In an abrupt moment of life’s brutal script, Mitr Chaibancha fell to his death from a helicopter ladder on Oct 8, 1970. He was filming Insee Thong (Golden Eagle), playing an anti-communist masked hero, when he slipped from the rung and plunged to the ground in Pattaya. That same evening, his body was transported to Wat Kae Nang Loeng. Thousands of people, unable to believe that Thailand’s most famous actor was really, tragically dead, amassed impromptu at the temple and demanded that his corpse be raised from the coffin and shown to the public.
A gasp of shock and disbelief, a look of horror and incredulity — cut to black. When the light came back on, Thai cinema has never been the same since.
This weekend, the anniversary of Mitr’s death will be remembered in a handful of events. At the Hua Lamphong train station tomorrow, the Bangkok Outdoor Cinema Festival will…
