Saint Jack (1979), 115 mins, M18
+ Architectural Talk by Lai Chee Kien, 45 mins

Timing: Sunday, 5 May | 4pm
Venue: The Projector, Golden Mile Tower
Fee: $10
Registration Link: https://shf24saintjack.peatix.com

Peter Bogdanovich’s film, based on a novel by Paul Theroux (father of Louis, uncle of Justin), was filmed entirely on location in Singapore in 1978, and would later be banned here for nearly three decades for its “negative” portrayal of the city-state. Today, the film – about an American pimp (Ben Gazzara) struggling to make an ‘honest’ living among gangsters and spies – is a remarkable document of Singapore in the 1970s, stuffed with authentic performances, locations, accents, dialogue, clothes and haircuts. This is the first time it’s screened at The Projector and is a homage to the cinema’s latter-day history as the adults-only Golden Theatre.

We’ll follow the screening with a talk from architectural and urban historian Lai Chee Kien, about the places and spaces featured in the film and their historical and cultural significance.

Chee Kien researches histories of art, architecture, settlements, urbanism and landscapes in Southeast Asia. He’s authored many publications, including recently Early Hawkers of Singapore: 1920s and 1930s (2020). He is presently the Vice-President of the Society of Architectural and Urban Historians of Asia.

Part of the programme Cinema Reclaimed: DREAM PALACES.