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| Pitch, from the film... |
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| Pitch, 11 years later |
Glenn is a film festival programmer from the United States. He says he tried to order the director's cut version of the Thai coming-of-age drama, Love of Siam, in packaging which includes a small wooden doll - similar to the one which appeared in the movie.
The Thai supplier turned him down, because he is overseas. Never mind - here's a picture of the film's two stars, Mario and Pitch, admiring the doll instead.
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I notice that it is very hit and miss with respect to this issue. For example Me...Myself came out on DVD with Eng subtitles. But Bangkok Love Story did not. Now, Bangkok Love Story has been sold to TLA for N. American and I believe UK release some time this summer. I assume it will debut at the Philadelphia GLBT Film Festival in July and then come out on DVD shortly thereafter.
I can't imagine any distributor buying Love of Siam. It is just too long. However now that it won those big awards maybe it will get another look. My guess is that Picture This! will pick it up for US/UK release with the subtitles eventually. They seem to buy pretty much every gay Asian film out there. Another possibility is TLA. But we won't get the director's cut. I hear that Sahamongkol was at the Berlinale Film Fest market trying to sell the film. A film festival programmer friend got a DVD screener that is subtitled of course.
Yesasia is a good source as you note. So, maybe it will be possible to get it from HK earlier than a US release.
I tried to buy the director's cut of the DVD in the special packaging that comes with the little wooden toy from some Thai online store even though I knew it wasn't subtitled. I figured I knew the story well enough that it didn't matter. But they told me they couldn't sell it to me since I am outside Thailand.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeletea few days ago I sent an Email to Pitaya Sithiamnuai at Sahamongkol's International Sales Department (pitaya@sahamongkolfilm.com). I asked her if there would be a version of Love of Siam with English subtitiles anytime soon and she replied:
"The movie has been licensed to some English-speaking/reading territories, so I think we will have one soon."
She didn't elaborate to whom the movie has been licensed and when it will come out.
Regarding the Special Edition: There is a "Special Edition" available at www.ethaicd.com - of course without English subtitles. Anyway, I ordered it last week and though I'm living in Germany I had no problems with the store. However, I don't know if it's the special edition package including the toy.
Just to add: There seems to be a "Special Edition" and a "Limited Edition/Box Set", the former including a notebook with pictures from the movie, the latter additionally containing the wooden toy. Ethaicd sells the "Special Edition", the Box Set seems to be offered only at Thai internet stores as pre-order and is already sold out everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are right about yesasia but I wouldn't count on it. It's taken a year for Boys Love from Japan to be released with English subtitles and its only happened now because its been released in the States this month. I'm still trying to get The Prince of Tennis with subtitles. Ian
ReplyDeletePS Boys Love is the original straight to DVD version, not the cinematic remake with different but still cute actors.
that's interesting. I didn't know there were two versions of Boys Love. I really liked it a lot even though it is very odd in that Japanese sort of way.
ReplyDeletethanks for the info from Sahamongkol. It will be interesting to see who licensed it. I assume that means DVD release rights and not a theatrical release. I'll stick by my guess of Picture This! being the company in question. It would seem to fit their profile of "coming of age" films that are award winning and critically acclaimed.
If they license a version for overseas, they should do it up right and get the director's cut. From what I've heard about it, it's the better version.
ReplyDeleteLong films are only a detriment in the cinematic realm, where the shorter films are, the more can be booked during the day.
For home video, viewers have the luxury of being able to press pause.
For those who didn't manage to get the Limited Edition/Director's Cut Box Set (specially for Glenn, who couldn't manage to get his order delivered to outside Thailand): The Limited Ed. was released today and can be purchased at ethaicd.com, which seems to be the last opportunity to still get the limited edition, as it has been sold out at all other shops since weeks. It has no subtitles and the Wooden Doll is not included yet, since "production difficulties" occurred (this is why the release date has been postponed three or four times. Eventually, fans didn't want to wait any longer so they released it without the wooden doll). However, the toy will be delivered at sometime in June. Rumor on the internet has it, that the director's cut will be available as a normal edition without toys and extras later.
ReplyDeleteThe Director's Cut is now out in a "normal" (as opposed to "limited") edition (2 DVDs, no English subtitles) and available at ethaicd.
ReplyDelete