will take at least a year to finish, but its magnitude and ambition have already grabbed the attention of insiders and international buyers. The Bangkok Post is the first press allowed by Nonzee to visit his set.
"The idea came when I was researching my last film, Okay Betong, which took me around the southern provinces," says the director, whose previous work is about an ex-monk who goes to live in the southern township of Betong. "I became aware that we knew so little about the place, the people and the history of the region. There are so many stories worth telling."
Action star Chupong "Diew" Changprung flexes his muscles as Lankasuka's fearless general.
Among them is the story of the three queens who ruled Lankasuka successively in the 16th century. An independent state, Lankasuka was constantly under the threat of foreign powers bent on capturing this strategic port city. From the historical accounts, which Nonzee retrieved from Malaysian archives, the script seasons the tale with marauding pirates and sorcerers called Du-lum, who have the supernatural gift of communicating with sea creatures.
"I think the story of women who governed the country in a time of political uncertainty has a strength in it," says Nonzee. "And it's a story that we've never heard of before. Most characters in this film are based on true historical personalities, including the Du-lum sorcerers, who're now practicing their special talent by helping local fishermen locate schools of fish. But of course, in the film we add elements of fantasy to make it an adventure story that's more accessible to the people."
It is to be expected that any sharp political pinpricks, especially those concerning the stormy relationship between Ayutthaya and Lankasuka (or Pattani?), will be buried beneath the sumptuous weight of the gold-gilded sets. Queen of Lankasuka will centre on the three sister queens (played by veteran Jarunee Suksawasdi and newcomers Jacky Finanso and Anna Rees) who seek help from a Chinese cannon master and a sea wizard (played by Ananda Everingham) to counter the threat of a rogue prince and his clique of savage pirates who practice a particularly sinister brand of black magic. Jessadaporn "Tik" Poldee plays a Malay prince who adds complication in terms of a love interest, while new action star Chupong "Diew" Changprung will have plenty of screen time to flex his muscles as Lankasuka's fearless general.
The ethno-geography of the film's exotic setting works like a colourful Orientalist fusion. The cast consists mainly of yummy-looking East-West hybrids, but from the look of the set, Queen of Lankasuka will display a sombre mix of Malay, Javanese and classical Siamese visual flavours. According to Nonzee, this was the pre-Islamic period of Lankasuka and Hinduism was still the main spiritual force. "But we won't specify those details in the movie," says the director. "The architecture, too, is based on our historical research, though what we've built here is not the replica of any particular palace. It's all imagination, but one that's firmly based on fact."
He's gathered so many facts during two years of research that Nonzee and his writer originally planned a trilogy of films. But as his studio, Sahamongkol Film, is facing a difficult stretch due to the illness of its big boss, Somsak Techaratanaprasert, such a grandiose scheme has been abandoned for the time being. Nonzee will have his first Queen of Lankasuka, but whether there'll be a second is better discussed later.
Over half of the 140-million-baht budget will be spent on conjuring up the set, supervised by award-winning art director Ake Eium-chuen. And a big chunk of the money will surely go into the special effects - the battle of sting rays, the havoc of whales and the pirates' explosive campaigns against the walled city of Lankasuka. Nonzee has built his reputation as a Thai filmmaker who puts great effort into raising hand-made production values, and this is the first time his vision will be fulfilled by the digital wizardry of computers.
"I worried at first, but I'm sure we have an efficient special effects team working with us," says the director. "And most importantly, I've given them enough time to create the look that I want. I'm not telling them to finish everything in two months - I'm giving them a year. And I'm pleased with the some of the work they've already done."
Whether Nonzee's film will supply a metaphor, albeit vague, about the ongoing tensions between the South and the Central remains to be seen. He tried it once in 2004's Okay Betong, though the message didn't quite get across. But what's certain is that Queen of Lankasuka, if not anything else, will be ready to boast its sheer spectacle a year from now. You'd better start watching out for the whales.
Poster :
Director : Nonzee Nimibutr
Cast :
Chupong Changprung (Born to fight)
Ananda Everingham (Shutter)
Jedsadapawn Poldee (The eye 2)
Jarunee Suksawasdi
Jacky Finanso
Anna Rees
Screenshoot :
Teaser :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ujKr-Y0Wz8
i like this movie too. beyond expectation.
I like Suriyothai and Iron Lady 
