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Mit Chaibuncha

 
 
 
 
Other names : Mitr Chaibancha
Naai Mat
Nai3 Mi4
 
Birthdate : 28/1/1934
Date of death : 8/10/1970
Nationality : Thailand
Workplace : Hong Kong, Thailand
Activities : Actor (1)

Biography

The legendary Thai action superstar Mitr Chaibancha died prematurely in 1970. More than three decades later, the actor's popularity is still intact. Although Mitr Chaibancha was an action super star in Thailand, it would be more accurate to mention him as a Thai James Dean than as a 1960-1970s Tony Jaa.

Pichet Pumhem was born in January 28, 1934 at the northern border of the Malaysian peninsula. His impressive stature, reaching close to 1.90 m, designated him to become a good sportsman and he won several Thai boxing competitions in the lightweight category. Leaving his hometown for Bangkok at an early age he became later a formation pilot at the school of the Royal Air Force.

He owes his first cinematographic appearance to a lucky combination of circumstances: a friend showed his photograph to a journalist, who recommends him to the chief editor of a cinema magazine, Kingkaew Kaewprasert. Stunned by Mitr's singular beauty, the editor talked in his favor to the production of Chart Sua (Tiger Blood). For the first time, in 1956, the young Pichet Punhem took the stage name Mitr Chaibancha and started his cinematographic career consisting of more than 265 roles in less than 15 years.

At the height of his fame in the mid 1960s, he appeared in almost half of the 75 to 100 annual productions. He happened to shoot consecutively up to four different movies in a single day and slept only two or three hours a night. Playing in all kind of genres, he is said to be able to interpret any character.

Among his numerous roles, Mitr is especially remembered for the one of Rom(e) Ritthikrai, aka Insee Daeng (The Red Eagle), main character of a series of novels created by the popular Thai writer Sek Dusit. In these films, Mitr plays a defender of justice wearing an eagle-shaped mask and protecting his country against ill-mannered bad guys --a role close to what he was used to interpret in most of his other action films, but also the role that had cost him his life…

Insee Thong (The Golden Eagle) is the sixth episode of the Red Eagle series. The very last shot was supposed to show the hero grasping the tip of a long ladder attached to a helicopter and flying away over the sunset. Mitr, exhausted by a long shooting day, was supposed to play the first part of the scene before a stuntman replaces him. The shooting being behind schedule, the team only had a few minutes before nightfall; as a consequence, the decision was made to shoot one take only. While the helicopter rose in the sky, Mitr, running out of strength, lost his grip and fell to his death.

He passed away in October 8, 1970.

Maintained in the first release of the film, the lethal fall has since been removed from the DVD version of the film. Instead, a text commemorating the immense talent of the actor appears on a fixed image of the helicopter takeoff.
The premature death of Mitr Chaibancha was a big commotion in all of Thailand. As shown by the video records in the DVD bonus of Insee Thong, an impressive crowd of Thais gathered to pay a last moving homage to the actor.

Some of his most acclaimed films include: Batnhuk Rak Pimchawee (Love Journal of Pimchawee), Mon Rak Lookthung (A Magical Love in the Country).

Mitr Chaibancha starred in three Hong Kong productions. One of them, Hooded Swordsman was choreographed by Lau Kar Leung.

March 2009

Source: Bastian Meiresonne et al., excerpt from Thai Cinema / Le cinéma thaïlandais edited by Asiexpo Edition.

Partial filmography:
Operation Bangkok (Pet Tad Pet) (1966)
Top Secret (1967)
Monrak luk thung (Magical Love of the Countryside) (1970)
Insee thong (Golden Eagle) (1970)
The Tiger and the Dragon (1971)
(Source: Wikipedia)

 
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Filmography
 [ 1970 ] 
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 Hooded Swordsman 1971 Actor
 

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