Country Hotel

Country Hotel
DVD cover
Directed by	Rattana Pestonji
Produced by	Rattana Pestonji
Written by	Rattana Pestonji
Starring	Prachuap Lukgamdi Chana Sriubon Sarinthip Siriwan
Music by	Preecha Mettrai
Cinematography	Prasart Sukhum
Editing by	Rattana Pestonji
Distributed by	Thai Film Foundation
Release date(s)	1957
Running time	138 minutes
Country	Thailand
Language	Thai

Country Hotel (Thai: โรงแรมนรก; RTGS: Rong Raem Narok; literally "Hell hotel") is a 1957 comedy-drama film written and directed by Rattana Pestonji.

Plot

Noi runs a rural bar and guesthouse called the Paradise Hotel. He tends bar and arm wrestles any challengers. The hotel, which has only one room, already has a guest, a man named Chana.

Chana is annoyed that the hotel plays host to various musical groups, including a 'Professor' who sings European opera, another man who practises the trombone, a Peking opera troupe, a Filipina ballad singer, a brass band and unwanted displays of "buffalo boxing" all of which take their toll on his nerves and peace of mind.

A young woman named Riam arrives and attempts to check in, only to be told that the one room is already occupied.

The reasons for Chana's stay at the hotel are mysterious, and Riam is equally enigmatic, stating her age at 65 years old, saying she has a dozen children and is an opium trader.

Chana turns out to be the accountant of a large company, who comes to the attention of some strong-arm thugs who have their eyes on the substantial payroll delivery he is about to oversee. For some reason, both he and Riam are rather good shots, which may come in useful...

Cast

• Prachuap Lukgamdi as Noi
• Sarinthip Siriwan as Riam
• Chana Sriubon as Chana
• Tat Egatat as Din
• Sutasit Satayawon as Sit
• Thanom Akharaserini

Production

Country Hotel was filmed in 35 mm black-and-white, with one camera on a single set.

Release

The film was produced by Rattana Pestonji's Hanuman Film studio and released in Thailand in 1957. The film was shown at the 2005 Pusan International Film Festival as part of a special program, "Remapping of Asian Auteur Cinema".^[1]

A DVD of Country Hotel, with English subtitles, was released in 2005 by the Thai Film Foundation.

References

1. ^ Uabumrungjit, Chalida (2005). "Special Program - Remapping of Asian Auteur Cinema 1". Pusan International Film Festival. http://www.piff.org/eng/html/archive/arc_history10_02.aspp. Retrieved 2007-08-03.  (Additional use of search field for "Thailand" helps to find the links to the films.)

External links

• Country Hotel at the Internet Movie Database
• Country Hotel at the Pusan International Film Festival
• Country Hotel DVD at the Thai Film Foundation (Thai)
• Thai Film Journal review of Country Hotel at Rotten Tomatoes.
• Country Hotel (1080HD) on YouTube