Phra Apai-manee
Director: Chalart Sriwanna
Year: 2003
Starring: Ying Juraluk, Surachai SaengArkard, Passakorn
Pamornbutr
Time: 88 minutes
I have come across a few Thai films of late that rather perplexed
me with their seemingly peculiar plot lines and bizarre happenings. Both
The Legend of Kunpan and Krai Thong had this effect one – sort of a “who’s
drug induced mind did this misshapen idea pop out of” puzzlement. This film
struck me in the same way. What these films have in common it turns out is
that they are based on Thai literary mythology and are very well-known stories
in Thailand in the same way that Paul Bunyon is in the States. This mishmash
feels like a combination of Tall Tale stories and the adventures of Ulysses
on his odyssey. The movie itself certainly reminded me of some of those mythic
adventure type films from the 1950s/60s such as Jason and the Golden Argonauts
or The 7th Adventure of Sinbad. Like those, this seems primarily targeted
to teenagers/children, but it actually contains some fairly violent action
scenes and some risqué moments involving a sea witch and a mermaid!
This legendary tale written 150 years ago by one of Thailand’s greatest
poets, Sunthorn Phu, tells the story of two princes of a kingdom within Thailand
some many many years ago. Their father the king tells them to go learn so
that someday they can rule after he has died. Unfortunately, the king was
not very specific about what they should study and so when they came back
and tell him that one had become an expert at stick fighting and the other
a master flute player, the king is not pleased. So he boots them out and tells
them never to come back – and so begin the adventures of Phra Apai-manee and
Srisuwan. Perhaps the king should have listened a bit closer as these two
are not your ordinary stick and flute men – Srisuwan can use his stick in
mighty ways and has magical powers with it while Phra is able to soothe wild
beasts with his flute playing – and use it for more powerful means when needed.
The sound of his flute to us ordinary men sounds rather off tune and scratchy
but it works wonders with tigers!
Though I suspect the film is a very condensed version of the book (at one
point eight years passes faster than a midnight snack), the two brothers still
have plenty to deal with. They soon team up with three holy men who have
powers as well and defeat a group of killer bandits. Phra is then kidnapped
by an incredibly ugly female giant/witch who digs his flute playing and is
able to turn into a sexy woman who wants to bed him in the worst way – and
he all too quickly agrees! At the same time, Srisuwan goes looking for him
with the three holy men and instead save a kingdom and their hottie princess
from an invading force. And let’s not forget the very nubile mermaid who makes
sea urchin eyes at Phra.
The film isn’t really very good – much of the acting and dialogue are fairly
basic to say the least, the special effects are on par with those from the
aforementioned 50’s and 60’s films (though kind of nostalgic fun) and the
film just tries to cover too much territory in its short running time (88
minutes). The film does improve as it goes along and there is something about
mermaids that has always appealed to me from Splash to Mr. Peabody and the
Mermaid (1948).
Other little tidbits – this legend was the basis of Thailand’s first animation
feature finished in the 1970’s called Sud Sakorn. It was 82 minutes long
and took two years to finish.
It was the beautiful island of Koh Samet that inspired this tale from
the author.
The Thai DVD has English subtitles.
My rating for this film: 5.0