Vichit Kounavudhi
Encyclopedia
Vichit Kounavudhi is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Chachoengsao Province. It is located on the bank of the Bang Pakong River. It occupies the tambon Na Mueang and parts of Ban Mai, Bang Tin Pet, Wang Takhian and Sothon of Mueang Chachoengsao district...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
) was a Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. His works include the docudrama Son of the Northeast
Son of the Northeast
Son of the Northeast is a 1982 historical drama film set in 1930s Isan, or northeastern Thailand. The film is directed by Vichit Kounavudhi and is based on a S.E.A. Write Award-winning book by Kampoon Boonthavee. Filmed in a documentary style, the story follows a tight-knit group of Isan...
.
Early career
Vichit graduated from Vajiravudh College in 1946 and started working as a journalist under the pen name Kounavudhi. He got into filmmaking in 1950, when he was offered the villainVillain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
's role in Fa Kamnod.
He then started working as a screenwriter, writing the dialogue for an adaptation of Wannaboon Withayakom's Phrom Bandan. His first screenplay was Santi-Weena, an acclaimed drama directed by Tawee "Kru Marut" Na Bangchang. It went on to competition in the 1955 Asia Film Festival in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, where it won several awards, including best cinematography for cinematographer Rattana Pestonji
Rattana Pestonji
Rattana Pestonji was a Thai film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer and is regarded as the father of contemporary Thai film. Although his filmography was brief, his films placed Thai cinema on the world stage. He also pushed for innovations, and was one of the first Thai...
.
Vichit started directing in 1958 and made 23 films until he retired in 1989. He had a string of action films in the 1960s and early '70s. Several starred legendary leading man Mitr Chaibancha
Mitr Chaibancha
Mitr Chaibancha was a Thai film actor who made 266 films from 1956 to 1970....
. He also made several films with actor Adul Dulyarat.
Later films
In the 1970s, Vichit was among the filmmakers who highlighted social problems in their films. His 1978 drama, Mia Luang, or First Wife, examined the issue of men taking mistresses or a mia noi (second wife).His next film, 1979's Khon Phukao, or Mountain People, was an adventure tale about a young hill-tribe couple. It included a documentary-style introduction of the various ethnic groups in northern Thailand.
Son of the Northeast
Son of the Northeast is a 1982 historical drama film set in 1930s Isan, or northeastern Thailand. The film is directed by Vichit Kounavudhi and is based on a S.E.A. Write Award-winning book by Kampoon Boonthavee. Filmed in a documentary style, the story follows a tight-knit group of Isan...
was shot in a similar documentary style to Mountain People. Set in Thailand's rural northeast
Isan
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima...
in the 1930s, Look Isan is a sympathetic depiction of a hard-scrabble life, with vivid wildlife photography and some rousing action sequences. It is regarded as Vichet's best film.
His 1985 film, Her Name is Boonrawd, was a look back at the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
days and the prostitution scene around Utapao air base, where US Air Force troops were based. In it, a spirited young woman struggles to earn an honest living and find true love with one of the American officers.
In 1983, Vichit was awarded an honorary doctorate in Communication Arts by Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...
and was honored in 1987 by Thailand's National Culture Commission as a National Artist
Thailand National Artist
The National Artist is a title given annually by the Office of the National Culture Commission of Thailand, recognizing notable Thai artists in literature, fine arts, visual arts, applied arts and performing arts .Since 1985, the honors have been presented on...
.
Legacy
In 2005, the Bangkok International Film FestivalBangkok International Film Festival
The Bangkok International Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Bangkok, Thailand, since 2003. In addition to film screenings, seminars, gala events and the Golden Kinnaree Awards.-First years:...
included four films by Vichit in a retrospective: First Wife, Mountain People, Son of the Northeast and Her Name is Boonrawd. The festival also gave its annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Vichit, presenting it to his widow.
The festival program noted that: "Vichit Kounavudhi is regarded today as a master of the Thai motion picture industry - one of the greatest inspirations to later generations of filmmakers, praised as a genius of directing, screenwriting and editing. What makes his films special is not sophisticated technique, but an exceptional clarity and concision."
Partial filmography
- Operation Bangkok (19661966 in filmThe year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
) - Top Secret (19671967 in filmThe year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
) - First Wife (Mia Luang) (19781978 in filmThe year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
) - Mountain People (Khon Phukao) (19791979 in filmThe year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
) - Son of the NortheastSon of the NortheastSon of the Northeast is a 1982 historical drama film set in 1930s Isan, or northeastern Thailand. The film is directed by Vichit Kounavudhi and is based on a S.E.A. Write Award-winning book by Kampoon Boonthavee. Filmed in a documentary style, the story follows a tight-knit group of Isan...
(Look Isan) (19821982 in film-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
) - Her Name is Boonrawd (19851985 in film-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
)