Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
Directed by a prince and financed by a queen, The Legend of Suriyothai is a sprawling Thai epic in the tradition of Hollywood's biblical extravaganzas of the 1950s. A former film student-turned-prince of Thailand, director and co-writer Chatrichalerm Yukol recruited film-school classmate Francis Ford Coppola to shape this ambitious production (originally over three hours long) into a 142-minute "Reader's Digest" version for an international audience, and the result is a mixed blessing: There's more pomp, circumstance, and pageantry in this historical saga than you'd find in a half-dozen lesser films, with bloody battles, assassinations, beheadings, parades of elephants, and jaw-dropping sets and costumes galore, and the attention to physical detail is astonishing. It's also a narrative mess, spanning two decades in the 16th-century story of Suriyothai, princess of Ayuthaya (now Thailand), where two kingdoms are quarreling while war with Burma (to the north) is about to erupt. Palace intrigue, lavish ritual, and traitorous deception abound, unfolding at a deliberate pace that will either test your patience or command your attention. As history lessons go, it's occasionally slow but certainly never boring. --Jeff Shannon

This was a really interesting film, sort of an eastern take on the tale of the sacrificial queen. I enjoy learning about different cultures and their stories and traditions, and I'm glad I decided to watch this. The film does have a few abhorrently violent scenes of beheading though, so be forewarned. I am not exactly a fan of brutal scenery of war, but the historical aspects of this I found unique and complex.

Average Rating:

Rating: - Interesting for its historical overview
This was a really interesting film, sort of an eastern take on the tale of the sacrificial queen. I enjoy learning about different cultures and their stories and traditions, and I'm glad I decided to watch this. The film does have a few abhorrently violent scenes of beheading though, so be forewarned. I am not exactly a fan of brutal scenery of war, but the historical aspects of this I found unique and complex.

Rating: - Great movie
I have to give this one 5 stars because I enjoy it so much. The picture is very sharp and clear even om my DVD xbox player but on to my 720p HD TV. I wathched this show be for on Thai version that is 3-1/2 hours on some VHS tape that not so clear. Wow what's a deferent. I am Thai so I under stand the story well, but on this DVD there are a few explaination to make it better under standing. So if you want to see how Thai history in compare of Japan, Korea, Chaina, history movie this movie will take you in to very deferent of culture of Asian. It is the wonderful way to enjoy, and see how the Asian culture are not really the same.

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Rating: - Edited Version?
I am a little annoyed that the version released in the US appears to be so heavily edited for time. Although I admit I haven't seen the Coppola produced release, I have been told that most of the editing was done to "character development" scenes. Unfortunately, the US audience needs this development much more than the Thai audience would (i.e., US audiences have no institutional memory of the histories involved). Too bad.

I loved the version released in Thailand; a beautifully filmed movie with a great combination of action, drama, and intrigue. The elephant battle scenes were fantastic.

The subtitles were not perfect though. I must say that such a beautiful film deserved better subtitles, which seemed to be an afterthought. (Typos, and the English subtitles occasionally conveyed different meaning than the sound track.)

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Rating: - Excellent film
Must say that I did not watch this film in DVD format so I am not sure if the version I have is the full film or the shortened one. The VCD I bought was from [...] which ships direct from Bangkok. My product was intended for home viewing in Thailand, not for mainly export/international audience. I really enjoyed the film, Thai culture is complex and Royal culture much more so. The Prince of Thailand made this film,it is a film not so much a movie, so yes, it can be slow at times and painfully detailed but it should be. This is a film to learn some of Thai history and culture, not just to be entertained. I really loved it.

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Rating: - Sumptuous, lavish and impressive
We loved this film. Foremost, it was beautifully filmed, with lavish costumes, sets & scenery. The music is beautiful; I'm disappointed that it's not available; I'm a fan of movie scores.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story line also. Not being familiar with the history of Siam/Thailand/Burma, I can't vouch for its historical accuracy. Whether correct or not, it's a fascinating story.
My only criticism is that we became slightly confused by the interwoven relationships of the characters. I'd have liked a guide or "family tree" to follow so I could keep up with the many hierarchies. It was sometimes hard to keep up with who was doing what to whom & why & if they were related familiarly or only politically.
Although much of this was unfamiliar material, I highly recommend it if you enjoy subtitled films. We were never bored.

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