Ratana Pestonji and SANTI VINA: Exploring the 'Master' of Thai Cinema during Thailand's 'American Era'

In recent years there has been a surge of interest in and recognition of post-World War II Thai filmmaker Ratana Pestonji (1908-1970), who often takes pride of place in narratives of Thai film history as a rare early Thai auteur untouched by the trappings of commercial filmmaking and bravely fighting against the monopolizing Hollywood system. This chapter seeks to clarify Pestonji's activities during the crucial and politically complex 1950s post-war period. Drawing largely upon historical sources and accounts from America, the chapter highlights Pestonji's close relationship with Hollywood filmmakers based in Thailand, suggesting that Pestonji's history and relationship with Hollywood studios in the early 1950s could potentially undermine posthumous nationalist constructions of this filmmaker.