Description

This is the story of Sorn Silapabanleng, a gifted Thai musician who started to play the ranad ek when he was six, beginning a journey to establish himself as the best player in the country.  

Set in Ratchburi Province and Bangkok, the film cuts back and forth between the early incidents that helped him become the most famous musician of the traditional piphat ensemble style, and the events of the 1940s after the abolition of the absolute monarchy. 

The Prime Minister, Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsonghkhram, was attempting to culturally reform and modernise the country. He changed the name of the country from Siam to Thailand and introduced legislation banning old-fashioned things, like traditional Thai music and the playing of specific instruments. Sorn was a famous name, and the modernising government was eager to use him in their reform campaign. But Sorn wasn’t interested and remained devoted to traditional Thai music. He said that as a tree needs roots, so traditions are the roots of culture and should not be abandoned.

In a scene where Sorn’s son brings a piano to the house, he and Sorn jam together. The music they make is neither traditional Thai nor modern Western, but is something new, different, beautiful. It becomes a synthesis of the two disciplines, creating something unique; showing a way of doing things that allows the past to be a part of the future.  

Guy Scandlen, an aficionado of Thai film will give a brief introduction to The Overture (104 minutes) which is in Thai with English sub-titles. Afterwards, two Payap University music students will demonstrate the ranad ek and you can try it too.
Lastly there will be a discussion about the film.

COST: 350 THB

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