"The King of the White Elephants" movie

[GWR]

UN honours film archive
Published on October 21, 2007

The National Film Archive of Thailand has been awarded a Fellini Silver Medal for its restoration of a 67-year-old film called "The King of the White Elephants".

Culture Minister Khunying Khaisri Sri-aroon will today accept the award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation at the Phuket International Film Festival.

She said the Unesco award recognises the archive for its work preserving and restoring the 100-minute film, which was produced in 1940.

She said it and about 100 other films would be shown to the public as part of the celebrations of His Majesty the King's 80th birthday.

This is an opportunity for people to see famous movie stars like Petchara Chaoraj and Mitr Chaibancha.

Khunying Khaisri added the Cabinet would spend Bt198 million building a Royal Private Film Archive and Vault.

The archive will include 6,000 film segments made by His Majesty the King since 1946, considered to be the largest private film archive in the world.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will seek royal permission for all these to be restored by the Fine Arts Department.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/10/21/national/national_30053223.php

[GWR]

Old film to mark King's birthday
Published on October 22, 2007

A treasured old film, "King of the White Elephant", will be screened at the National Film Archive's theatre in Nakhon Pathom in early December in honour of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

His Majesty will turn 80 on December 5.

This old film in English tells about a virtuous king who bravely defended Ayutthaya and defeated a tyrant from a neighbouring country. Despite his victory, the king allows the invading tyrant and his troops to re-turn to their country unharmed.

Pridi Banomyong wrote the script for this film while he was serving as a finance minister.

Produced before World War II, the film has been kept at the National Film Archive of Thailand. The organisation's conservation of old films, in particular the "King of the White Elephant", has won recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

On behalf of the National Film Archive of Thailand, Culture Minister Khunying Khaisri Sriaroon yesterday received the Fellini Silver Medal Award from the Unesco representative.

"Other Asian countries have paid not much attention to old films despite the fact that films are very much like cultures," a representative of Unesco said.

The award presentation took place yesterday at the Phuket International Film Festival.

She said the National Film Archive of Thailand, a state agency, was now in the process of transforming into a public organisation but would continue to do its jobs in keeping both video and audio recordings.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/10/22/national/national_30053291.php

Related thread on HM the King's 80th Birthday celebrations:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=2469