Description
Book SynopsisIn the 1950s and 1960s, movie theatres across Thailand were important architectural statements and centres of social and cultural life. At a time when few houses had electricity, the local movie theatre was where people came together, irrespective of class or occupation. In today's era of shopping-mall multiplexes and movies streamed on personal devices, the popularity of the standalone cinema has become a thing of legend; few remember the once-familiar scenes of overflowing crowds spilling out onto the streets or frantic ticket buyers thrusting fists full of cash through small ticket windows. In 2008, Philip Jablon (who now resides in Philadelphia, PA), then studying for a Master's degree in Thailand, began recording the demise of the country's standalone cinemas. In bringing together his poignant photographs and the ephemera of a vanished culture, such as highly collectable hand-painted Thai movie posters, this book records an irreplaceable slice of social, cultural and movie history. It is introduced by Kong Rithdee, writer, documentary film-maker, and long-time movie critic for the Bangkok Post newspaper.
Trade ReviewPhilip Jablon’s Thailand's Movie Theatres: Relics, Ruins and The Romance of Escape showcases an American photographer's decade-long quest to document the unique buildings in the country. - The Hollywood Reporter
Table of ContentsPreface 9 Introduction 11 Chapter 1 – Early Days of Cinema: From Siam to Thailand 16 Pre-World War II Theatres 18 State-built Theatres 30 Chapter 2 – The Boom Years: 1961-1981 36 Double-feature Cinemas 110 Chapter 3 – The Latecomers of Isan 134 Chapter 4 – Over the Mekong: Laos 144 Chapter 5 – Behind the Scenes 160 The Projectionists 162 The Dubbers 170 The Painters 176 Epilogue 190 Acknowledgements 192 Index to Movie Theatres 194 Index to Movie Posters 196
