Hard line on soft porn

The Thai government is cracking down on obscene DVDs and VCDs, according article in the Outlook section of yesterday's Bangkok Post.

Looking to see if the Ministry of Culture followed up on its vow to wage war on made-for-home-viewing movies with lewd content, the reporters found that movies with covers featuring semi-nude actresses in raunchy poses have vanished from major stores.

"This is a social problem, especially when we can't control [the videos] from getting into the hands of a young audience," Weerasak Kowsurat from the Ministry of Culture was quoted as saying.

One example of a problem title is Tong Choo (The Crime of Passion), which displays an actress wearing only white panties revealing her sexy back and face. Another is E Lon Saa (The Sexy Bald), depicting a bald actress holding her hands to cover her breasts. It's sold with a free Thai karaoke VCD featuring nude models from Japan.

"We pulled all the movies that have overly revealing covers. We have only kept those with decent covers for sale. Still, obscene movies could be disguised under decent covers," Chai (not his real name), a vendor at a store at a SkyTrain station told the Post.

For example, one new release looks decent under the name of a literary character. But the movie Kinnaree, which involves a mythical half-bird half-human character, is still soft porn. Many producers use names that will grab attention from the general audience, such as Nang Lom (A Courtesan), but keep the cover art toned down.

With the crackdown, the movies are going underground.

"If you really want [pornographic movies], check out Klong Tom and the outskirts of Bangkok. Street vendors may also have them," said Chai.

While the big department stores have cleaned their shelves, some small shops are still selling the controversial products.

The reporters also found imported pornographic movies dubbed in Thai; for example, B-grade Hollywood movies bearing blatantly sexual names such as Amy's Orgasm and the India-produced Jism.

The article then questioned whether a double standard was being applied, in which foreign movies, unlike Thai movies, are rated as generally meeting proper standards for public viewing.

"Why attack only made-for-video movies? There are still [made-for-theatre] porn movies available on the street," a vendor of pirated CDs and DVDs in the Patpong area, was quoted as saying.

There are also some Thai movies, such as the erotic family drama Jan Dara, the women's prison drama Butterfly 8 and the arthouse favorite Blissfully Yours, with sexual content that have played on the big screen and have become available in disc format. Given that they have already been through official censor channels to get on screen, they're assumed to be acceptable for public viewing. But some of these discs feature special uncut scenes. A Cannes winner, Blissfully Yours, features an eight-minute sex scene between two major characters in the jungle. Sales of DVDs and VCDs of that movie have been recently banned in Thailand.

Video producers see the movement to ban lewd-content movies and the apparent double standards as a threat.

"There are both good and bad producers and filmmakers. Just don't generalise that all direct-to-video makers are irresponsible," Vorachart Rodthanom, managing director of Inter Movie Ads, told the Post. His company produces several direct-to-video titles every month.

"We provide an option different from the mainstream media. The cover and the title of the movies are generally a sales gimmick. It's the unique content and artistic presentation that counts," he added.

Some direct-to-video movies claim to feature social taboos that are normally ignored by mainstream media, such as the homosexual romance and tragedy in Thang Rak Si Roong (Rainbow Love) or the life of a male prostitute in Phuchai Pai Lueng (Gigolo).

Some say the movies also benefit the film industry as they provide a first step for independent directors and artists.

"Since the local entertainment industry is centred among a very few moguls, it's hard for a newcomer to break in. Direct-to-video movies, which have a cheaper cost of production, could be a stepping stone for future directors and actors," Vorachart told the Post.

The controversial movie Phra Apaimanee, a masterpiece by the great Thai poet Sunthorn Phu, can be seen as a breakthrough for made-for-video movies. Due to its soft-porn images, it fell to the scissors of film censorship and was banned from the big screen. Ultimately however, it found life on disc and is available for sale nationwide.

Its controversial success opened the gate for other producers like newcomer starlet Julalak "Ying" Krittiyalak (pictured above). Labelled the "Queen of the VCD movie", she is considered a pioneer for made-for-video movies with her role as a semi-nude mermaid in Phra Apaimanee. Her work in other direct-to-video movies shows more of her flesh, and now she runs her own VCD/DVD movie production house.

Since then, about 20 new made-for-video movie companies have started up in response to high demand. But the current ban has caused an uproar. Producers see it as a form of government interference and, perhaps, violation of freedom of expression in our democratic society.

"We are filmmakers, not criminals. We do not produce bad content to tarnish our society. Society should allow good film-makers to grow," said Vorachart, who formed and now chairs a group of direct-to-video companies and affiliate networks.

Recently, he took part in a public hearing at Parliament House to work on a new National Film Bill with other mainstream film-makers and producers in the hopes of reviewing the outdated law and establishing new measures and a self-censorship body for the business.

In the meantime, the group is using different colours to indicate ratings for film content; for example, yellow denotes general public viewing, red for violence and sexual content.

"Hopefully this system will show we're being responsible and show our goodwill in producing entertainment to standards for home viewers," Vorachart told the Post.

But what about those producers who see sex and violence as a gold mine?

"Media that is not sensitive to sex issues could perpetuate bad values among young viewers," said Dr Yongyut Wongpiromsarn, adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng. From viewing irresponsible media, he added, viewers might conclude that it's not uncommon to have sex without love, or have sex without responsibility and protection. Some could become indifferent to sexual abuse and violence, he said.

Comment: This is not an issue for the Culture Ministry or the government to decide. Moviegoers have a right to derive their own thoughts from the films they've watched.

If keeping soft porn out of the hands of youths is the concern, then parents and schools should become involved in teaching children what is proper, then when the kids are old enough and if they choose to watch trashy movies, they will see the movies for what they are - just movies.