The Siam Theater - Bangkok, Thailand

The following three posts are dedicated to the remaining movie theaters of the Apex theater chain. Despite having drastically downsized its once vast, Bangkok-based movie theater holdings, Apex continues to operate what are quite likely the regions three most elegant movie theaters.
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A welcoming marquee

One of the last first-class stand-alones in Thailand, the Siam Theater is a bulwark of cinematic stability in an area of Bangkok that has seen almost as many physical changes as Thailand has had political coups over the years.

Although the elevated tracks of Bangkok's beloved Sky Train - now a 10 year-old addition to the city - have blocked a full view of Siam's facade, its sign and marquee still stand dignified over the stairs leading to the train platform. For passengers getting off at Siam Station, the orange and white sign of the Siam Theater is a beacon of welcome to the commercial center of the city, and a reminder that you are about to enter the most densely crowded area of town.

Stainless steel poster cases stand in the lower lobby, advertising films playing down the street at the Lido Theater, another Apex operation.

The lower level of the Siam Theater is filled with small retail shops, mostly catering to teenagers.

View of the lower lobby from the upper.

The Siam was the original flagship theater of the Pyramid Company, predecessor to Apex, which at the time was directed by Phisit Thansacha. It opened on December 15th, 1966, with the Thai premiere of Battle of the Bulge, starring Henry Fonda. Originally, the theater was slated to be named the Chula Theater, after the 5th king of the reigning Chakri Drynasty. But on the advice of Kukrit Pramoj, one of Thailand's leading statesmen of the time, the royal-evoking name was canned. "Siam" it was dubbed.

Among the Siam's sleek, modern amenities is an escalator; the first in Thailand to be installed in a movie theater.

En route to the 800 seat auditorium with its massive screen. The Siam is a treat to watch movies in.

Ticket booth

As for the Pyramid Company, aside from owning the vast majority of Bangkok's first-class movie theaters, it was also a film production and distribution company - its numerous and architecturally unique theaters serving as outlets for its films. From what I can gather, Pyramid tried to carve out a niche for itself in the Thai film industry of the 1960's and 70's by producing story-driven films, heavy on moral messages. But I'll leave Thai film history to the Thai film specialists.

The Siam Theater is the oldest of Apex's remaining theaters, all of which are in the Siam Square neighborhood of Bangkok. This low-rise pocket of downtown is boxed in by a number of huge shopping malls and hotels. The surrounding malls, like Siam Paragon, MBK and Siam Discovery all contain multiplex theaters in their upper levels. But if you're in the area and in the market for a movie, choose the Siam or either of the other two Apex theaters over those in the malls. Not only will you be doing yourself a favor, but you'll be supporting a company that takes true pride in its venues, in the quality of its services and which is conscious of the fact that it's the keeper of an important slice of Bangkok history.

Before I sign off for today, I should mention that almost all the above background information on the Siam Theater came courtesy of Phuangthong Siriwan (pictured above), the managing director of the Apex company. She was kind enough to spare me an hour of her time for a face to face interview back in May. She's been with Apex for many years and is extremely knowledgeable about the company. Many thanks for that.