An Ambition Reduced to Ashes
In
an allegory set in contemporary Cambodia, a young prince is told by his
Merlin-like guru that he alone can save his country from the tragedies of the
past twenty years. When the prince
meets a beautiful young girl, the guru warns both that marriage is impossible;
having sexual relations would break the spell preserving the princes’
youth, revealing his true 100 year old self causing his immediate death. The prince appears before the girl and
persuades her to marry him, defying the guru’s ambition for him. They do so knowing the consequences: after
consummating the marriage, the prince dies, proving “love is…
(stronger) than political calculation”. The guru then dies of anger and thwarted ambition and the
girl becomes a Buddhist nun. A
film by H.M. Norodom Sihanouk, King of Camboida. 44 min. 1995
Back to Kampuchea
CAM 22 SEAP Outreach Kahin Center 1982
Documentary 57 min
VHS/NTSC Les Productions du Regard
Dir.: Martin Duckworth; Prod.: Jean-Roch
Marcotte English w/ Khmer
interviews
Scenes of contemporary Cambodia, as a Khmer cab-driver from New York
City returns to his homeland after the Pol Pot era, seeking family &
friends he has not seen in 10 years.
Ballet Royal Khmer
CAM 12 Music 1965 Documentary 23
min
VHS/NTSC & PAL Toni Shapiro French;
Khmer titles
Dancers of the Ballet Royal Khmer Dance training & performance:
Ramayana, Moni Mekhala & Tep Monorom.
Blood of Cambodia
CAM 23 Music 1989 Performance 99
min
VHS/NTSC Khmer
Dance-drama celebrating ten years of
victory over the Khmer Rouge.
Cambodge: Le pays du sourire (Cambodia: Land of Smiles)
CAM 30 Echols 1995 Documentary 90
min
VHS/NTSC & PAL Excellent
Prince Sihanouk via Sos Kem Marcel
Talabot French
Portrays the peace and prosperity under
Norodom Sihanouk's Buddhist Socialism. The film opens with an introduction to
the country. The narrator then explores the mythical symbols of Cambodia--in
dance, religion, history and nature--through the temples of Siem Reap Province.
Featuring excellent closeup footage of Banteay Srey, Ankor Thom Bayon, Ak Yum
and Preah Kahn, as well as Khmer classical dance. The second part of the film
gives an overview of the infrastructure and industry of Cambodia, including
forestry and plantation agriculture in Rattanakiri Province, fishing and flood
control in Koh Kong, farming and metallurgy in Phnom Penh. The third part
includes a sampling of cultural festivals, including Chinese and Vietnamese, a
discussion of political relations with other Socialist countries, activities of
Cambodian youth, and the toleration of Cambodian Buddhism. The film approaches
Cambodia from a Socialist perspective. It may be seen as propaganda, but it may
also be seen as hearkening back to a happier time when Cambodia was peaceful
and prosperous.
Cambodian Clothing: Historical and Contemporary
CAM 29 Echols 1991 Documentary
VHS/PAL & NTSC Ministry of Culture Khmer
A history of traditional Khmer (&
other) dress, from the Angkor Period to the present.
Cambodian Dance
CAM 33 SEAP Outreach Kahin Center 1979
Performance 50 min
VHS/NTSC & 16mm Sup Cornell University SEAP Outreach Kahin Center
Cornell University SEAP Outreach Kahin Center
English
Cambodian classical and folk dances performed at Cornell University
in November 1979. The program includes Apsara, The Magic Scarf, Elephant
Hunting, Sovan Macha, Cambodian Music, Krab, Chhayam, and Dance of Greeting and
Best Wishes.
Cambodians and Post-Traumatic Stress
CAM 28 Echols 1993 Documentary 20
min
VHS/NTSC & PAL Community-University Health Care Center/Variety Club
Children's Clinic, University of Minnessota; VideoMed, Inc. University of
Minnesota
Exec. Prod.: Marline Spring;
Consultant: Dany Eam Khmer
Explores the psychological problems faced by Cambodian refugees in
America.
Classical and Folk Dance of Cambodia
CAM 16 Music c1989 Performance 82
min
VHS/NTSC & PAL IBC TV Cambodia Khmer
Members of the National Dance Company
Performance of Cambodian classical and folk dance, with comical dialogues
interspersed.
Dancing Through Death: Monkey, Magic & Madness of Cambodia, The
The story of Thavro Phim, who
came of age under the Pol Pot regime and lost his brother, father, and
grandfather to the blood-thirsty Khmer Rouge. His Buddhist faith and dedication to Cambodian
classical dance, where he performs the role of Hanuman, the magical white
monkey, kept him whole during the ordeal of 1975-’79 when 90 percent of
the dancers were executed or died of starvation or disease. We follow Thavro from California
to the Kingdom of Cambodia, a country still in turmoil, for a bittersweet
reunion with his family and teachers.
Shows how Khmer children, whose parents survived Cambodia’s
darkest hour, are being taught in Cambodia and America to carry on the
traditions for cultural survival’s sake. 56-min.
Hidden Temples: Cambodia’s Angkor
Wat
Angkor Wat’s
magnificent temples and vast reservoirs comprise the single largest religious complex
ever built, an ancient wonder rising out of the Cambodian jungle. Archeologists have estimated that as
many as a million people might have lived there. How did they sustain a population that large? This program shows how archaeologists
such as Dr. Elizabeth Moore of the University of London teamed up with NASA to
use imaging radar from space to solve the mysteries of this thousand-year-old
city. A Discovery Channel
Production. (26 minutes, color.)
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
CAM 13 Music 1992 Performance 62
min
VHS/PAL & NTSC Toni Shapiro
Khmer
Khmer dancers in the U.S. with two visiting artists from Cambodia
Raw footage of traditional Cambodian dance and dance drama performance: New
dance-drama, Sovann Macha, Magic Handkerchief Dance, Moni Mekhala, Ken Dance,
Tep Monorom.
Kampuchea: It's People, Land & Culture
CAM 26 SEAP Outreach Kahin Center
1988 Documentary 25 min
VHS/NTSC Asia Resource Center Asia Resource Center, P.O. Box 15275, Washington,
DC 20003; (202) 547-1114 English
Slide show format providing a look at
Cambodia's struggle to develop after the devastation of the Pol Pot regime.
Emphasizes life today and the role of voluntary agencies in rebuilding.
Karaoke Khmer Thai
CAM 32 Music Performance 83 min
VHS/NTSC Neak Meas Video Reasme Ankor Video Khmer/Thai
Khmer & Thai popular songs for karaoke:
1. Buppha Akascaw, Prus (Male). 2. On Can Kaew Phanek Bong, Sri (Female). 3.
Kulap Battambong, Prus. 4. Thangaymun Megk Srohlah, Sri. 5. Mun Meun Sueha,
Sri. 6. Wo! Wo! Yey! Yeyy! Prus. 7. Thangay Na Bong Col Phateah, Sri. 8. Jit
Muay Kamro, Prus. 9. Meul Smut Ranthoat Knong Jit, Prus. 10. Tina Mean On Ti
Nuh Mean Bong, Sri & Prus. 11. Tuk Et Lahae, Sri. 12. Kayom Neuw Srohlan
Bong, Sri
Karaoke, Vol. 1
CAM 31 Music 1994 Performance
110 min
VHS/NTSC Hangmeas Video Hangmeas Video Khmer
Khmer popular songs for karaoke: 1. Bot
Thup Beysosai, Prus (Male). 2. Bot Reatrey Sekong, Sri (Female). 3. Bot
Ahsangkheum, Prus. 4. Bot Bong Sum Sney On, Prus. 5. Bot Seonoh Kaleung Maom,
Prus & Sri. 6. Bot Neuk Kheun Neuk Kheun, Prus. 7. Bot Dong Steung Sangkae,
Prus. 8. Bot Rongjam Taephlow, Sri. 9. Bot Tual Gok Tual Gam, Prus. 10. Bot Oh!
Dara Kha Yom Oey, Prus. 11. Bot Jroh O Ya Daw, Sri. 12. Bot Keysaw, Prus.
Khmer Classical and Folk Dances
CAM 6 Music 1986 Performance
102 min
VHS/NTSC & PAL
Ministry of Information & Culture, People's Republic of Kampuchea
Khmer
Dancers and musicians of the Arts Troupe
and Dance Troupe of the University of Fine Arts Arts Troupe and the Dance
Troupe of the University of Fine Arts: Wishing Dance, Peacock of Pailin,
Apsara, Kantairai, Moni Mekhala, Krab Dance, Rama Laksmi Chupa Laksmi,
Sweepaway Sorrow, Hanuman Sovann Macha, Chhayam, Tep Monorom.
In this drama about the fall
of Phnom Penh in 1973, the Cambodian military abdicates its authority in a
disastrous alliance with the Khmer Rouge against King Samdech Sihanouk. The story follows Colonel Savath, who
recognized the folly of his commanding officer, General Nop, but is powerless
to stop him, and savath’s father, a retired doctor who retuns to surgery
only to face Pol Pot’s soldiers, who massacre wounded soldiers in
hospital beds and operating rooms.
A film by H.M. Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia. 34 min. 1997
Le Reve Dans La Pierre
CAM 15 Music 1991 Documentary
12 min
VHS/NTSC & PAL France Image Production
France Image Production via Toni Shapiro Didier Fassio French
Dancers from the University of Fine Arts,
Phnom Penh, including Sitya. French T.V. documentary about Khmer dance and the
Angkor Wat temple complex.
This program documents city
and village life on the Mekong’s bnks and in its tidewater basin, the
Tonle Sap. This is a country
trample by violence, where anxiety over lack of jobs and poor harvests is
combined with fears of bandits and undetonated land mines. However, free elections, a renewed
veneration of Buddhist monks, and a resurgence of traditional celebrations are
helping to gradually stabilize Cambodia.
A river pilot, a city surveyor, artisans and rce farmers, and fishermen
describe their work in and around this river that swells to 23 times its normal
size during the monsoon months. 52
munites, color 1999
This tragic but inspiring
film is set against a background of ancient temples, rice fields and country
villages, and scenes of city life in present-day Cambodia. It is a tale of a well-educated young
doctor who returns to rural Siemreap province to work in a hospital for
land-mine victims; he then is caught up in a web of love, jealousy, betrayal
and suicide. The doctor volunteers
to accompany a mine-disposal squadron into a risk-filled area of the country,
and his fate carries a message of the nobility of self sacrifice for the good
of Cambodia and its people. The
touching beauty of the native music is punctuated by the sound of exploding
land mines throughout the movie, as it finally comes full circle to the prayer
for peace and the lament of grief of its opening scene. A film by H.M. Norodom Sihanouk, King
of Cambodia. 63 min. 1992
Ne de L'Eau (Water Festival)
CAM 11 Echols 1991 Documentary 14
min
VHS/NTSC & PAL France Image Production
France Image Production via Toni Shapiro Didier Fassio French
French TV documentary concerning the Water
Festival events in a Cambodian village, including a feast, local performing
arts and a boat race. Also, shows everyday activities of villagers--playing and
weaving. Following the documentary is 14 minutes of untitled footage on the
contemporary entertainment scene in Phnom Penh, including TV, shadow puppetry
and the movies.
A story of love and civil war
in contemporary Cambodia, taking place during 1993, when United Nations troops
joined government soldiers in their fight against rebel commandos. A
Film by H.M. Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia. 75 min. 1996
Put Yourself in Someone Else's Shoes
CAM 18 Echols 1994
Performance 63 min
VHS/NTSC & PAL S.N. Goldstar Khmer
Best comedies of 1994: Several stores under
the general title, "Put Yourself in Someone Else's Shoes." The theme:
If you love your own honor, you must put yourself in other people's shoes. This
genre combines dialogue with song.
Rebuilding The Temple: Cambodians in America
CAM 27 SEAP Outreach Kahin Center 1991
Documentary 60 min
VHS/NTSC Florentine Films
Direct Cinema Ltd, P.O Box 10003, Santa Monica, CA 90410
Claudia Levin & Lawrence Hott English Narrator: Linda Hunt
Examines the Cambodian refugees' efforts
to adjust to Western life and preserve their own culture; shows the significant
role played by Khmer-Buddhist culture in the process. During the 1970s, one out
of every seven Cambodians died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Those who
survived faced the Khmer Rouge's attempts to destroy the family system,
traditional arts such as music and dance, and the Buddhist religion which
formed the foundation of Cambodian society. This film shares the experiences of
Cambodian refugees who are determined to build their temples, hold their
religious ceremonies, and survive as a culture.
Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia
CAM 25 SEAP Outreach Kahin Center 1989
Documentary 29 min
VHS/NTSC Ellen Bruno;
produced at the Dept. of Communications, Stanford University Samsara: Film
Library, 22-D Hollywood Ave., Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 07423; 800-343-5540
Ellen Bruno English
A video about survival & recovery in Cambodia. Documents the lives
of the Cambodian people, long troubled by war, and brings a human perspective
to a country in deep political turmoil. Focuses on the Cambodians' struggle to
reconstruct their shattered society in a climate of war and with limited
resources. Ancient prophecy, Buddhist teachings, folklore and dreams provide a
context for understanding the Cambodians' world view and philosophies which
guide their lives.
Set against the lovely
background of Cambodia’s Angkor temples and towers, this film tells the
tragic story of a young author who is diagnosed with an incurable illness and
wishes to return to Angkor to spend his final days. His rich but selfish wife refuses to accompany him, and
instead asks her young female cousin, a recent graduate of a medical school, to
care for him during his stay in Angkor.
The wife begins making plans to remarry, choosing a politician who
spends all her fortune in the city of Phnom Penh. Meanwhile, the dying man and his attendant fall in love
amidst the splendid surroundings of Angkor, where there is a never-ending
struggle between the forces of nature and the structures of man. Interspersed with quotations from
writings about the wonders of Angkor and the music of the Khmer culture, the
story exposes the anguish of Cambodia’s history of conflict between
beauty and violence. 81 min. 1992
Tenth Dancer
CAM 10 SEAP Outreach Kahin Center 1993 Documentary
52 min
VHS/NTSC & PAL Excellent
Singing Nomads, in
assoc. with International Broadcasting Trust for BBC & ABC TV.
Women Make Movies, 462 Broadway, Suite 501, New York, NY 10013; (212) 925-0606
Dir. : Sally Ingleton; prod.: Sally
Ingleton & Denise Patience
Khmer; English narration &
sub-titles
Provides a fascinating and rare window on women's lives in Cambodia,
a country under cultural and political reconstruction following the brutal Pol
Pot regime. Under Pol Pot, over 90% of Cambodia's artists were killed,
including most of the classical dancers of the Royal Court Ballet. Only one in
ten survived. This poignant portrait is the story of the tenth dancer and her
relationship with one pupil. This is an extraordinary tale of human dignity and
survival and testament to the critical role culture plays in rebuilding society
in Cambodia. Researchers included Toni Shapiro, PhD (Cornell), while doing her
own field research on traditional Cambodian arts.
UNTAC Dialogue (#1-15)
CAM 20 Echols 1992 Documentary 85 min
VHS/NTSC & PAL United Nations Gift of Reasey Poch Khmer
Dialogues in story form between rural Khmer
concerning the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia.
UNTAC News Mag 2 (#1-12)
CAM 19 Echols 1992
Documentary 149 min
VHS/NTSC & PAL United Nations Gift of Reasey Poch Khmer
News shorts reporting on the strategy and
activities of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia.
Video Music: Best Stars of 1994
CAM 17 Echols 1994 Performance 60
min
VHS/NTSC & PAL S.N. Goldstar Khmer
Cambodian pop music: 1. Kmau Oey Khmau. 2. Kruan
Tae Koenh On Pheac. 3. Ondat Ot Chaeung. 4. Mek Mi Sratum. 5. Alay Klen On. 6.
Tow Leng Phnom Penh. 7. Suben Camlaek. 8. Samleng Saleuk. 9. Lmoc Phanhah
Khluan Hoey. 10. Bong Kar Tua Thmey. 11. Srey Kbot Cett. 12. Alay Srey Thngay
Bang Chat. 13. Lolok nhi Chamol. 14. Saen Sronoh. 15. Panhak Panhik Panhak