01 August 2009

Nymph

Nymph
Pen-ek Ratanaruang originally screened Nymph at Cannes, and that version was given a limited release in Bangkok last month. Pen-ek has also prepared a shorter, more commercial version, which has received a wider release. This version makes slight trims to many scenes, shortening the dialogue-free stretches which multiplex audiences may have dismissed as longueurs.

Some sequences, such as Korn leaving his wife, and Korn and May praying to the tree, have been removed because they are already referred to in the dialogue: the audience knows that they have happened, so it is not necessary to actually show them. At least one key shot has been cut: we hear a loud noise, and later see Korn's bandaged hand, though without the shot of the broken glass (present in the original), it is not clear that Korn smashed the window of May's car.

Also, to enable the characters to reach the forest as quickly as possible, several scenes from the beginning of the film are deleted in their entirety. These include sequences in a photography shop (where Nop discusses his plan to visit the forest), a hotel (where May surreptitiously telephones Korn), and the car journey to the forest (during which May ignores Nop and answers phone calls from work). The result is that May and Nop's relationship seems to deteriorate only when they reach the forest, whereas in the original version it is clear that their marriage is in trouble even before they begin their trip.

The shorter version certainly has a faster pace, though the most noticeable change relates to the soundtrack. To create a conventional horror film atmosphere, music has been added to many scenes, whereas there was no music at all on the original soundtrack.

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