Accessories play an important role for each fighter. They believed that the accessories they wear will bring them good luck, confidence, etc... Let's take a deeper look into the different accesories that they wear...
1. Pra Jiad: an armband which is believed to bring them good luck and confidence.
Interesting facts: Some fighters from the western Muay Thai gym will wear different colour of Pra Jiad. It is like a ranking system similar to Karate. They believed that no one should step across the Pra Jiad, if not all the good luck will be gone.
2. Pong Malai: floral wreath presented to the fighter by his fans or friends before the fight. It is to represent his well-wishes' love.
3. Kreung Rang: special amulet that is believed to comtain magical powers.
I think Shin did an incredible job in uncovering the plot of the movie and adding her commentary on it! She got me interested on the movie so I went on to research on it. I would now like to offer my two-cents worth of comments on it!
The movie consists of plenty of Southeast Asian themes that we have learnt through tutorial in lecture. Firstly, the most easily identified theme is that of the rural community which the three male leads were born into. Contrary to the stereotypical, popular belief that rural life in SEA is idyllic and exotic, the main characters were experiencing poverty. Life wasn't as ideal as what foreigners think they are.
Muay Thai then becomes a medium for people to climb out of the poverty pit that they are trapped in. Just like how the poor in more urban settings seek education to climb the social ladder. By learning Muay Thai, the rural poor Thais are equipping themselves with skills so that perhaps one day they may become professional fighters and earn substantial income. As one may infer, even though chances may be slim, hope and faith is all the poor have got.
The second theme is then seen as the three males moved on to the 'bigger' world outside their countryside settings, the city of Bangkok. And you guessed it right! The second theme is on rural-urban migration! Like Shin has said, the Muay Thai enterprise in Bangkok is much more profitable. Hence, this was their break into a world of greater opportunities, and yet at the same time, more dark and corrupted. Yet it was a necessary move to escape from the vicious poverty cycle they were caught in. It is a move from the provincial stadiums to the rowdy atmosphere and glaring lights of the city stadiums!
I believe this two themes are the most prominent, and they still exist in current times. The agrarian society still upscales to the city in search of better life. The rural life may be simple, but financially straining. The big city offers many routes to betterment, yet evil seems to loom at every nook and cranny of the urban surroundings. The match-fixing, bettings, and the presence of the press that sensationalises the violence of the fights from the harsh, bitter realities they truly are.
I won't elaborate on other themes, but I will state them here. They include stereotypes of Muay Thai such as it being dangerous sport and the corruption that exists within the big business. Another theme that Shin has touched in her entry is how marginalisation also occurs within the rural community, among themselves. This all worthy of another elaborate entry. I will do it justice in another posting.
For entertainment AND education purposes, here's the trailer to the movie:
This is the English version.
This is the Thai version which I prefer. It exposes more on the social context of Muay Thai. The English one is more focussed on the appeals of the martial art.
Okay that is all I've got to say for this entry!
CREDITS:
Movie stills taken from movieXclusive.com, http://www.moviexclusive.com/review/muaythaichaiya/muaythaichaiya.htm", viewed on 8th November 2007.
Trailers found from Youtube.com, English version: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tejWz439L4", Thai version: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8v3mMvfTIM". Uploaded by youtube users 'jaclynwong79' and 'DarkFriki' respectively. Viewed both on 8th November 2007.
All pictures and videos are copyrights of Five Stars Production.
To find out more about the movie, you can visit the official website at - "http://www.muaythaichaiyathemovie.com//".
