Bangkok in the 1970's

[sqwakvfr]

I was wondering if there are any TV members who visited Bangkok in the 1970'?  Netflix is now streaming "The Serpent".  It is the story of Charles Sobhrag who lured, drugged, robbed and often killed foreigners in Thailand and in other parts of SE Asia.  This show offers a glimpse into the lives and deaths of foreigner(especially backpackers) in Bangkok.  The show was filmed in Thailand(Bangkok and Hua Hin).  I was mostly wondering if this show offers a realistic portrayal of Bangkok in the mid 1970's.   

[Yellowtail]

Given Netflix track record anything they do is suspect....

[Liverpool Lou]

On 4/3/2021 at 3:39 PM, sqwakvfr said:

I was mostly wondering if this show offers a realistic portrayal of Bangkok in the mid 1970's.   

If it's not a documentary it can be guaranteed that it's not 100% accurate and is exaggerated for dramatic effect.

[Excel]

Spent 4 days in BKK in  1974. Next trip back was 1982 when I came to work in Thailand.  Seemed to change a lot in those 8 years but of course once you live here most of the time you don't notice the changes until you look back at photos, same as anywhere. What I will say though is in those days people were still as poor as church mice but they did look happy and smiled always, that is what is missing today but there again any metropolis suffers that fate I think.  

[dekestone]

I didn't get here until 1980 and I've only watched 2 episodes so far, but thought they got a couple of things right. The place they used for Kanit House has that older Bangkok apartment style -- the stairway, the pool, the layout of the apt and the furniture. It actually looks a lot like the original Kanit which was off Silom (no longer standing). Also the lack of A.C. everywhere. Even the Dutch embassy doesn't have it as Knippenberg always has his door open. That I remember. Don't recognize the beer they're drinking. Think back then it was mostly Singha, Amarit or Kloster.

Edited April 6, 2021 by dekestone

[Yellowtail]

The Thais in the program seem to speak English very well and Thai very slow...

[Aforek]

In the seventies, ( from 1975 for me ) , one of the" big  hotel "for backpapers was the " Thai song greet hotel ", I stayed there every time I came to Bangkok; maybe this guy " The Serpent " stayed ' there sometimes, too  ; the other one was the " Malaysia " 

 

Thai Song Greet Hotel - Bangkok (mgnewman.com)

Edited April 6, 2021 by Aforek

[Why Me]

On 4/5/2021 at 1:04 PM, Yellowtail said:

Given Netflix track record anything they do is suspect....

You are quite right. I looked up the actress who plays Suda because she's cute. Her name is Chicha Amatayakul and she was born in 1993. So much for 70s authenticity.

[Filer]

I got the Serpent series from Netflix a few weeks ago and started watching it before this topic came up in Thaivisa. I am an old Bangkok hand, familiar with the central part of Bangkok since the 70s (my first arrival being 1978).

 

My first reaction was that this looked genuinely like old Bangkok of the 1970s – so much so that I wondered whether it was in fact an old production that had now been re-issued with some enhancements (just like old movies such as The Third Man (1949) have been reissued/enhanced a number of times). In the Serpent, the street scenes, houses and small old hotels with rooms around a pool looked genuine. It was good to see the old Atlanta hotel in Suk. Soi 2, with its art deco architecture, put in an appearance; also expats gathering and playing tennis at the Bangkok British Club, which has been around, little changed, since the early 1900s.

 

I then checked the production details and found that it was in fact a newly filmed series. However, they’ve done quite a good job, in my view, in capturing the feel of Bangkok and its buildings and streets 40+ years back. Naturally, one or two of their “short-cuts” were a little irritating: for example, using the British Club’s imposing main building of 1910 for the British Embassy/Consulate and using clips of aircraft in flight that are contemporary planes and weren’t around in the 1970s.

 

Overall, in my view, a very good attempt to recreate the feel of 1970s Bangkok.

[katana]

The actor playing Charles Sobhraj in the series portrayed the character in such a way that in almost every scene he sat there in his dark glasses overtly exuding menace and danger like some kind of Bond villain. Bizarrely the other characters seemed not to notice.
Anyone in real life coming within range of a character like that would have immediately sensed something odd and kept their distance. Hard to believe he was like that in real life as he sought to ensnare his victims by gaining their trust.

Edited April 15, 2021 by katana

[techietraveller84]

Now I see why he was called "the snake."

https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/where-is-suspected-serial-killer-charles-sobhraj-now

 

Quote

Investigators have estimated that Sobhraj killed between 12 and 20 people, The Los Angeles Times reports. In his interviews with Neville and Clark, he initially admitted to at least 12 killings between 1972 and 1976, though he later recanted, CNN reports. He claimed to have committed his first murder in 1972 by killing a taxi driver while in Pakistan. While he was never charged with the murder, he was behind bars in various countries at least five times for lower level offenses before he was officially suspected of murder. He also escaped jail at least four times, according to CNN. He escaped an Afghanistan jail for robbery by faking illness and drugging guards in 1972. He escaped an India prison a year later by again faking illness. Then, in 1975, he escaped incarceration by setting fire to a prison van.

 

His first murder charge came in 1976 when Sobhraj was caught in New Delhi drugging students, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was charged with both robbery and the murders of an Israeli man, Alan Aaron Jacobs, in Varanasi and a French tourist in New Delhi. He was found guilty of both robbery and murder, but the murder convictions were later overturned on appeal. He was incarcerated from 1976 to 1997, during which time he was apparently treated like royalty. He was given multiple cells and privileges, according to journalist Alan Dawson, who interviewed Sobhraj in 1984. He also managed to briefly escape prison again in 1986 by drugging guards with laced fruit, claiming it was his birthday.

 

[Why Me]

On 4/15/2021 at 5:36 PM, katana said:

The actor playing Charles Sobhraj in the series portrayed the character in such a way that in almost every scene he sat there in his dark glasses overtly exuding menace and danger like some kind of Bond villain. Bizarrely the other characters seemed not to notice.

Exactly what I thought. One-dimensional and occasionally tiresome. Obviously, the man himself had a disarming charm and charisma to win the confidence of his victims.

Edited April 17, 2021 by Why Me

[Yellowtail]

11 minutes ago, Why Me said:

Exactly what I thought. One-dimensional and occasionally tiresome. Obviously, the man himself had a disarming charm and charisma to win the confidence of his victims.

 

I'm guessing he used drugs to win over his victims much more than charisma....

[polpott]

He was known as the "Bikini Killer" in Thailand not The Serpent. Some of the murders were actually committed in Pattaya. His Indian partner was disposed of by him in Malasia, his body has never been found.

 

Although the police in Thailand had more than enough evidence to convict him , he evaded the courts by distributing the usual brown envelopes at quite a high level. Quelle surprise!

[Why Me]

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

 

I'm guessing he used drugs to win over his victims much more than charisma....

He seemed to make friends first, win their trust and find out what they owned. Man definitely had more than just a menacing smirk and a powder in his pocket.

 

And I don't know if the part about Suda is an embellishment or not. But if it is true then that is a testament to a gifted loverboy. For a foreigner to seduce a hiso Thai gal is not easy at all:-)

[Toosetinmyways]

On 4/6/2021 at 6:08 PM, dekestone said:

I didn't get here until 1980 and I've only watched 2 episodes so far, but thought they got a couple of things right. The place they used for Kanit House has that older Bangkok apartment style -- the stairway, the pool, the layout of the apt and the furniture. It actually looks a lot like the original Kanit which was off Silom (no longer standing). Also the lack of A.C. everywhere. Even the Dutch embassy doesn't have it as Knippenberg always has his door open. That I remember. Don't recognize the beer they're drinking. Think back then it was mostly Singha, Amarit or Kloster.

The apartment is spot on. Took me back to my apartment in the 70's. The immigration scene at Don Mueng departure is so good I wondered if when the original terminal closed and they moved to terminal one they left it intact.

I worked on the set of Air America and the thing that amazed me was the attention to detail they made. So all movies I watch set in Thailand I like to nitpick.

Hippies drinking wine, that I never saw, Mekong set maybe. They made mistakes with the beer bottles. The main beer featured is in a long thin bottle with a white label, red lettering. Freeze framing I read " *****ville" or the other one "Bombay Lager". Never saw either in Thailand.

The Singha bottle in the s-x club scene has the correct looking 70's label  but is a post 90's shape bottle. The Kloster beer bottles featured has the correct label but has no silver foil round the cap and neck. Always remembered this feature, as if you were not careful opening the bottle, bits of foil went inside.

The scene I would really like to examine is the hotel scene with the bar full of bottles in the background, but it is not in focus

 

I really should leave the house more.

.

 

[Yellowtail]

9 hours ago, Why Me said:

He seemed to make friends first, win their trust and find out what they owned. Man definitely had more than just a menacing smirk and a powder in his pocket.

 

And I don't know if the part about Suda is an embellishment or not. But if it is true then that is a testament to a gifted loverboy. For a foreigner to seduce a hiso Thai gal is not easy at all:-)

 

I don't doubt he had the gift of gab, but (apparently) the kids he was targeting were for the most part druggies. When people are involved with drugs they come in contact with and tend to "trust" people that have drugs the they would otherwise not.  

 

While I enjoyed the series, I have little faith that it is at all accurate beyond the basic facts. Notice the transition of the apartment building they lived in. It seemed to go from party central to an old folks home a few weeks after they moved out. 

[jayboy]

On 4/12/2021 at 4:51 PM, Filer said:

Overall, in my view, a very good attempt to recreate the feel of 1970s Bangkok

 

I agree.As good as have been reasonably expected.Unlike many such series a great deal of effort has been given to getting the period feel.

[Toosetinmyways]

Reading on the making of the movie it turns out that 50% had to be filmed in the UK due to covid. Maybe that's the reason for the plot having to jump forwards and backwards in time which I disliked.

Surprisingly most of the filming in Thailand was done in Hua Hin.

[DerbyDan]

I stayed in an apartment monthly in bangkok that was just like this movie in the 70's. Name was Sanctuary House Bangkok. It was a whole floor of a shophouse. Like living in that time period.

 

It was called the 'old spice' apartment.

Edited April 19, 2021 by DerbyDan

[bojo]

On 4/6/2021 at 12:44 PM, Aforek said:

In the seventies, ( from 1975 for me ) , one of the" big  hotel "for backpapers was the " Thai song greet hotel ", I stayed there every time I came to Bangkok; maybe this guy " The Serpent " stayed ' there sometimes, too  ; the other one was the " Malaysia " 

 

Thai Song Greet Hotel - Bangkok (mgnewman.com)

fabulous link, really paints a picture............ brief extract.......'making coffee using a great long filter that looked like an old gym sock'......................this hotel reminds me of the Miami hotel in BKK, stayed there in '91, all echoey, high ceilings, terrazzo floors cheap with quintessential rude Thai/Chinese receptionist, great times

 

[1FinickyOne]

On 4/6/2021 at 3:17 PM, Excel said:

they did look happy and smiled always,

You will find that to a great extent out in the villages... much less stress and not a busy lifestyle.

 

I was first here in 1974 - Bangkok had more of a small town feel to it... lots more canals and less traffic... slower pace of life... lovely place.

[1FinickyOne]

On 4/6/2021 at 6:44 PM, Aforek said:

the other one was the " Malaysia " 

I stayed in the Malaysia for $1 a night in 1974... after travelling overland through Turkey, Iran Afghanistan, <deleted>, India... to all of a sudden have clean sheets and towels, running water, hot water showers and attendants on the hall.. WOW... it was heaven...

 

I was totally charmed and in many of the same ways, still am. 

[Damrongsak]

35 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

You will find that to a great extent out in the villages... much less stress and not a busy lifestyle.

 

I was first here in 1974 - Bangkok had more of a small town feel to it... lots more canals and less traffic... slower pace of life... lovely place.

 

I lived in Thailand from March 1977 to about August 1980, mostly in Loei.  It was a treat to get to BKK once in awhile.  For part of a year, we lived in a little old wooden house in a dirt soi right near Pratunam in a small compound.  That place is now underneath the Palladium World Mall at Petchaburi and Ratchaprarop roads.  No aircon, no hot water, barely a kitchen but it was about 1,200 Baht a month.  And very safe, as no one messed with the Khun Ying who owned it and lived in the big house.  Hey, she had an expensive purse way back then.  Maybe that's our house in the background - there were two. 

 

 

 

[Aforek]

1 hour ago, 1FinickyOne said:

I stayed in the Malaysia for $1 a night in 1974... after travelling overland through Turkey, Iran Afghanistan, <deleted>, India... to all of a sudden have clean sheets and towels, running water, hot water showers and attendants on the hall.. WOW... it was heaven...

 

I was totally charmed and in many of the same ways, still am. 

Two years ago, I was in a hotel in Aranyaprathet, which must have had a glorious time many years ago, it has kept a charm of past splendor, there may have also been soldiers then tourists coming or going to Cambodia

 

coming me too from Turkey, Iran, Afganistan, Pakistan, India, arriving in Thailand was a shock: cleaner, less poor, the women more "free", really a breath of freshness

[clivebaxter]

23 hours ago, Toosetinmyways said:

Reading on the making of the movie it turns out that 50% had to be filmed in the UK due to covid. Maybe that's the reason for the plot having to jump forwards and backwards in time which I disliked.

Surprisingly most of the filming in Thailand was done in Hua Hin.

The Dutchmans house may have been there but the Kanit house was all filmed on Suk soi 4, now demolished. They also used a restaurant on soi 31 and the Atlanta Hotel on soi 2

[kynikoi]

I was in Hawaii in 79, gap year. First night in cheap Honolulu hotel. I'd traveled quite a bit in Mexico especially considering my young age.

 

At the pool drinking beer with two shady characters headed to... BANGKOK.

 

While I was living my dream headed out to meet my death or glory in the Hawaiian surf it all for a moment because so meh.

 

Bangkok just sounded like it was light-years ahead in adventure.

 

Europe and USSR in University.

 

Took me nearly 15 years via Cambodia and Vietnam. By that time I wasn't the least bit interested in Thailand. But Vietnam and especially Cambodia. That was it and I was hooked.

 

Rolled the dice on a big promotion and didn't get it. In less than a year I had sold everything and was living in Phnom Penh.

[kynikoi]

My first arrival 92. First real time spent end of that year.

 

Ganja was smoked very discreetly more do outside BKK in the islands, mountains for obvious reasons.

 

So, some dumbaxx fires up a big joint in my GH on KSR. I'm just thinking cops gonna be round in minutes. I left to get beer. When I returned there was like six cops outside the building. Total scene. I drank three beers watching the drama. They left and I went back inside.

 

It was just like the beach but with cops lol.

[cnx1204]

Sanam Luang 1969 but doesn't help the topic any.  Poor scan of a slide.

 

[charmonman]

On 4/17/2021 at 9:15 AM, Why Me said:

He seemed to make friends first, win their trust and find out what they owned. Man definitely had more than just a menacing smirk and a powder in his pocket.

 

And I don't know if the part about Suda is an embellishment or not. But if it is true then that is a testament to a gifted loverboy. For a foreigner to seduce a hiso Thai gal is not easy at all:-)

The story of Charles Sobhraj is told in the book Bad Blood, which was written maybe a decade or so after the events depicted in the series. Suda was a real character and is also described in that book.