Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Burmese comic and political activist Zargana; the Oscar-nominated
Burma VJ
; and
Youth
of Yangon
(
http://vimeo.com/ondemand/youthofyangon
)
about the country's nascent
skateboard scene.
John Boorman's
Beyond Rangoon
, a political tract/action flick set during the 1988 up-
risings, had Georgetown, Penang, do a credible turn as the nation's then-turbulent capital.
It starred several Myanmar actors, including Aung Ko, who plays an elderly guide to Pat-
ricia Arquette's American tourist galvanised into political activist. Another Myanmar
actor, Win Min Than, was cast opposite Gregory Peck in 1954's
The Purple Plain
, the
most credible of several WWII dramas set in Myanmar.
Fighting more recent wars is Sylvester Stallone, who returned to one of his most fam-
ous roles in
Rambo
(2008). This time Vietnam Vet John Rambo takes on the Tatmadaw, a
whole platoon of which he mows down at the movie's climax with a jeep-mounted ma-
chine gun!
Luc Bresson's
The Lady
is a biopic about Aung San Suu Kyi, staring Michelle Yeo in
the title role. Picking up attention at film festivals around the world is the thriller
Kayan
Beauties
(
www.kayanbeauties.com
), which paints a generally realistic portrait of Kayan
life in Myanmar. All of the characters in the film are played by Kayan actors.
