The Pua Rama Theater - Pua, Nan, Thailand

In 1927, the producer-director team of Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Shoedsack came to Siam to make a film about man's constant battle with the forces of nature. With the help of local factotums and translators, they ventured into what was then perceived to be the most remote, undeveloped region of the country. The American film-making duo took a train from Bangkok up to Uttaradit and then trekked and boated it for two 2 weeks through deep jungle til they reached the wilds of Nan province. They eventually settled in what is now the district of Pua and began work on their film Chang. The film was a hit in the United States and for most American viewers, their first glimpse of this part of the world.

50 years after Chang was filmed there, Pua had its first ever brick and cement movie theater, the Pua Rama. Cooper and Shoedsack went onto to make the blockbuster King Kong in 1933.

For most of its movie showing years the Pua Rama Theater was operated by the husband and wife team of Pornsak and Surang Anugkawanit. Yet it was Surang's father - previously owner/operator of an old wooden theater in town - that built it. Pornsak and Surang's stewardship marked the 2nd consecutive generation of movie theater proprietors in the family, though the theater would not last long enough for their son to become the third.

The auditorium, much the way it was when the theater closed 10 years ago.

In the year 2003, producers for the Thai film Iron Ladies 2 scouted out the Pua Rama Theater for a scene in the movie.

This is the only old Thai theater I've come across which still has the seats. Usually they are removed and sold off. Note that these seats were made of wood.

Like most single screen theaters in Thailand that were built in the 1960's and 70's, the auditoriums were kept cool with industrial size fans that were built into the walls.

30 years ago you would have found theater patrons hanging out here in the upper lobby. Now you only find clothing hanging out to dry.

Surang and Pornsak Anugkawanit pose in what used to be the lobby of the old Pua Rama Theater. They now run a mini-mart from it. In the 1970's and early 80's the theater was regularly sold out, including standing room only. But as the story goes, by the 1990's single-screen theaters in small towns like Pua were feeling the squeeze of a bad economy, shrinking rural populations and the proliferation of home entertainment centers for the average family.

The Anugkawanit family shut down the Pua Rama Theater in 1999.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Poster for the Cooper and Schoedsack production of "Chang," which was filmed in Pua back in 1927.

The Nan Jao Rama Theater - Nan, Thailand

If you were to walk down the little alley where the trees are in the above photo you will find the remains of one of the most awkwardly situated movie theaters in all of northern Thailand. The soi (alley) that the Nan Jao Rama Theater is in dead ends after only about 50 meters. Its lack of depth combined with its narrowness make it hard to imagine crowds ever lined up to watch movies here, but stranger things have happened, I suppose.

Bizarre place for a movie theater.

By the account of the restaurateur opposite the theater, the Nan Jao Rama Theater has only been closed for 5 or 6 years, though it looks like a lost relic from ages ago. It was only built 30 or so years prior, not so long, but just in time to meet the fatal wrath of the home entertainment center.

The same restaurateur said that the owner leased it out to a chicken farmer for a while; an odd industry for being in the middle of the most densely populated area of town. It's now completely vacant, missing its roof and awaiting its complete and total destruction.

Incidentally, the old Nan city wall once passed through this alley, just in front of where the remains of the Nan Jao Rama Theater stand. Of course, the city wall of Nan predated the alley by about 3 centuries and the theater even longer than that, going back to when Nan was the sovereign kingdom of Nantaburi. Kingdom, province, city, whatever unit of administration you want to call it, it doesn't have any cool movie theaters anymore.

The Nakon Nan Rama Theater - Nan, Thailand

Since its inception in the late 1960's, the Nakon Nan Rama Theater was adapted to suit its surroundings, wedged as it is in the middle of an open-air fresh market. The lower level even included space for market stalls, while the auditorium on the second level did the entertaining. One can only imagine countless children sent to the market to pick up groceries, but spending their mother's money on movies instead.

Close proximity to open-air markets is a fairly common trait among the older movie theaters in Thailand.

The space was super narrow, making a full facade shot a difficult task.

The lower level market space, barely in use anymore

What was once the theater auditorium on the upper level. The floor was cut out after the theater closed and the entire structure transformed into market space. When the upper level failed as a market the owner rented out the little stalls as apartments. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Stairs leading to the erstwhile auditorium.

All that remains of the projection room is the frame.

The Nakon Nan Rama Theater: dormant since the early 1990's.

On a side note, the gentleman pictured above is the owner of a little book store located directly next door to the old Nakon Nan Rama. I gave him the run down of what I was doing and asked him a few questions on the subject matter. He didn't know too much about the theater but he said "you like taking pictures of old movie theaters, huh? How about old people?"

Now he is immortalized above.

Rong Nang Thannarak - Nan, Thailand

Nan is one of my favorite places in Thailand. The Nanese are a friendly bunch, with good senses of humor who take pride in their charming little city in its remote corner of the country.

With its movie showing days 10 years behind it, the building that once housed the largest theater in town -- the Thannarak -- now sells the devices that ultimately put it out of businesses. Talk about adapting to the times.

There is absolutely nothing left of its former usage save for the structure itself. It's now an electronics store called Thannatham Marketing. The inside has been completely gutted and remodeled.