Underplayed Gems

King of the White Elephant (1940)

King of the White Elephant poster
Original title
พระเจ้าช้างเผือก
Directed by
Sunh Vasudhara, Pridi Banomyong
Genre
drama film
Country
Thailand
Runtime
1h 40m
Rating
9.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

In 1940, a Thai king decides to keep his country out of war unless invaded. The film argues for neutrality and defending sovereignty. Based on a novel by one of its makers, it was released just before Thailand entered World War II.

patriotichistoricalstatelyseriousdidacticslow-pacedformalidealistic

What happens

The King of the White Elephant (Thai: พระเจ้าช้างเผือก, RTGS: Phra Chao Chang Phueak) is a 1940 Thai historical drama film. Based on a novel by Pridi Banomyong, who was also the producer, and released before Thailand's involvement in World War II, the English-language film carried a propaganda message from anti-war interests in Thailand, that Thailand should remain neutral, and only go to war to defend its sovereignty against foreign invaders. However, on December 8, 1941, Thailand was occupied by the Japanese and officially sided with the Axis powers during the war. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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