Saint Jack: Thanks for Coming!

Hello all! Jeremy and I would like to thank everyone who came earlier tonight for Saint Jack! We were really happy with the turn-out, and the post-film chat. Thanks also to Ben who shared very interesting anecdotes about the film with us, and to Lucas who moderated the session!

We also hoped that you enjoyed the film, and will come back for more in the weeks to come (hehe).

As this marked the first time the film series has been held in PGP, we hope you'll forgive us for any minor hiccups - looks like the bring-your-own-cushion idea largely fell through!

In any case, do let us know if you have any feedback about the session: from the room, to the seating arrangements, to the programme booklets - anything at all! Let us know by leaving a comment here, or emailing me at jeannetai@nus.edu.sg

For those who weren't able to attend, if you're still interested in watching Saint Jack, you can purchase the DVD from HMV outlets in Singapore. Alternatively, if you're a student at NUS, the Central Library stocks copies of the film, and you can watch it in the library's Multimedia room. In response to a question I was asked several times today, I'm afraid that the DVD does not contain an option for subtitles!

Ben Slater's book Kinda Hot: The Making of Saint Jack in Singapore is available in major bookstores like Borders and Kinokuniya. There's also a copy in the Singapore-Malaysian Collection of the NUS Central Library. Do check it out - it's a really fascinating read with lots of interesting trivia!

So thanks once again, and we hope to see you at future screenings! Watch this space for more news :)

Saint Jack Post-Film Discussion

Hi everybody,

For those who don't already know, we'll be screening 'Saint Jack' this coming Friday (28th Aug) at 7pm in PGP. We're really happy to have Ben Slater join us for what I'm sure will be a very interesting post-film discussion! The forum will also be moderated by Lucas Ho, an alumnus of USP, who recently graduated with an Honours in English Literature. Lucas did his Honours Thesis on expatriate literature in Singapore, and one of the texts he analyzed was 'Saint Jack'!

Anyway, have included a mini profile of Ben Slater below for all you out there who are interested. Be sure to come on Friday! :)


"Ben Slater is a writer who has been based in Singapore since 2002. He is the author of Kinda Hot: The Making of Saint Jack in Singapore, which Paul Theroux praised for its recreation of “a vanished world...the chaotic, seedy, exciting, even somewhat innocent and sensual atmosphere of a little island.” He is a guest film curator at the National Museum of Singapore and has advised on the screenplays for three completed feature films, including HERE (Singapore, 2009). He teaches two classes for NUS’s English department, and you can find his writings at www.gonetopersia.com "

Saint Jack

Saint Jack (1979)
"People make love for so many crazy reasons-- why shouldn't money be one of them?" - The Gospel According To Saint Jack

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and
Starring Ben Gazzara as Jack Flowers

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A brief synopsis:
Jack Flowers is a pimp in 1970s Singapore. A savvy expat hoping to make a living through the bustling multiracial, multicultural and deviant sex trades, he is both accepted and rejected by the local communities (and it is especially interesting to see which groups he identifies with).

But even while Jack dreams of running a brothel in a colonial bungalow (with peacocks strutting in the front lawn), the territorial Chinese triads have their eye on him....


Trivia:
Bogdanovich's Saint Jack is a movie adaptation of the 1973 novel of the same name by Paul Theroux. According to Wikipedia (the Matrix of all knowledge), until 2006, the film was the only Hollywood feature to be shot entirely in Singapore.

Interestingly, to get the contentious subject matter past the Singapore censors, the synopsis submitted to the authorities was markedly different from the actual movie produced. When the censors saw the final product they were so horrified that they banned it, allegedly on the basis of excessive nudity and coarse language. It has, however, been re-released in March 2006 as a M18 film.


Guest Speaker:

We are honoured to have Ben Slater speak to us about the film. Slater is the author of Kinda Hot--a book about the making of Saint Jack. (The book is in the Central Library!)
And here's his website:
http://www.kindahot.blogspot.com/

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And finally a teaser:
"Now what can you expect, a place that got started like that?"

Greetings!

... and welcome to the USP film series.

This year's series, Over Sex, comprises of a selection of movies from or about Singapore. Despite the tantalizingly suggestive title, we would like to assure (and hopefully--not disappoint) you that while sex is a common point of reference for the diverse films in our showcase (over sex); it is also a point of departure for each particular film in exploring various ideas about Singapore tangent to sex and sexuality (over sex). What we mean is, while almost all our films are M18--this isn't quite the Yangtze cinema.

An example? While our opening film Saint Jack is a narrative about a Caucasian pimp making a living in early 1970s Singapore, issues relating to "foreign talent", alienation, gender and fetishism are explored above and beyond the sex trade. (and also--the ghastly horror of 70s fashion, i.e. floral shirts and bell-bottomed jeans). More than just watching films together, we would like to hear from you too, about these depictions of Singapore. To that end, following each movie screening there will be a short forum session about the thematic or social issues raised in the films, with occasional guest speakers.

What did you think was important about the film, for example? Did it handle a certain issue well? And how did you feel about that freaky scene in Saint Jack with the two ladies naked dancing with the dyed afro hair and the scratchy vinyl voice of Shirley Bassey singing "Goldfinger" in the background to an entranced and baited audience of one (or many--film watchers?) Well, we are certain that having seen the films you'll have an opinion or other (on that, at least) that you'd desperately want to air :)


All necessary info is on the poster--We hope to see you there!

Your friendly film curators,
Jeremy and Jeanne.

PS: check out our Facebook group here