The Peth Rama -- Thakaek, Khammuane province, Laos

The Peth Rama was not the most interesting old theater to photograph, as signs of its erstwhile career are gone, save for the massive auditorium and ticket window. Nonetheless, it still stands. As you can see it was undergoing renovations at the time of my visit, though what it will be was vague. Everybody I asked said that it had been torn down and houses were being built in its place. One sam lor driver, however, knew that wasn't so.

I asked the sam lor driver with the good memory if he had ever seen a film there. "Sure," he said proudly, knowing that he was in some way part of the Peth Rama's history. "I used to watch Indian movies here."

"And Thai?" I asked.

"No, never Thai movies. You know, in the past Thailand and Laos didn't get along. Communists vs. capitalists."

The ticket window endures

The Peth Rama closed in the late 1980's. Its name translates to "Diamond Rama," but this gem is long gone.