มงกุฎแสงจันทร์ (high drama on ele back - try typing that into TIVO)

By John
9 December 2009 02:29:00

Residents of Thailand will know of the joys of Thai terrestrial TV, sitting P'Dai's noodle shop over a spicy ma-ma heang and a cold kwat of Leo of an evening you can watch the news followed by a programme that will update you on the deeds of the Royal Family during the day - there's often an elephant either in the news (something tragic that may have happened) or in the Royal news (if one of their Royal Highnesses visited one of their elephant Foundations).

    After that and a small, often humorous - though nowadays more about convincing Thai ladies that they are ugly with their olive skin and dark, smooth hair - advert break you settle in, a long (long - seriously long) theme tune (which usually gives the game away for the next fifteen weeks of story) and then two hours of high drama - clean cut heroes; bad guys with mustaches, long hair and comedically stupid henchmen; gentle elderly patriarchs; scheming matriarchs; a whiter than white, usually rich but pretending to be poor heroine (who always starts off hating the clean cut hero but ends up rather differently), who sometimes carries a very big gun and knows some form of karate, never sweats and wears full make-up even when sleeping rough in the jungle; a scheming older sister/evil friend; a comedy maid or gardener (always played by the same actor who must be legally obliged to be cast in all Thai made TV and movies) who speaks best fluent Lao in a Bangkok accent and to top it all there is quite often some time travel thrown in.

    Thai drama at its best, all acted as though for a stage audience and in crystal clear Bangkok Thai.  It is not necessarily the best pointer for a young foreigner trying to find his way in the country (argue with the best looking girl until she falls in love with you, avoid men with moustaches, always listen to the old guy and don't follow the old lady - unless she's poor, or at least pretending to be) but it is a good way to practice the sort of Thai to use when you have to go for meetings in Bangkok.

    ...and what more reason do you need to sit down and watch?  Either on television for those of you who live here or they even stream it through the internet nowadays for those of you not-so-lucky.

    Well, here's one more reason, last year, before the flood, we were approached by a production company needing elephants, long sticks and a bit expertise to film one such drama - set in a foreign land, sometime in the past, where elephant polo is played by princely folk.



...lights, camera...



...someone famous throughout Thailand and an actor...



...the elephants appear to be enjoying the action, the mahouts are wondering if this acting lark is all it is cracked up to be...



...and even more action.

    Oh, almost forgot, the point of the piece, the show in question มงกุฎแสงจันทร์ (Mongkut Saengjan) begins airing today on Thai TV Channel three at the drama time of 20:30 - the official page (including a trailer - with a trunk!  - and some fan cards to send to friends) is available here.