Lion City (1960) is a black and white film by director Yi Sui that was produced and shot entirely in Singapore. The 105 minute Mandarin film from the famed Cathay Keris Studio has English subtitles. The synopsis says it

“looked at Singapore with a new eye, featuring long panoramas of the city’s modern landscape, seen either from the top of the first high-rise buildings or from atop Mount Faber. Lion City documents the process of modernisation and social changes taking place then, making it a highly valuable record of Singapore in 1960.”

While the reviews I encountered online are generally unenthusiastic about the plot (e.g. see Yawning Bread) the scenes of old Singapore have been given the thumbs up by a grateful heritage crowd. Email chatter suggests these include the Esplanade, Padang, City Hall, Anderson Bridge, Singapore River, twakows, tongkangs, Merdeka Bridge, Kallang, Sentosa, Mount Faber and the Causeway.

The film is still being screened at Sinema Old School at these dates and times, but always check Sinema’s Lion City webpage for current listings:

• May 8, 2008 – 7:00 pm
• May 10, 2008 – 9:00 pm
• May 16, 2008 – 9:00 pm
• May 17, 2008 – 5:00 pm
• May 23, 2008 – 3:00 pm
• May 29, 2008 – 3:00 pm
• May 30, 2008 – 7:00 pm

Sinema Old School is located at 11b Mount Sophia Road, Old School #B1-12.