Page 71 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL6

“The film is made for and caters to young audiences,” he said. “But this movie is not for me.”Many anecdotes that might offer a deeper picture of Brother Hilaire are omitted, he said, such as the fact that the manuscript of Darooon Suksa was edited several times by Prince Damrong. In reality, the late priest was a staunch royalist with close ties to members of the royal family. When Field Marshal Plaek Pibunsongkhram came to power, Brother Hilaire had to leave the country temporarily.“Father Hilaire was conservative and right-wing in his worldview. For him, the French Revolution was wrong while Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire were never right,” Mr Sulak said of the pedagogue. “Father Hilaire believed God created the world and even mentioned what year. But above all, he was a priest who believed in modesty and compassion. He was aman of unshakeable faith.”French Ambassador ThierryViteau, who presided over the premiere, said, “F. Hilaire is a history about linguistics and religion. It is a personal history of the diplomatic relationship between our two coun- tries.”The French Embassy, a neighbour of Assumption College Bang Rak, supported the making of the film.“Our president Francois Hollande just said that culture is a personal bridge between countries, and no one can be an example to this maxim better than Brother Hilaire,” said Ambassador Viteau.For actor Jason Young, playing the French priest was a transcendental experience.“Watch until the end, and you may find like I did that life is just a reflec- tion of what we assume, our hopes and fears. Nothing lasts forever. The onlything that matters is the memories we leave behind.”F. Hilaire is expected to be released in cinemas and broadcast on television later this year.Elite+ 69