Sugar Is Not Sweet(1964) is a romantic farce shot in vibrant scope and it returns to Country Hotel′s patchwork style of narrative: there are numerous, largely inconsequential musical interludes, dance sequences and processions, but the ending is less farcical. However overall the film is a lot of fun, and visually it really shines. Pestonji′s close watch of film styles around the world is evident from the film′s flashy production design which apes the pop art style of French and Japanese cinema of the time, while the inclusion of a western pop group also indicates the director′s attempt to introduce his audience to aspects of foreign popular culture. In a typically bold move which risked alienating his audience, the director also introduces an unusual emphasis of non-Thai characters-in addition to Sugar being Indian, Manas′s family is Chinese (though, of course, all the actors are Thai). It′s an interesting concept since at that time, Chinese and Indians were considered rivals, especially in business. However, as one might expect, there isn′t any great sociological theory behind it-the characters are pure, unreconstructed stereotypes. (Chalida Uabumrungjit)