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Cherd Songsri ( Thai: เชิด ทรงศรี, September 20, 1931 – May 21, 2006) was a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer. A maker of period films that sought to introduce international audiences to his vision of Thai culture, his best-known work is the 1977
romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...
''
Plae Kao ''Plae Kao'' ( th, แผลเก่า, ; literally, 'old wound'), also known as ''The Scar'', is a 1977 Thai romantic drama film directed by Cherd Songsri and starring Sorapong Chatree and Nantana Ngaograjang as two peasants in rural Thail ...
'' (''The Scar''), which earned more box-office receipts than any Thai film before it. It won a prize at the 1981
Three Continents Festival The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both ca ...
in Nantes,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.


Biography

Cherd was born in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. He was trained as a maker of ''nang talung'' shadow puppets, which were fashioned out of animal skins. He was also a school teacher in Uttaradit Province and then became an editor of publications for the Express Transportation Organization of Thailand. From there, he became an editor of the ''Movie and TV Weekly'' magazine of ''Lak Muang Daily'' newspaper. He wrote articles and short stories, as well as scripts for radio and television programs. ''Norah'' in 1966 was his first film. He handled all aspects of its production, from script writing, to securing financing and shooting the picture. It was a method of work that he retained throughout his entire career. Another film was the comedy, ''Poh-pla-lai'', starring
Sombat Metanee Sombat Metanee (; 26 June 1937 – 18 August 2022) was a Thai actor and film director, who was honored as National Artist in the performing arts branch (movies-television drama) in 2016. At one time, he held the Guinness World Record for mos ...
. Both were the most successful Thai films of the 16-mm era. Cherd studied filmmaking in the late 1960s at the University of California Los Angeles, and trained under director
Walter Doniger Walter J. Doniger (July 1, 1917, in New York, New York - November 24, 2011, in Los Angeles, California) was an American film and television director. He was a graduate of the Harvard School of Business. Career In the early 1940s, Doniger star ...
at
Burbank Studios The Burbank Studios (formerly known as NBC Studios) is a television production facility located in Burbank, California. The studio is home to ''Days of Our Lives'', ''Extra'', the ''IHeartRadio Theater'', and was formerly home to the Blizzard ...
. His stay in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
made him reflect on Thai culture and upon his return to Thailand, he established his own production company, Cherdchai, and set about making films that would present his concept of "
Thainess Thainess or the Thai identity ( th, ความเป็นไทย, ) is a conceptual identity regarding the quality of being Thai, i.e. characteristics seen as distinctive to the Thai people, their culture, and those belonging to Thailand as a ...
" – idealized Thai values and culture of bygone years – to international audiences, making him the first Thai director to make films with international audiences in mind. Films from this period include ''Khwam Rak'' (1973) and ''Pho Kai Chae'' (1975) and his most ambitious film, ''
Plae Kao ''Plae Kao'' ( th, แผลเก่า, ; literally, 'old wound'), also known as ''The Scar'', is a 1977 Thai romantic drama film directed by Cherd Songsri and starring Sorapong Chatree and Nantana Ngaograjang as two peasants in rural Thail ...
'' (''The Scar'') in 1977, starring
Sorapong Chatree Sorapong Chatree ( th, สรพงษ์ ชาตรี; born Pittaya Tiamswate; 8 December 1950 – 10 March 2022) was a Thai film actor. He had frequently starred in the films of Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol, as well as in Cherd Songsri's cl ...
and Nantana Ngaograjang. The story of a tragic romance between two peasants in rural Thailand, ''Plae Kao'' was the biggest box-office hit up until that time in Thailand. It shared the Golden Montgolfiere at the Nantes Three Continents Festival with '' They Don't Wear Black-tie'' by Brazilian director Leon Hirszman. It was also voted as one of the world's 360 classic movies by the Museum of the Moving Image in London, '' Sight & Sound'' magazine and film directors and critics worldwide in 1998. ''The Scar'' was remade in 2002 as ''Kwan-Riam''. Some Thai critics said Cherd was promoting a stereotypical image of Thailand. "When I produced ''Plae Chow'', I used the slogan 'We must show Thai traditional style to the world'," Cherd told the Thai website Movieseer. "This produced a great deal of negative sentiment towards the picture, because some people believe that this is not a topic to be shown on film. I am a stubborn person though, and once I set my mind to including this in my films, well it's been in every film I have ever made. The press is always asking me when I will make a contemporary film, but now, no one is asking." His subsequent films followed the same pattern as ''Plae Kao'' – romantic tragedies set against a backdrop of historical, rural Thailand. Among his other works are '' Puen Pang'' (1987), about two sisters in love with the same man; '' Muen and Rid'' (1994), a true story from Rama IV-era Siam about a woman who petitioned King Mongkut to make equal rights for women; and '' Tawipob'' (1990), the first film adaptation of a novel by
Thommayanti Thommayanti ( th, ทมยันตี) was the pen name of Thailand National Artist Khun Ying Wimon Chiamcharoen ( th, วิมล เจียมเจริญ; 10 July 1936 – 13 September 2021), née Wimon Siriphaibun ( th, วิมล ...
, about a modern-day socialite who time travels back to Rama V-era Siam and becomes involved in the political and diplomatic intrigue of the day. Cherd directed and produced a total of 18 films. His last film, ''Khang Lang Phap'' (''
Behind the Painting ''Khang Lang Phap'' ( th, ข้างหลังภาพ), translated into English as ''Behind the Painting'', is a Thai romantic novel by Kulap Saipradit (writing under the pen name Siburapha), published in 1937. It tells the story of Nopphon, ...
'') in 2001 was based on the classic Thai novel by
Kulap Saipradit Kulap Saipradit ( th, กุหลาบ สายประดิษฐ์; 31 March 1905 – 16 June 1974), better known by the pen name Siburapha ( th, link=no, ศรีบูรพา; also romanized as Sriburapha or Sri Burapha), was a n ...
. It was a remake of a 1970s film by another veteran Thai director, Piak Poster. In addition to filmmaking, Cherd was an active attendee of major international film festivals, such as
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...
,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
and
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
. Among projects that he had hoped to make were a biographical film of Thai statesman
Pridi Phanomyong Pridi Banomyong ( th, ปรีดี พนมยงค์, , ; 11 May 1900 – 2 May 1983), also known by his noble title Luang Praditmanutham ( th, หลวงประดิษฐ์มนูธรรม) was a Thai politician and professo ...
as well as a movie that "tells the truth" about King Mongkut and
Anna Leonowens Anna Harriette Leonowens (born Ann Hariett Emma Edwards; 5 November 1831 – 19 January 1915) was an Anglo-Indian or Indian-born British travel writer, educator, and social activist. She became well known with the publication of her memoirs, b ...
of '' The King and I'' and ''
Anna and the King ''Anna and the King'' is a 1999 American biographical period drama film directed by Andy Tennant and written by Steve Meerson and Peter Krikes. Loosely based on the 1944 novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'', which gives a fictionalized accoun ...
'' fame, films that are banned in Thailand because of their portrayal of the king. He battled cancer the last four years of his life, writing the book, ''Bantuek Kab Kwam-tai'' (''A Diary of Death''). He died at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok. Cherd was secretive about his age, saying he had stopped counting his birthdays at age 28. But in an obituary, '' The Nation'' reported he had been born in 1931.


Filmography

*''Norah'' ( 1966) *''Mekala'' ( 1967) *''Akara-taranee'' ( 1968) *''Phayasok'' (
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
) *''Lampoo'' ( 1970) *''Kon Jai Bod'' ( 1971) *''Poh-pla-lai'' (''A Light in the Dark'', 1972) *''Khwam Rak'' (''The Love'', 1974) *''Pho Kai Chae'' ( 1976) *''
Plae Kao ''Plae Kao'' ( th, แผลเก่า, ; literally, 'old wound'), also known as ''The Scar'', is a 1977 Thai romantic drama film directed by Cherd Songsri and starring Sorapong Chatree and Nantana Ngaograjang as two peasants in rural Thail ...
'' (''The Scar'') ( 1977) *'' Leud Suphan ( 1979) *''Poh Pla Lai'' (35mm remake, 1981) *'' Puen Pang'' ( 1983) *''Ploy Talay'' (''The Gem from the Deep'', 1987) *'' Tawipob'' (''Another World'',
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
) *''The Tree of Life'' ( 1992) *''Southern Winds'' ( 1993) *''Reun Mayura'' (''House of the Peacock'', 1996) *'' Amdaeng Muen kab nai Rid'' (''Muen and Rid'') (
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
) *''Khang lang phap'' (''Behind the Painting'') ( 2001)


References


Veteran film director Cherd dies
'' Bangkok Post'', May 21, 2006.
"Legendary film-master Cherd Songsri succumbs to cancer at 75"
'' The Nation'', May 21, 2006.
Director profile
Movieseer.com.


External links

*
In Memory of Cherd Songsri
a
ThaiCinema.orgThe Story of Cherd Songsri
{{DEFAULTSORT:Songsri, Cherd
Cherd Songsri Cherd Songsri ( Thai: เชิด ทรงศรี, September 20, 1931 – May 21, 2006) was a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer. A maker of period films that sought to introduce international audiences to his vision of Thai cul ...
Cherd Songsri Cherd Songsri ( Thai: เชิด ทรงศรี, September 20, 1931 – May 21, 2006) was a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer. A maker of period films that sought to introduce international audiences to his vision of Thai cul ...
Cherd Songsri Cherd Songsri ( Thai: เชิด ทรงศรี, September 20, 1931 – May 21, 2006) was a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer. A maker of period films that sought to introduce international audiences to his vision of Thai cul ...
Songsri, Cherd Songsri, Cherd
Cherd Songsri Cherd Songsri ( Thai: เชิด ทรงศรี, September 20, 1931 – May 21, 2006) was a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer. A maker of period films that sought to introduce international audiences to his vision of Thai cul ...
20th-century screenwriters