Celluloid Singapore is a ground-breaking study of the three major
periods in Singapore's fragmented cinema history, namely the golden age
of the 1950s and 60s, the post-studio 1970s, and the revival from the
1990s onwards. Set against the context of Singapore's own trajectory of
development, the book poses two central questions: how can the films of
each period be considered 'Singapore' films, and how is this cinema
specifically national? The book argues that the films of these three
periods collectively constitute a national cinema through different
performances of Singapore, offering a critical framework for
understanding this cinema and its history in relation to the development
of the country and the national.