National Film Corporation’s freshly built theatre was swarming with movie enthusiasts on January 21 to give ear to Satischandra Edirisinghe’s thoughts on Sinhala Cinema. With Sinhala cinema turning 62, Edirisinghe is able to sit back with the industry’s seasoned generation.
The evening stirred exotic memories of a classic era with both Satischandra’s filmic thoughts and Tissa Nagodavithana’s lengthy documentary that scanned the local reel from 1947 to 1968.
Satis, as he is fondly nicknamed in the art circle, was Judas in Christu Charitaya, ‘The Christ’, co-starring Vijaya Kumaratunga. His superb performance as the legendary character epitomizes the biblical betrayal. Tissa Nagodavithana’s initials intrude on the beauty of old hits. This is however a drop in the ocean thinking of Nagodavithana’s unsurpassed contribution by preserving the old classics.
Satis likened the cinema history to Mahawamsa account of Lanka. Mahawamsa does not traverse beyond Kuveni’s era. What Kuveni was occupied with when Vijaya landed in, gives a hint on an uncharted rich history.
The Sinhala cinema, in the same track, would not have had Kadavunu Poronduwa, the Broken Promise, just fallen from the skies. Satis took the grandstand back to 1930s, that era when the Leftist hardliner Dr N M Perera performed in Rajakeeya Vikramaya, the ‘Royal Adventure’. It is the bygone tale of a conspiracy of film burned to ashes in India.
“Wouldn’t it have been better to have the cinema inaugurated with ‘Royal Adventure’ rather than ‘Broken Promise’? But we had to face the inevitable.”
Broken Promise, positively or negatively, stepped into Sinhala cinema for record’s sake. It created history, which should be studied before kicking around future. When Dudley Senanayake ruled the country, those were Satis’ young days. Some movie magnates had seen Senanayake to have a talk on cinema developments.
The Premier had the nerve to say that he had more important things to think of than cinema, and of course he paid the price for being that blunt: his opponent Mrs. B. had the blessings of the country’s arts scene. Satis’ stage whispers are all this and then some.
Satis then started on a school for performance. “I remember how the late Professor Sarachchandra kept on penning and speaking about a school for performance. We are a decade ahead of his death, and still we talk about a school.”
Satis had something for Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma as well: mini-theatres. “I have seen many foreign stations having mini-theatres with a large wall clock for people keep watch on train schedules. You can take left-behind cabins for this purpose. You can show old movies too. In a way it ensures passenger safety.”
The documentary on cinema history should have been a better production, while Chairman Jayantha Dharmadasa, Consultant T M Sanghadasa and Tissa Nagodavithana should have a pat on back for the effort.
The documentary kicked off with a fascinating scene from the 62-year old Kadavunu Poronduwa, and was on for well over two hours with film chunks up to 1968. Documentary should have easily covered the movie timeline up to 2008; only if the number of films a year were cut down and some episodes were shortened. So much the better if a few minutes were offered to Dr. Lester James Peries’ Rekhava as well.
The souvenir issued by the corporation to commemorate the anniversary is a resourceful guide with rare information provided by Nuwan Nayanajith. The back cover brings in the new era’s symbol for 2009 with its portrayal of Sanath Gunathilake’s latest movie Ekamath Eka Rataka, ‘Once upon a country’.
Corporation’s Consultant T M Sanghadasa made a few references to Mahinda Chinthana’s cinema policies. Businessmen burdened with annual tax over Rs. 2-lakhs will be relieved when they invest on a film production, is one option.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/01/26/fea20.asp
