Ban on ‘divisive’ Shakespeare film upheld

[rooster59]

Ban on ‘divisive’ Shakespeare film upheld

By THE NATION

 

 

The Administrative Court yesterday rejected a petition by the producer and director of a controversial feature film against a ban imposed by the Film and Video Censorship Committee five years ago.

 

“Shakespeare Must Die” has been banned from being screened in Thailand on the grounds that the movie's political content might cause divisiveness among people in the country.

 

The film, directed by Smanrat “Ing K” Kanjanavanich and produced by Manit Sriwanichpoom, is an adaptation of “Macbeth”, a tragedy by English writer William Shakespeare. 

 

It is set in parallel stories, depicting both an ambitious general who becomes king through murder, and another world in which the country’s leader believes in superstitious, megalomaniac and murderous dictatorship. He is known only as ‘Dear Leader’ and has a scary, high-society wife.

 

 

The Administrative Court ruled that even though the story is fictional, the movie’s content might cause disunity among people. It contains scenes based on a photograph from Bangkok’s 1976 student uprising and violent scenes from red-shirt demonstrations.

 

Manit said the plaintiffs would appeal the court’s verdict. “I feel like we didn’t get justice,” he said.

 

The film was made with the help of the Thai Kem Kaeng (Strong Thailand) fund under the Cultural Ministry's Office of Contemporary Art and Culture during the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration. The ban was imposed during the Yingluck Shinawatra government’s tenure. 

 

 Manit then made a follow-up documentary “Censor Must Die”, in which he and Ing K chronicled their struggle to appeal the ban on “Shakespeare Must Die”.

 

Ing K previously co-directed the critically acclaimed documentary “Citizen Juling”, based on the true story of a teacher being beaten to death in southern Thailand. Her earlier controversial film, “My Teacher Eats Biscuits”, was not publicly released in Thailand.

 

“Shakespeare Must Die” is the second Thai movie to be banned from commercial release under the Film Act of 2008. 

 

The first, “Insects in the Backyard” by director Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, was banned in 2010 on the grounds that it infringed good public morals through its many scenes of sexual intercourse and prostitution. 

 

Tanwarin then sought an Administrative Court order to revoke the ban. 

 

In 2015, the court ruled that the film’s content did not contradict good morals but that a three-second scene containing “pornographic content” should be banned. 

 

If the scene in question was cut, the film could be screened with a 20+ audience rating, the court ruled.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30323561

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-12

[worgeordie]

Maybe its because the lady is wearing a RED dressing gown.

regards Worgeordie

[mtls2005]

Yes, heaven forbid Thai people learn about history. 

 

Using the Arts to foster an understanding and acknowledgement of the past is but one effort successfully used elsewhere to proceed to true reconciliation.

 

Makes sense they'd want to get rid of that plaque.

 

 

[BasalBanality]

Too much nudity?

[Misterwhisper]

17 minutes ago, BasalBanality said:

Too much nudity?

Or rather, too much naked truth for the powers-to-be to condone?

Edited August 12, 2017 by Misterwhisper

[JAG]

22 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

No idea why they would ban this. No idea at all.

Perhaps our moral guardians are concerned about the depiction of superstition?

 

There may well be some wild conclusions drawn by certain susceptible individuals resulting in reckless purchasing of lottery tickets.

 

My wife is prone to that - after studying the number plate of a car in front of us in a traffic jam yesterday I was instructed to buy a ticket based on that number. I didn't ask why, I learnt long ago not to.... As Shakespeare said;"Though she be but little, she is fierce."
 

[Bluespunk]

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

William Shakespeare, Hamlet

[Bluespunk]

False face must hide what the false heart doth know.

William Shakespeare, Macbeth

[Orton Rd]

It would not have done well, no ladyboys, ghosts or cute animals in it

[Lupatria]

Anyone arrested for possession of a copy of "1984" lately?

[Jonnapat]

Pathetic decision and not for the first time .Idiotic country. 

[oldlakey]

To be or not to be 

[petedk]

4 hours ago, Lupatria said:

Anyone arrested for possession of a copy of "1984" lately?

Don't know about that but recently I have seen two people wearing t-shirts with "1984" and nothing else printed on them.

What is all that about?

[johng]

George Orwell's 1984 book is banned in Thailand.

[Reigntax]

Dear leader mustn't have liked the actor or just considered the plot too far fetched because there was no section 44 nor amnesty.

Edited August 12, 2017 by Reigntax

[wakeupplease]

2 hours ago, johng said:

George Orwell's 1984 book is banned in Thailand.

Along with shed loads of other things those at the top cannot understand or does not want known

[baboon]

13 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Yes, heaven forbid Thai people learn about history. 

 

Using the Arts to foster an understanding and acknowledgement of the past is but one effort successfully used elsewhere to proceed to true reconciliation.

 

Makes sense they'd want to get rid of that plaque.

 

 

'The only art you need is patriotism. Sanctioned. Authorised. Correct...'

[beautifulthailand99]

Lese Bardjeste.....

[Baerboxer]

On 8/12/2017 at 11:15 AM, Father Fintan Stack said:

No idea why they would ban this. No idea at all.

 

Maybe you could ask Yingluck? The ban was imposed during "her" government's tenure.

[the guest]

Morals ! Hardly, a country which advocates prostitution by allowing seedy bars in tourist places to exist, which show more flesh in a day, than the whole of a year on Thai screens!