Don't Think I've Forgotten

Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll is a 2014 documentary film, directed by John Pirozzi, about Cambodian rock music in the 1960s and 1970s, before the Khmer Rouge regime and Cambodian genocide.

Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll
កុំស្មានបងភ្លេច ខ្មែរបាត់បង់តន្ត្រីរ៉ក់
Directed byJohn Pirozzi
Produced byJohn Pirozzi
Andrew Pope
Edited byDaniel Littlewood
Greg Wright
Matthew Prinzing
Distributed byArgot Pictures
Release date
  • October 11, 2014 (2014-10-11) (Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish, Khmer, French

Production

The idea for the film began when American filmmaker John Pirozzi was in Cambodia filming City of Ghosts. He was given a copy of the album Cambodian Rocks, a collection of untitled and uncredited music by artists presumed killed under the Khmer Rouge, and began researching the stories of the artists.[1][2][3] Cambodian-born artist and sociology professor Linda Saphan acted as associate producer and lead researcher for the film.[4] The film includes profiles of influential performers like Sinn Sisamouth, Ros Serey Sothea, Pen Ran, Baksey Cham Krong, Liev Tuk, Huoy Meas, Yol Aularong, Meas Samon, Pou Vannary, and several others (including Pen Ram, Pen Ran's sister), most of whom perished during the Khmer Rouge genocide, plus interviews with surviving performers like Sieng Vanthy, Mol Kamach, Mol Kagnol, and members of Drakkar.[5] The film takes its title from a song by Sinn Sisamouth.[6]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 23 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. On Metacritic the film has a score of 79 out of 100 based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."[7] Film reviewer A.O. Scott of The New York Times mentions in short that, "Mr. Pirozzi’s film is an unsparing and meticulous reckoning of the effects of tyranny on ordinary Cambodians. It is also a rich and defiant effort at recovery, showing that even the most murderous totalitarianism cannot fully erase the human drive for pleasure and self-expression."[6]

Soundtrack

Don't Think I've Forgotten
Soundtrack album by
various artists
Released12 May 2015 (2015-05-12)
GenreCambodian rock
LabelDust-to-Digital
ProducerJohn Pirozzi

The soundtrack to Don't Think I've Forgotten, featuring full versions of several songs that appeared as snippets in the film, was released on 12 May 2015. Personnel at Dust-to-Digital helped locate original versions of the songs and remaster them for compact disc.[8]

Track listing

Note: Blank entries below indicate unknown information. The song "There's Nothing to Be Ashamed Of" (track 8) by Pen Ran is also known as "Love Like Honey" on other compilation albums. Additional songs may have slightly different English titles in other compilations due to the difficulties of translation from their original Khmer titles. The song "Dying Under the Woman's Sword" (track 14) is credited on this soundtrack to Yol Aularong and Va Savoy, but on the Cambodian Rocks compilation it is credited to Aularong and Liev Tuk.

NumberTitlePerformers(s)Writers(s)YearDuration
1"Phnom Penh"The Royal University of Fine ArtsNorodom Sihanouk19673:33
2"Under the Sound of the Rain"Sinn SisamouthSinn Sisamouth3:03
3"The Story of My Love"Chhuon Malay3:10
4"Unique Child"Huoy Meas4:54
5"B.C.K."Baksey Cham KrongMol Kagnol19642:03
6"Don't Be Angry"Ros Serey Sothea3:20
7"Dance A Go Go"Sinn SisamouthSinn Sisamouth2:52
8"There's Nothing to Be Ashamed Of"Pen Ran3:01
9"Full Moon"Baksey Cham KrongMol Samel19633:05
10"Thevary My Love"Sinn Sisamouth & Ros Serey Sothea19723:36
11"Heaven's Song"Ros Serey SotheaMer Bun19674:14
12"Navy A Go Go"Sinn SisamouthSinn Sisamouth2:48
13"Console Me"Sieng VannthyVoy Ho19743:27
14"Dying Under a Woman's Sword"Yol Aularong and Va Savoy2:11
15"Crazy Loving You"DrakkarDrakkar19745:14
16"You've Got a Friend"Pou VannaryCarole King19743:49
17"Cyclo"Yol Aularong19744:36
18"Old Pot Still Cooks Good Rice"Ros Serey Sothea3:22
19"Don't Think I've Forgotten"Sinn SisamouthSinn Sisamouth19743:30
20"Oh! Phnom Penh"Cheam ChansovannaryKeo Chenda2:46

References

  1. Sisario, Ben (9 April 2015). "'Don't Think I've Forgotten,' a Documentary, Revives Cambodia's Silenced Sounds". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  2. Downing, Andy (28 May 2015). "Film preview: Director John Pirozzi traces the history of early Cambodian rock 'n' roll in "Don't Think I've Forgotten"". Columbus Alive. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  3. Reed, James (23 April 2015). "'Don't Think I've Forgotten' explores Cambodia's rock scene". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  4. Nicholson, Malcolm Thorndike (21 April 2015). ""You Won't Find Anything. It's All Been Destroyed."". New Republic. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  5. Winchester, Rupert. "Cambodia's lost rock 'n' roll". al Jazeera America. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  6. Scott, A.O. (April 21, 2015). "Review: In 'Don't Think I've Forgotten,' Cambodia's Lost Generation of Pop Stars". New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  7. "Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  8. John Pirozzi and LinDa Saphan, liner notes, Don't Think I've Forgotten, soundtrack, 2015.
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