Under The Banyan Tree: Open Air Cinema

Under The Banyan Tree: Open Air Cinema

A Programme of the National Museum Cinematheque

When: Fri 25 April 08, Sat 26 April 08, Fri 30 May, Sat 31 May, Fri 27 June, Sat 28 June
Where: Stamford Garden (open-air screening), 8pm
Free admission

The popular Under the Banyan Tree monthly outdoor screenings return to the National Museum this April!

Celebrate the romance and magic of cinema with your family and friends in a refreshing open-air setting as we screen some of your favourite and most beloved movie classics.


Wizard of Oz
Dir: Victor Fleming
1939 / USA / 101 min / 35mm / PG
Friday 25 April 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission

Follow Dorothy over the rainbow and down the Yellow Brick Road in a wondrous adventure in the magical Land of Oz! Through the years, this story of a young Kansas girl who dreams of a better world has become one of the most popular and beloved film of all time, and has been seen by children of all ages around the world. More than 60 years since it was released, the magic
of its appeal remains undiminished as it converts a new generation of fans every time it is shown.


Singin' in the Rain
Dir: Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly
1952 / USA / 103 min / 35mm / PG
Saturday 26 April 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


One of the most iconic and enduring movie images is Gene Kelly swinging from a lamp-post, singing the theme song of the quintessential Hollywood musical Singin' in the Rain. Set in the late 1920s, during the time when Hollywood was making the transition from silent films to talkies, the film is a joyous and funny insider look at the movie business. Although not a big hit
when initially released, the film's reputation grew over the years and today it often tops the list of the greatest Hollywood musicals made. The famous sequence of Gene Kelly singing in the rain was referenced and parodied in numerous films from A Clockwork Orange (1971), to Fame (1980) and even a Volkswagen commercial.


Hong Kong Nocturne
Dir: Inoue Umetsugu
1967 / Hong Kong / 128 min / Beta / Rating TBC
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Friday, 30 May 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


Stylishly directed by Inoue Umetsugu, one of Shaw Brothers' most distinctive filmmakers is the dazzling and raucous musical Hong Kong Nocturne. The film tells the story of three beautiful sisters, played by Lily Ho, Chin Ping, and Cheng Pei Pei, and their trials and tribulations in the entertainment business. The movie brilliantly captured the glamour and exuberance of the world of song and dance, and it features several memorable musical numbers that ran breathlessly from epic show-tunes to sixties bubblegum pop and romantic ballads.


Come Drink With Me
Dir: King Hu
1966 / Hong Kong / 91 min / 35 mm / PG
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Saturday, 31 May 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


Widely considered as one of the best Hong Kong movies ever made, Come Drink With Me set a new standard for the martial arts genre when it was released in 1966. The film stars the then nineteen-year-old Cheng Pei Pei as the valiant Golden Swallow on a mission to save her brother, a government official, from a band of ruthless kidnappers. The film features several
spectacular fight sequences including the famous scene in the teahouse. It is a landmark classic that inspired an entire genre.

Come Drink With Me will be presented on a new, fully re-mastered 35 mm film print.


Rivals Three / Madu Tiga
Dir: P. Ramlee
1964 / Singapore / 100 min / Beta / PG
In Malay with English subtitles
Friday, 27 June 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


P. Ramlee takes a hilarious dig at polygamy in Madu Tiga (Rivals Three). Jamal (P. Ramlee) takes three wives without one knowing the other's existence. Together with his father-in-law's approval and help, he delicately juggles his marriage(s) with ingenious lies, but as luck will have it, the three women become friends after a chance meeting at the salon. Jamal's "three-way tango" soon gets discovered and his wives gang up to teach him a lesson he will never forget. This gem of a comedy won the Best Comedy Award in the 11th Asian Film Festival in Taipei.

Old Bachelor / Bujang Lapok
Dir: P. Ramlee
1957 / Singapore / 105 min / Beta / PG
In Malay with English subtitles
Saturday, 28 June 08, 8.00pm
Stamford Garden
Free admission


One of the most popular and well-remembered films of P. Ramlee, this is the first of four Bujang Lapok adventures that featured the famous trio P.Ramlee, S. Shamsudin and Aziz Sattar. The comedy tells the story of finding and surviving love in a small kampong (village). The trio, with their unique brand of humour and bungling antics, also has to deal with the rapid social
development of Singapore in the 1950s.

This film is perfect testimony as to why P.Ramlee is so revered not only as an actor and comedian, but also as a musician. The beautiful theme song for Bujang Lapok is written by him and this same song is also featured in the Film Gallery of the National Museum of Singapore in a special edited centrepiece projection on three screens.