Macbeth vs Suriyothai equals fiction vs fact
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The Thai censor board has banned the film, "Shakespeare Tong Tai" (Shakespeare Must Die) on the grounds that it may cause disunity among the people - whatever that means.
Never mind, I thought, as I settled back in my armchair to watch that Thai classic “Suriyothai”. For two hours I was bathed in an orgy of regicide, assassinations, murder, beheadings and torture, including one sweet scene in which a blubbering infant king is clubbed to death.
Queen Suriyothai makes Macbeth and his fair wife look like babes in the wood when it comes to political intrigue and chicanery.
The main difference, apart from the levels of violence, is that “Suriyothai” is based on fact and Macbeth is fiction. But then again, the Thai censors obviously live in cloud-cuckoo-land and wouldn’t know the difference.
David Brown
Rayong
