from cinemanila
Beautiful boxer showing tomorrow
(First screened in the Philippines at the 2004 Cinemanila)
From Ferlin of Viva Films comes the announcement thatÂ* the award-
winning movie "Beautiful Boxer" will finally be shown on January 11
after a very successful sneak previews of two days last December.
Based on the true story of Thailand's famed transvestite
kickboxer, 'Beautiful Boxer" is a poignant action drama that punches
straight into the heart and mind of a boy who fights like a man so
he can become a woman.
Real boxing champ Asanee Suwan plays the lead role and spent a year
preparing for the part. He had to attend acting movement and ballet
classes, take likay (traidtional Thai street opera) lessons and go
through a special personality grooming course for beauty queens. He
was required to lose substantial amount of weight and muscle for the
purpose of shooting several scenes in the film, and had to stick to
a strict skin and body care regime which includes numerous body
scrub and hair removal sessions.
Kyoko Inoue, one of Japan's top female wrestlers plays herself in
the film. She has fought with Nong Toom in real life in Tokyo on 24
November l988. That historical match has been reenacted in a fight
sequence shot at Tokyo Dome. Nearly all of Nong Toom's opponents in
the movie are also real-life professional boxers.