The Lion City

Dir & Scr: Yi Sui
DP: Hsu Chiao Meng
Cast: Orchid Wong, Pan An, Zhang Ping, Pan Xiao Feng, Xie Bin

Singapore achieved self-governance in 1959 when the People’s Action Party (PAP) became the majority in the Legislative Assembly election as party leader Lee Kuan Yew became Prime Minister. The new government campaigned for the merger of Singapore and the Federation of Malaya to gain independence from the colonial rule of the British government. Encouraged by this historical backdrop, this film echoes the real achievement and ideal establishment of then-Singapore. With the cross-class love story of a factory girl and the young boss, the film demonstrates a society with ethnic and linguistic diversity while depicting the life changes and thoughts of ordinary people in a pleasant society. The election and social phenomenon are also detailed in the film, which is quite a departure from the out-of-touch Hong Kong films with Singapore-Malaysian elements. The young actors are refreshing and full of vigour. They embrace the Lion City, imagine how they go from the Malacca Strait to the world via the Indian Ocean, which is the expectation of many citizens have for their nation.

Supported by and courtesy of Asian Film Archive. Courtesy of © Cathay-Keris Films Pte. Ltd.

Yi Sui (1914-1973)
Born in Perak, Malay, Yi Sui was a journalist in his early years and then worked in the distribution department at the Cathay Organisation in the 1950s. He proposed the ‘Malayanisation of Chinese-language Cinema’ and directed several films, including The Lion City and Black Gold (1963).