Bang Rajan
A few nights ago I watched the famous Thai movie “Bang Rajan”. This movie, which was made in 2000, recounts the true story of the village of Bang Rajan, which heroically held off an invading Burmese Army for 5 months during the year 1767.
A historical account of the battle can be found on Wikipedia at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Rajan
An article on the film can also be found on Wikipedia at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Rajan_(film)
The movie is quite interesting, and surprisingly well made despite its very low budget. Oliver Stone saw the movie and was so impressed that he edited the movie and released it in the USA. I have never seen his version. My copy is the original, and unfortunately doesn’t have English subtitles. I found it quite difficult to follow the Thai dialog, which my wife explained was in “ancient Thai”. It did seem that they made a great effort to faithfully depict the customs of this historical period.
The water buffalo pictured above actually became quite famous in Thailand. It died shortly after the movie was released, after having made several publicity appearances around Thailand. The buffalo was given an elaborate funeral ceremony, which I suppose befitted his celebrity status.
Some have compared this movie with Bravehart (staring Mel Gibson). The movie is in fact quite violent, and at times is a bit difficult to watch due to the graphic nature of some of the battle scenes.
I did find it somewhat amusing when I realized that the Bang Rajan villagers wore their hair similar to mine, with close cut sides and a bit longer on top. I was wondering what they used for hair gel back in 1767 to get their hair to stand up. I am also wondering if my hair style should therefore be characterized as ancient, brave, heroic, or primitive.
The story of Bang Rajan is truly an important part of Thai culture and history. It serves to demonstrate the strength, resolve, dedication, and bravery of Thais. Unfortunately, it also reminds us of the failings of the Ayutthaya kingdom, which failed to provide support to the villagers. When Bang Rajan fell and was literally wiped out, the Burmese Army marched into Ayutthaya and completely obliterated the city, ending the Ayutthaya Kingdom and paving the way for the Chakri Dynasty and the establishment of Bangkok (Krung Thep) as the Siamese capital.
Frank T.