A Cinema Buff Is Uploading Old Singapore Films On YouTube – And You Should Catch Them

Covid-19 has turned the world upside down. But it’s proven to be a boon for film buffs. Major films festivals are putting out great new films online. Actors are coming together to read aloud famous scripts on social media. And here in Singapore, a film lover has been uploading on YouTube many old Singapore films from as early as the 1950s and 1960s.

Since the circuit breaker started, experimental filmmaker and film historian Toh Hun Ping has been putting up a wide range of classic films online. They display not just the talents of the local film industry in its early days, but also various parts of Singapore long before they were turned into urban and suburban hubs.

Baby boomers will wax nostalgic over some locations, such as the Satay Club at the Esplanade, the old Cathay Cinema before it was gutted, and the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station in its heyday. But some of these movies are artistic achievements in their own right, with strong plots, good acting and adroit direction. We review three of the best.

This article first appeared in The Business Times.