1st of all, I am writing this article as a Singaporean, from now onwards.
2ndly, I am mourning over the death of Princess theatre in Bedok Central. The only cinema that still exists in Bedok Central has gone for good. (Anyway, the heydays for Princess are long over. Presume that Overseas Films make a wrong judgement when Princess was converted into a 3-screen cineplex in 1994. They didn't know that modern cineplex with better seats and a cupholder with a popcorn stand works much more better than having a McD downstairs.) The cinema was once the only hangout that I could visit with my dad, apart from the former Liwagu (now converted as Geylang United Football Club) and the now demolished Bedok and Changi cineplex.
All I could pray was a cineplex will be included at the proposed 4 storey tall commercial building at the current Bedok and Changi cinema location.
While I thought that I could no longer enter the hall of Princess and immersed in that special feel of the cinema, a theatre in town brings back the good old memories I had.
Oh which theatre? You would ask.
My answer: Alliance Francaise De Singapour theatre, located at Sarkies Road.
One thing that makes AFS theatre so special is that 1) the seating arrangements are exactly the same as Princess Hall 1 and 2. 2) The seats used in AFS theatre are exactly the same as Princess!
Just imagine AFS theatre is a medium replica of Princess that screens only French R(A) films and normal French artsy films. (Yes, they are still using R(A) for some of the French films playing in AFS theatre. Well, the film will be run at AFS theatre over and over again.)
The reason I was there is because I am watching the only screening of Sita Sings the Blues, a animation directed by Nina Paley, at Singapore Animatiuon Festival 2008.
Out of all animations featured in the fest this year, only Sita Sings the Blues and Aardman Studio shortfilm workshop draws my interest. The rest? Mainly filled with dull and boring Jap anime and manga, all about human VS machine in the future years.
What makes Sita Sings the Blues so special? Think the Indian legendary folktale The Ramayana and his wife Sita applied into today's modern world in New York.
A brief intro of The Ramayana (just in case you do not know what is it about): Ramayana was the son of a King who was put onto exile into the forest for 14 years. His virtuous wife Sita follows him. Sita was kidnapped by the king of Sri Lanka, who was believed to have 9 heads. Ramayana came to Sita's resuce, but believed that Sita is no longer a virtuous wife after been captured by king of Sri Lanka. Ramayana brings Sita back to the palace, but puts her under 3 test. If she make it thru the tests, Ramayana will bring her back again.
Applied to today's modern world: Nina Paley, the director of Sita Sings the Blues, had a boyfriend named Dave. Dave was offered a post in an animation studio in India. Nina sees Dave off, but ends up Dave wanted to file a divorce with Nina thru email. So Nina picks up The Ramayana and relates Sita into her life.
The presentation is cute and hilarious, and appears in different formats. You had pastel colour, crayon colouring, paper cutting presentation and colour pencil sketches. Seeing Sita Sings the Blues is just like a colourful visual feast for your eyes. Even though it's presented in plain old 2D format, it works much more better than some of the upcoming pretendous 3D animation, that makes a novel remake looks real ridiculous. Somehow, real-life movie adaptation works better than making it into a animation.
Sad to say, Sita do not get a commercial release here due to 1) it appeals to only a niche target audience and 2) this reason puzzles me most: Sita Sings the Blues was rated R21 for Mature Content in Singapore. How matured do the censors want it to be for Sita to cry a Ganges River in your neighbourhood theatres?
Indeed, Princess Sita sings La Vie En Rose for me that night. And it was hard to forget.