Celluloid Singapore : Cinema, Performance and the National (Traditions in World Cinema)

Examines how Singapore cinema functions as a national cinema'Celluloid Singapore' is a ground-breaking study of the three major periods in Singapore's fragmented cinema history, namely the golden age of the 1950s and 60s, the post-studio 1970s, and the revival from the 1990s onwards. Set against the context of Singapore's own trajectory of development, the book poses two central questions: how can the films of each period be considered 'Singapore' films, and how is this cinema specifically national? The book argues that the films of these three periods collectively constitute a national cinema through different performances of Singapore, offering a critical framework for understanding this cinema and its history in relation to the development of the country and the national.Key FeaturesThe first full length, critical study of Singapore cinemaIncludes case studies of films from the golden age of the 1950s and 60s, the post-studio 1970s, and the revival from the 1990s onwardsConsiders Singapore's cinema history and relationship with the national, building on developments in transnational cinema studies