Those three films will be screened again on Sunday at the Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom. They are the 1972 Cambodian fantasy “The Snake Man” at 1pm, 1954’s “After the Curfew” from Indonesia at 3pm and 1975’s “Manila in the Claws of Light” at 5pm.
“Manila”, directed by the titan of Filipino cinema Lino Brocka, is especially worth the trip out to Salaya. Recently restored, thanks to efforts led by American cinema luminary Martin Scorsese, “Manila in the Claws of Light” looks amazing, with colours that pop off the screen, even as the story delves into the grit and grime of the city. A blend of Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” and “Taxi Driver” , it follows a young man from a fishing village who has come to Manila in search of his former girlfriend, who he suspects was lured into the sex trade.
“After the Curfew” is considered to be the classic of Indonesian cinema. Directed by Usmar Ismail, the social drama is about a former soldier who takes up a vigilante cause against corrupt officials.
“The Snake Man”, meanwhile, is the iconic 1972 film of Cambodia’s lost cinematic golden age. Featuring live snakes glued to its star’s head, the fantasy is the tragic story of a girl who is destined to be the wife of the snake king. It was very popular in Thailand in its day, and it’s the Thai-dubbed version screening.
And while there are no English subtitles for “The Snake Man”, the Indonesian and Filipino entries will have both English and Thai subs. For more details, search on Facebook for “The Special Screening of Three Classic Asean Films”.
And the Asean Film Festival is continuing, in Khon Kaen until Tuesday, Surat Thani from May 6 to 12 and Maya Chiang Mai from May 13 to 19. For more details, check SFCinemaCity.com.
Also showing
Alliance Francaise – Tonight’s French film with Thai subtitles is “School of Babel”, a comedy-drama about a special school in Paris for immigrant children. Tomorrow, there’s a matinee “kids’ movie”, the 2010 animated “Une vie de chat” (“A Cat in Paris”), about a thieving feline who looks after a little girl. And the May schedule opens on Wednesday with the English-subbed “Vincent”, about a young man with secret superpowers. Shows are at 7pm, except the Saturday matinee, which starts at 2. Admission is Bt100 for the general public. For more details, check AFThailande.org.
The Friese-Greene Club – “Over-rated or Under-appreciated?” That’s the question being pondered by the club’s May schedule, which features four distinctive auteur directors and one iconic actor. Edward G Robinson, see, is star of the month, starting with his film-noir effort with Bogie and Bacall, “Key Largo”. Wednesdays have the American indie director Jim Jarmusch, starting with 1984’s “Stranger Than Paradise” while Thursdays are devoted to the great Orson Welles, whose “Citizen Kane” will be shown in celebration of the film’s 75th anniversary. Fridays have the artful eroticism of Britain’s Peter Greenaway while Saturdays feature the overlapping dialogue and sprawling casts of America’s Robert Altman. Shows are at 8pm. For details, check FGC.in.th.
This source first appeared on The Nation Life.