影院的变迁——
从露天帐篷到最先进的观影体验
文 · 国家文物局
吉普赛式影院抵达新加坡
巴斯莱（Basrai）是一位有帕西族血统的流动艺人。1902年，他带着一顶“帐篷”来到新加坡，从此改变了本地的娱乐景观。他在禧街和河谷路交界处搭了影院帐篷，这也成为新加坡历史上第一家公开放映电影的影院。门票价格大约10至50分钱，影片则通过石灰灯投影在银幕上。
首批放映的影片包括《卡利奥斯特罗的镜子》（Miroir de Cagliostro）、《天文学家的梦》（Le rêve d’un astronome）以及《拍摄幽灵》（Photographing a Ghost）。
虽然以今天的标准来看，这些电影的视觉效果和摄影技术都相当落后和不完善，但当时的帐篷影院在接下来的两年里，仍受到观众的热烈欢迎。
新加坡首家室内影院
在1904年，帐篷影院迎来了新竞争对手。法国企业家保罗·皮卡德（Paul Picard）创办了巴黎电影馆（Paris Cinematograph），设于维多利亚街的马来剧院内，成为新加坡第一家室内影院。他播放的无声电影时长达数小时，并配有现场音乐伴奏。那时，三等座位的票价为10分钱，而预留座位则需50分钱。
下一个主角——声音！
直到1920年代，新加坡才迎来第一批“有声电影”（俗称“talkies”）。有声电影一经推出便引起轰动，游乐场影院纷纷开始放映来自美国、英国、中国和印度的流行电影，吸引了大量观众。这一时期也见证了新桥路的东方剧院和余东旋街的国泰大戏院的诞生。如今，你仍然可以在牛车水地铁站旁看到保存完好的国泰戏院外墙。即使在第二次世界大战期间，观影热潮也未曾减退。进入1950年代后，更多业者进入市场。1952年，国泰影院成为首批放映3D电影《非洲历险记》（Bwana Devil）的影院之一，当时“跳出银幕的魔鬼”令观众惊呼连连。
如果你曾在老影院看过电影，你可能会注意到银幕前通常设有一个宽敞的舞台。这是因为当年的影院也会举办现场演出，如音乐剧、魔术秀、选美比赛、综艺节目和舞蹈表演。
经久不衰的电影巨头
电影行业的蓬勃发展，吸引了许多大型电影公司在新加坡落户。其中一些公司经历时代变迁，至今仍屹立不倒，为今天的影迷们继续提供大银幕娱乐体验。以下是一些你可能熟悉的名字：
邵氏兄弟由邵仁枚和邵逸夫兄弟创办，到1965年已在新加坡拥有19家影院，并在东南亚拥有超过100家影院，是当时最大的电影帝国。旗下还有30家影院获得独家电影放映许可。其中最著名的REX电影院位于麦肯齐路，是当时外籍劳工最爱去的放映场所之一。
国泰机构（Cathay Organisation）创办人陆运涛出身马来亚豪门，但他并未继承家族企业，而是选择投身电影制作与影院经营——正是这一决定，让国泰机构得以成功延续至今。
黄英华（Eng Wah）同样来自马来亚，他与朋友在快乐世界游乐场创办影院，后改名为胜利戏院。“二战”，它通过放映日军宣传片得以生存，战后持续扩张，并于1968年成立“英华戏院”（Eng Wah Theatres），引进大量港、台华语电影。如今，该品牌已重新命名为“荣华戏院”（WE Cinemas）。
相比之下，金华院线（Golden Village）是较晚进入市场的新玩家，由香港嘉禾电影公司（Golden Harvest）与澳洲威秀有限公司（Village Roadshow）合资，于90年代初在新加坡开业，目前在本地拥有11家多厅影院。
丰和影城（Filmgarde Cineplex）是目前最新的参与者，成立于2007年，是一家独立影院，除主流大片外，也放映各类非主流电影，旨在培育新加坡的电影爱好社群。
现在的电影院和未来的发展
自帐篷影院在新加坡首映以来，已过去了一个多世纪。如今的影院除了要面对彼此的竞争，还要与网上串流平台的海量内容一较高下。
这也是为什么放映室（The Projector）、艺术之家（The Arts House）、法国文化协会电影会（Alliance Française Cine Club）、放映厅（The Screening Room）、电力站（The Substation）以及新加坡美术馆SAM@ 8Q的流动影像馆（Moving Image Gallery）等独立放映场所，专注于放映一些主流院线难以接触到的艺术与独立电影。
从帐篷到艺术影院，新加坡的电影旅程仍在继续发展。未来的电影院将会是何模样？让我们一同期待。
新加坡首都大厦和首都剧院（Capitol Building and Cinema) 今昔对比
（本文为翻译比赛英译中获奖作品，由海星中学曾骏庭、王栩睿、吴正康翻译）
Cinemas Over The Years
From Open-air Tents to State-of-the-art Movie Experience
From Open-air Tents to State-of-the-art Movie Experience
Courtesy of National Heritage Board
The gypsy cinema arrives in Singapore
Basrai was a travelling showman of the Parsi origins. In 1902, he arrived in Singapore with a tent that would change the country’s entertainment scene forever. Set up at the junction of Hill Street and River Valley Road, his cinema was the first ever to screen a public film here. The entrance fee was 10 to 50 cents, and films were projected onto the screen using limelight.
The first films shown included Miroir de Cagliostro (Cagliostro’s Mirror), Le rêve d’un astronome (Astronomer’s Dream), and Photographing a Ghost. Although the visual effects and cinematography were vastly different by today’s standards, the tent cinema was a huge hit for the two years following Basrai’s arrival.
Singapore’s first enclosed cinema
In 1904, the tent cinema saw a new rival on the scene. The Paris Cinematograph, started by French entrepreneur Paul Picard, was Singapore’s first enclosed cinema in the Malay Theatre at Victoria Street. He screened hour-long pictures and played music to accompany the silent films. Back then, a third-class seat cost 10 cents and a reserved seat was 50 cents.
Our next big star… Sound!
It wasn’t until the 1920s that the first-ever “talkies” (films with sound) arrived in Singapore. Naturally, it took Singapore by storm, and amusement park cinemas started showing popular American, British, Chinese, and Hindi films, which captivated huge audiences. This era gave birth to the Oriental Theatre at New Bridge Road and Majestic Theatre at Eu Tong Sen Street. Today, you can still find the preserved facade of the Majestic Theatre, right next to Chinatown MRT Station.
The cinema craze did not die out even when the Second World War arrived on our shores. As Singapore ushered in the 50s, even more players came into the picture. In 1952, Cathay Cinema became one of the first to screen a full-length 3D movie, Bwana Devil. The devil that popped out from the screens took every moviegoer’s breath away.
If you have watched a movie at one of the older cinemas, you’d have probably noticed that the screen also came with a significantly spacious stage. Cinemas during those days were also equipped for live shows such as musicals, magic shows, beauty contests, variety shows, and dance performances.
Running the show until today
The industry’s boom led to many bigger players in the world of cinema to establish their presence in Singapore. Some of these have survived the changing eras, and film buffs today continue to enjoy big-screen entertainment at one of their cineplexes. Here are some you might already know.
Shaw Brothers, a film group set up by brothers Run Run and Run Me Shaw, owned more than 100 cinemas in Southeast Asia and had the biggest cinema empire in Singapore in 1965. Their 19 cinema halls were located across the island, and another 30 cinemas licensed to play the movies they exclusively distributed. They also opened REX cinema at Mackenzie Road, a popular spot for foreign workers.
Cathay Organisation’s founder, Loke Wan Tho, hailed from one of the wealthiest families in Malaya, and instead of carrying on the family business, he decided to produce movies and own cinema chains, a wise decision that brought the organisation its continued success until today.
Eng Wah, also a Malayan native, set up a cinema at the Happy World Amusement Park with a friend. It was renamed Victory Theatre and survived the war by screening Japanese propaganda films. He continued his expansion to more cinemas and set up Eng Wah Theatres in 1968, bringing in numerous Chinese movies from Hong Kong and Taiwan. It has since rebranded itself as WE Cinemas.
Golden Village is a relatively new player. A joint venture by Golden Harvest (Hong Kong) and Village Roadshow (Australia), it began operating in the early 90s and now owns 11 multiplexes and cineplexes in the country.
Filmgarde Cineplex is the latest addition in the line of high rollers. Established in 2007, this independent cinema offers films of other genres aside from the blockbusters, with the aim of cultivating a community of film lovers in Singapore.
Cinema now, and beyond
Over a century has passed since the tented cinema debuted with its first screening in Singapore. The cinemas today not only face fierce competition from one another, the films they show must also outshine the huge selections from online streaming services.
That’s why independent venues such as The Projector, The Arts House, Alliance Francaise Cine Club, The Screening Room, The Substation, and Moving Image Gallery at SAM @ 8Q, offer unique genres of carefully curated films that are otherwise less accessible to the mainstream moviegoer.
From tented cinema to today’s indie art house theatres, the journey of Singapore’s big screens will continue to grow and evolve. What’s going to happen to our cinemas in the future? Let’s watch on.
