Sri Lankan film industry enters diamond era
E. Weerapperuma
We are in the final quarter of the year. This year marked the diamond
Jubilee of the Sinhala cinema and it is historically, socially and
culturally a very significant event, which invites us to travel through
the past to see whether the Sinhala cinema has grown old or has it grown
to be the cinema industry about which we could be proud of.
Masterpiece: Rekawa |
It is a paradox. Feelings are mixed and complicated, making it
impossible to give a straightforward answer. Looking through the mirror
of history one could see that there is a considerable growth and also a
lot of room for improvement.
It is also important to underline the fact that the Sinhala cinema
should avoid getting carried away by the aspects of western or some
aspects of the eastern cinema.
We should stop seeking talent from neighbouring countries as we have
a wealth of untapped resources and persons to make it indigenous without
giving room to unwarranted parties to pollute it. Dr. Lester James
Peries' Rekawa, still remains our role model, a masterpiece as I believe
it has understood the 'psyche' of the film going public both here and
over seas.
Rekawa is of paramount importance as it was a home-grown film. It
opened wide the scope of film making instead of being confined to the
studios, permanently brushing off the stain of the Madras mark, as the
breeding ground of Sinhala Cinema had taken away the national face of
our cinema from the very inception.
The present exercise is an attempt to delve into the past, to
understand the evolution of the Sinhala cinema. Many were the
difficulties, the Sinhala Cinema had to face right at the conceptual
level.
The history of Sinhala cinema would have been a different one and by
now would even have passed the diamond age. (The readers are welcome to
educate us with information they have to make this exercise a success.
We invite them to be brief and to the point as space is a premium).
Critics of the Sinhala cinema have pointed out that those who entered
the field to invest money on films saw the making of films as one other
lucrative business, and the motive behind their investment was financial
gain.
The purpose of investment was predominantly commercial. One could
verify this statement perusing through the pages of Sinhavalokanaya(Life
Story of Lester James Peries by Asanka Sayakkara, Stamford
Publication-2004; and A.D.Ranjith Kumara's Ada Siyawasaka Ridee Reykawa,
a publication of the Fast Publishing (Pvt) Ltd, - 2006. The OCIC
Chitrapata Varshikaya - 1974 edited by Rev.Fr. Ernest Poruthota also
throws light in this regard).
The pages of these books speak of hardships, rejections and
humiliations the Sinhala Cinema had to face at the hands of those who
thought only of accumulating wealth, in arriving at the "prestigious"
position the Sinhala Cinema enjoys today.
It is also equally important to examine the period prior to 1947. The
fate of films such as Lanka Geethaya, Rajakeeya Wickremaya or Shantha
need our thoughtful attention in the process of developing an indigenous
cinema.
LANKA GEETHAYA (1935), a documentary filmed by Basil Wright, a
British National was considered the best and finest documentary in the
World Cinema. Even Professors like Roger Manuel have commended it.
Although we refer to the film " Kadawuna Poronduwa" (1947) as the
first speech and sound film produced in our country, turning the pages
of our cinema history we see that the film as an industry was taking
shape as far back as 1925. One of our former Finance Ministers and
leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party Dr.N.M.Perera came to the silver
screen as an actor playing a role in "Rajakeeya Wickramaya" directed by
T.A.J.Noorbraphy, a silent film produced in this country.
Of course Sri Lankans were not fortunate enough to see that film as
after the screening of that film both in Bombay and Singapore, the reel
containing this film is said to have been burnt and it was alleged that
some sinister hand behind its destruction.
To be continued
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