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Sundance Film Festival: 'Legend of Suriyothai'

Aired January 20, 2003 - 11:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The Sundance Film Festival is where Hollywood is headed after the Golden Globe Awards. I want to take you there and introduce you to one famous name and another one, an up and comer in the film industry, Francis Ford Coppola, joining us right now from Hart City, Utah, and he is joined by Prince Chatri of Thailand, and they have a new project they're pushing at Sundance.
Gentlemen, good morning. Thanks for joining us.

Could you please explain to me how the godfather of "The Godfather" ends up with a Thai prince to make a movie, and what the project is please? That's a good story unto itself.

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA, DIRECTOR: Actually, we are together in the fact that we're both UCLA film school graduates.

KAGAN: Go Bruins.

COPPOLA: Although I'm a little older. And I'm aware of Chatri has made many films, and I had a chance to see this beautiful epic called "Suriyothai," which is spectacular and a Cecil B. Demille kind of beautiful film, and I was so impressed by it that I thought other people would like to see it, so I'm presenting this film at Sundance. We had a screening yesterday, very, very successfully, and this is the director.

KAGAN: In fact, prince, let me share some of the numbers with our viewers -- 2,000 extras, 80 elephants, 70 horses, and two years to make this movie, which, as I understand it, is based on a true historical legend of a queen.

PRINCE CHATRI, DIRECTOR: That's right.

KAGAN: Of a queen.

PRINCE CHATRI: Queen Suriyothai during the 15th century. It's an actually happening.

COPPOLA: And she was the queen who put on armor to go out and fight alongside of her husband to save what was then Siam from the Burmese.

KAGAN: Francis, we were talking last hour with Stanley Tucci about Sundance about an opportunity to try to get distribution for a movie. What's the status on finding a distributor for this movie?

COPPOLA: It has a wonderful distributor. Sony Classics is distributing it, and in fact, they have been affiliated for a few months, but they wanted a chance to expose it here at Sundance, so all the younger audience can really see the kind of filmmaking that isn't done anymore on a spectacular level without special effects, but real elephants, real actors and very beautifully done.

KAGAN: We saw that honored a little bit last night at the Golden Globes with Martin Scorcese finally getting a significant award for his epic "Gangs of New York." Do you think the audience is looking for films like this?

COPPOLA: I would think that films are looking for, the audiences are looking for films of real sweep and dimension and spectacle. I mean, there's always a place for that.

KAGAN: And finally, prince, of course, people are going to catch attention with your title, being a member of the royal Thai family, but of course, as Mr. Coppola was pointing out, you do have a long history and a long filmography yourself. You have been in show business for a while.

PRINCE CHATRI: Yes, I've been making films for almost 30 years.

COPPOLA: And also, interestingly, his father who was of course, a prince even closer to the thrown was a pioneering filmmaker before him, so he worked with his father years ago.

PRINCE CHATRI: All in the family.

KAGAN: Keep it in the family. Mr. Coppola knows all about that, as well, don't you?

COPPOLA: That's right.

KAGAN: We are short on time here. We want to wish you good luck for the film and thank you for coming out in the cold of Park City (ph) just to talk with us just a little bit. Appreciate it very much.

COPPOLA: Thank you.

PRINCE CHATRI: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 20, 2003 - 11:54   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The Sundance Film Festival is where Hollywood is headed after the Golden Globe Awards. I want to take you there and introduce you to one famous name and another one, an up and comer in the film industry, Francis Ford Coppola, joining us right now from Hart City, Utah, and he is joined by Prince Chatri of Thailand, and they have a new project they're pushing at Sundance.
Gentlemen, good morning. Thanks for joining us.

Could you please explain to me how the godfather of "The Godfather" ends up with a Thai prince to make a movie, and what the project is please? That's a good story unto itself.

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA, DIRECTOR: Actually, we are together in the fact that we're both UCLA film school graduates.

KAGAN: Go Bruins.

COPPOLA: Although I'm a little older. And I'm aware of Chatri has made many films, and I had a chance to see this beautiful epic called "Suriyothai," which is spectacular and a Cecil B. Demille kind of beautiful film, and I was so impressed by it that I thought other people would like to see it, so I'm presenting this film at Sundance. We had a screening yesterday, very, very successfully, and this is the director.

KAGAN: In fact, prince, let me share some of the numbers with our viewers -- 2,000 extras, 80 elephants, 70 horses, and two years to make this movie, which, as I understand it, is based on a true historical legend of a queen.

PRINCE CHATRI, DIRECTOR: That's right.

KAGAN: Of a queen.

PRINCE CHATRI: Queen Suriyothai during the 15th century. It's an actually happening.

COPPOLA: And she was the queen who put on armor to go out and fight alongside of her husband to save what was then Siam from the Burmese.

KAGAN: Francis, we were talking last hour with Stanley Tucci about Sundance about an opportunity to try to get distribution for a movie. What's the status on finding a distributor for this movie?

COPPOLA: It has a wonderful distributor. Sony Classics is distributing it, and in fact, they have been affiliated for a few months, but they wanted a chance to expose it here at Sundance, so all the younger audience can really see the kind of filmmaking that isn't done anymore on a spectacular level without special effects, but real elephants, real actors and very beautifully done.

KAGAN: We saw that honored a little bit last night at the Golden Globes with Martin Scorcese finally getting a significant award for his epic "Gangs of New York." Do you think the audience is looking for films like this?

COPPOLA: I would think that films are looking for, the audiences are looking for films of real sweep and dimension and spectacle. I mean, there's always a place for that.

KAGAN: And finally, prince, of course, people are going to catch attention with your title, being a member of the royal Thai family, but of course, as Mr. Coppola was pointing out, you do have a long history and a long filmography yourself. You have been in show business for a while.

PRINCE CHATRI: Yes, I've been making films for almost 30 years.

COPPOLA: And also, interestingly, his father who was of course, a prince even closer to the thrown was a pioneering filmmaker before him, so he worked with his father years ago.

PRINCE CHATRI: All in the family.

KAGAN: Keep it in the family. Mr. Coppola knows all about that, as well, don't you?

COPPOLA: That's right.

KAGAN: We are short on time here. We want to wish you good luck for the film and thank you for coming out in the cold of Park City (ph) just to talk with us just a little bit. Appreciate it very much.

COPPOLA: Thank you.

PRINCE CHATRI: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com