Feature film
ဘဝသံသရာ
U Thu Kha · 1956
Synopsis
The title refers to samsara, the cycle of births and deaths. The film's song, written and sung by the director, gives the image: travellers board a train and get off at each station. A bridge on the Thazi to Shwenyaung line, which can be seen on screen, has taken the film's name. May Thit, Zeya, Aye Kyu and Gyan Sein are its performers, along with the filmmaker himself; the plot is not described in the histories of Burmese cinema.
Context
Produced by Mandalay Film, the film was released on 14 December 1956. Its title song, which the filmmaker said he had written to make up for an old drinking song, became popular across the country and reached the young people of Leningrad as early as 1958. The film was also sold to China, for three thousand pounds sterling according to the director Kyaw U. It set a box-office record for a sound film in the cinemas of Rangoon.
Who it is for
A feature film with Burmese dialogue; no French release known. It helps to know the Buddhist notion of samsara.
Prizes and reception
Best film, best director and best actor at the Burmese Academy awards of 1956, it was also the biggest box-office success of the year.
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