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Pan Ron (Pen Ran, ប៉ែន រ៉ន)

"ស្ពានទឹកភ្នែក" (Spean Tik Pnek / "Bridge of Tears")

#pen ran #pan ron #khmer #cambodia #audio #ស្ពានទឹកភ្នែក #spean tik pnek

get to know my current interests!!! i still love a lot of other stuff but this is what has been consuming my life recently

specifics in the tags!!!!

Don't Think I've Forgotten (2015): Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll

A documentary film Don't Think I've Forgotten by John Pirozzi is a great work unveiling and exposing the obscured refinement of Cambodian rock and roll of the 1960-1970s, as well as the most poignant events of the Cambodian history occurring under the rule of Khmer Rouge. The Cambodian culture of pre-communists' era had almost disappeared, as the regime has been seeking to eliminate all the links with the past Western influence and older cultural achievements while establishing a new agrarian state. However, some shreds of evidence and memory had survived, and the film Don't Think I've Forgotten aims to revive the beautiful Cambodian music.

The film consists of interviews with the survivors of Khmer Rouge Genocide, historical footages of the 1960-1970-s, Western news reports on the events in Cambodia and of course lots of music. After all, Don't Think I've Forgotten is a musical film, and during the first hour, the viewers learn about Cambodia's development in 1960-s and prominence of their music. The last part of the film is more focused on historical accounts. Cambodia gained independence in the 1950-s overthrowing. Under the leadership of Prince Niradom Sihanouk, the music was encouraged to grow and spread across the country. It was highly influenced by the Western and particularly American culture, so the most important and popular genre was rock and roll. This music has been also in the zenith of popularity at the time of Lon Nol's Khmer Republic (1970-1975), however, Khmer Rouge had put an end to it after the fall of Phnom Penh in 1975.

The first singer of the 1960-1970-s Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten tells about is Sinn Sisamouth (born in 1935). The most influential Cambodian singer of the 1960-1970-s, he has been mixing different genres from rock and roll to jazz and blues. His popularity was tremendous. Don't Think I've Forgotten tries to recall the details of his biography, though very little is known. Being one of the obvious targets of Khmer Rouge elimination of cultural influencers, he disappeared in 1976, and the circumstances of his death and unclear.

Ros Serey Sothea (born in 1948) was the most prolific and prominent lady in Cambodian music of the following period. The film features an interview with her sister who had survived the Cambodian Genocide and other musicians and music fans sharing their memories. Ros Serey Sothea had recorded hundreds of songs during her short career and died under unknown circumstances at the age of 28-29. In Don't Think I've Forgotten the viewers hear the records of her golden voice and see the rare footages and pictures with Ros Serey Sothea and the front covers of her original records.

Pen Ran credited as the Second Voice of Khmer music scene shares the same fate with Ros Serey Sothea and Sinn Sisamouth. Nobody knows the way she died. Yet her music and distinctive strong voice still live, and this film is a great claim we have not forgotten the beauty of this music. This documentary also comes across the stories of other Cambodian bands and singers, such as Baksey Cham Krong, Drakkar, Houy Meas, Yol Aularong and others. It’s not only focused on Cambodian rock and roll, as the singers used to mixed genres. It’s about the obscured music culture of Cambodia in general. Profiling the work and commitment of these musicians is the greatest achievement of John Pirozzi's film.

Above music and accounts of Cambodian musicians' lives and careers, the viewers get a historical glimpse into the rapid change of regimes in Cambodia in the 1960-1970-s ending up with Khmer Rouge tyranny and Cambodian Genocide. How could anybody allow such a slaughter of their own people is a question we are asking ourselves while watching this film. The Cambodian Genocide had killed around 2-3 million people (which is 25% of the country's population). The target of the regime was to eliminate any influence of the Western world and to build the reserved self-sufficient economy and agrarian state. To prevent dissidence, the soldiers have been killing educated people, artists, musicians and those who refused to leave the cities for working at the collective farms. They have been spotting everybody who could possibly be a dissident, in order to kill him or her. Elimination of the musicians was one of the main points, as the music is very influential. One could have been killed for listening to the old music, singing the old songs or having a record of pre-communists' musician in possession. Khmer Rouge wanted to erase the memory of the past open culture, and the obscured musician of the 1960-1970-s became martyrs along with the whole Cambodian nation going through one of the most brutal crimes against humanity committed by any regime.

The brilliance of Cambodian traditional rock and roll of the 1960-1970-s and these sublime voices the Cambodian singers used to sing is something the world has to know more of. A documentary film Don't Think I've Forgotten is a glimpse into those days with the eyewitness accounts of the musicians, artists, directors who had survived the Cambodian Genocide and more than twenty catchy tunes of the 1960-1970-s. John Pirozzi's film is a glance at the tragic events from the eyes of the musicians whose contribution to the nation's culture was essential. Even though almost all of them have been slaughtered, beauty is immortal, and this film is a manifestation of the fact that the world has not forgotten those days and culture.