Tears of the Black Tiger
The story of a tragic romance between Dum, a fatalistic, working-class hero, who has become an outlaw, and Rumpoey, the upper-class daughter of a provincial governor, it is equal parts homage to and parody of Thai action films and romantic melodramas of the 1950s and 1960s.Critics have noted the film's stylized use of color and conspicuous violence, and have compared it to the Revisionist Westerns of Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah.[3] It has also been compared to the works of such directors as Douglas Sirk, John Woo, Jean-Luc Godard, Sam Raimi and Quentin Tarantino.In 2006, the distribution rights were obtained by Magnolia Pictures, which screened the original version of the film in a limited release from January to April 2007 in several US cities.Dressed all in black and wearing a cowboy hat, Dum charges through a hail of bullets into the house and out-shoots eight of Yoi's men.The next day she is formally engaged to the ambitious young Police Captain Kumjorn as arranged by her father, the governor of Suphanburi province.Rumpoey smashes a bamboo flute that Dum is playing and demands that he take her on a boat ride in the lotus swamp.Closer to "present" time, Captain Kumjorn tells the governor of his plan to attack the bandit Fai and bring order to the lawless wild west of Suphanburi province.Dum, dressed in a white suit, appears at the wedding, wishes groom and bride a happy life, and warns Kumjorn of Fai's plan to attack.In addition to being the Thai name for an herb, Andrographis paniculata, Fah talai jone "can convey either a sense of obsoleteness or the feel of great chic", the director said."[12] Tears of the Black Tiger was the directorial debut for Wisit, who had previously penned the screenplays for the 1950s-set teenage gangster tale Dang Bireley's and Young Gangsters and the historical Thai ghost legend, Nang Nak, both directed by Nonzee Nimibutr, who produced Tears of the Black Tiger.Production design was by Ek Iemchuen, a classmate of Wisit's from Silpakorn University who also worked on Nang Nak and Dang Bireley's as well as the 2001 period drama, Jan Dara, also by Nonzee.[15] Wisit was able to experiment with the set design and lighting effects in a commercial he directed for Wrangler Jeans, which featured the film's leading man, Chartchai Ngamsan, as a boxer.Italian-born, Thailand-raised model and actress Stella Malucchi was acting in a music video in Bangkok, which was noticed on television by Wisit.[17] Through costuming and makeup, Malucchi, a "plain farang", in the words of Wisit,[12] was transformed into the daughter of a Thai noble family.There are experienced actors in the cast as well, including Sombat Metanee and Naiyana Sheewanun, who worked in the era of Thai filmmaking that Wisit was trying to recreate.Wisit and his wife Siripan Techajindawong, writing under the pen name Koynuch, wrote some chapters that were published for a Fah talai jone book after the film was released.[21] The Bangkok Critics Assembly awarded Ek Iamchuen for best artistic design, Sombat Metanee for best supporting actor and Amornbhong Methakunavudh for best film score.The Entertainment News Reporters Association of Thailand gave Phra Suraswadee, or "Golden Doll", prizes to lyricist Siriphan Techajindawong and arranger Sunthorn Yodseethong for the song "Kamsuanjan" ("The Moon Lament"), Ek Iemchuen for best art direction and telecine colorist Oxide Pang for best special effects.At the 2006 Bangkok International Film Festival, Tears of the Black Tiger was screened as part of a tribute to Sombat Metanee, who portrays the outlaw leader, Fai."[3] Philip French of The Observer found parallels to Once Upon a Time in the West, particularly between the anti-hero Dum and Charles Bronson's harmonica-playing character."[27] Chuck Stephens, writing for Film Comment, said the blend of 1970s Thai action cinema and the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone results in a "hybrid of hybrids ... a Pad Thai Western where cowboys covet machine guns and swear blood oath to one another under the shadow of an impassive Buddha."[10] The BBC's Jason Korsner criticized the film for its "deliberately laboured plot", which he said was "offset by some fascinating action sequences, including gunfights which would make Tarantino jealous."[6] However, Sight & Sound magazine's Edward Buscombe called the action "tame by contemporary Hollywood standards" but said it was "curiously seductive" because of its colorful imagery.[4] A. O. Scott of The New York Times commented on the stoic, macho posturing of Chartchai Ngamsan's Dum, and the underlying homoeroticism of the character's relationship with Mahesuan, portrayed by Supakorn Kitsuwon.[30] This was another routine by the Weinsteins, who delayed releases so they could shift potential money-losing films to future fiscal years and ensure they would receive annual bonuses from Miramax's corporate parent, The Walt Disney Company.[12] There is also "Mercy", composed by 1940s Thai bandleader and jazz violinist Eua Sunthornsanan, which features whimsical fiddle playing and whistling.She and arranger Sunthorn Yodseethong won the Phra Suraswadee ("Golden Doll") prize for best song from the Entertainment News Reporters Association of Thailand.