Thanks to Yesterday.sg, I had the opportunity to attend a special screening of It’s a Great Great World 《大世界》 at the National Museum of Singapore on the evening of Friday, 11 February 2011. 200 Facebook fans were invited to attend the event.
It started to pour when I was making my way to the Museum. Why does it always rain on movie event days? (See Tron: Legacy post.)
Anyways, the good folks at Yesterday.sg had a wonderful program planned for the evening! Registration started at 6:00pm right outside the Gallery Theatre at the Basement of the Museum.
The first 100 fans to register received a goodie bag each! :)
Each bag contains a sticker pack and two buttons.
Everyone was also required to wear the I ❤ Museums lanyard, which I thought is pretty cool! ;) Here’s mine. Took this photo myself whilst I was wearing the lanyard (which explains the strange angle!).
After registering, we were each given a worksheet (I honestly thought I would never have to use this word again in my adult lifetime) for the treasure hunt! The treasure hunt took place at the Living Gallery between 6:00pm to 7:00pm. There were a few questions on the worksheet accompanied by pictures of specific exhibits. Participants were required to visit the galleries in order to find out the answers to the respective questions. It was good fun!
Along the way, I managed to snap a couple of pics. Although everyone was rushing about trying to complete the worksheet, they were all smiles and I spotted people helping one another out. :)
Here are our completed worksheets! I know, I know… my handwriting is hideous! My Tort Law tutor once remarked that I’ve got “a doctor’s handwriting” but if you ask me, I would say it’s still legible. :P The pen’s given together with the worksheet, btw. It has “National Heritage Board” printed on the cap. (Random fact about me: A few years ago, I had wanted to apply to work with the National Heritage Board.)
We completed the treasure hunt in about half an hour. I took some more photos of the Museum’s interior. Honestly, the National Museum is one of the most beautiful places in Singapore.
A dinner reception was held between 7:00pm to 8:15pm.
There was a spread of local fare, including the likes of mee siam, fried carrot cake, kacang putih, curry puffs, and kueh. Believe it or not, until that evening, I have never tried putu mayam. It was one of the many occasions during which I proclaim, “I have been living under a rock!” and realise that I can’t quite consider myself a true Singaporean given my sparse knowledge of local delights.
At 8:15pm, we entered the Gallery Theatre for pre-movie prize-giving (remember the treasure hunt?). A live draw was conducted (participants with correct answers to all the questions each stood a chance to win a prize) – prizes included limited edition notebooks, thumb drives, and CapitaLand vouchers! Yours truly was one of the lucky winners (although my handwriting was horrible!). :)
Screening commenced at 8:30pm. I’ve seen the movie trailer and heard so many good things about it!
The plot revolves around the now defunct amusement park, Great World (commonly known as “Tua Seh Kai” in the Hokkien dialect). The film recaps four unique stories of those who worked at Great World during the period spanning 1940s through 1970s. Watch as MediaCorp artistes speak in various dialects! I was very amused; thought that was a refreshing change from the perfect Mandarin / English on television.
Some of the memorable scenes which got the audience roaring with laughter included:-
- kebab seller (portrayed by Chew Chor Meng) announcing that his kebabs could revive the dead, amongst other exaggerated claims (in Hokkien, no less);
- a kitchen scene wherein Bryan Wong and Zhang Yaodong spoke the Hainanese dialect. Thinking that Marcus Chin could only speak and understand Cantonese, the two spoke ill of him in Hainanese and it turned out that Marcus Chin understood and spoke Hainanese too!;
- a scene in the amusement park’s ghost tram ride during which Zhang Zhen Huan got the shock of his life and screamed because of a prank Joanne Peh played on him (the former was then chided by Zheng Geping for squealing like a girl); and
- Aunty Lucy (Zhou Chongqing) speaking in Hakka, informing the rest that the Japanese were invading Singapore. No one else understood Hakka so it took them a while to figure out what she was trying to say!
Through the film, I learnt a great deal about Great World (I have never heard of it prior to watching the movie) and IMO, the all-star cast did an excellent job in this collaborated effort, portraying the ups and downs of the various characters so well, bringing tears to the eyes (from laughing too much and from sadness).
If I had to describe the show in one word, hilarious would be it. I was smiling even after I exited the theatre… all the way home! XD I think our parents should definitely catch this flick. ;)
The event ended at 10:00pm sharp. I think it was a great success!
A big THANK YOU to the lovely people at Yesterday.sg for all the hard work! Do drop by their Facebook page to show your support. :)
J
Tags: Amusement park, Aunty Lucy, 《大世界》, Basement, Bryan Wong, Buttons, Cantonese, Chew Chor Meng, Costumes, Dinner, Events, Exhibitions, Fabrics, Facebook, Facebook fans, Food, Fried carrot cake, Gallery Theatre, Goodie bag, Great World, Hainanese, Hakka, Handwriting, Hokkien, I Love Museums, It's a Great Great World, Joanne Peh, Kacang Putih, Kym Ng, Lanyards, Living Gallery, Marcus Chin, MediaCorp, Mee siam, Movies, Museums, National Heritage Board, National Museum of Singapore, Notebooks, Prize, Prizes, Putu mayam, Reception, Siew mai, Singapore, Snacks, Stickers, Teochew, Thrills, Thumb drive, Treasure hunt, Tron, Tron: Legacy, Tua Seh Kai, Wins, Worksheet, Yesterday.sg, Zhang Yaodong, Zhang Zhen Huan, Zhou Chongqing
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