''It's a Great, Great World'' () is a Singaporean film directed by

Kelvin Tong Kelvin Tong Weng Kian (born in 1971 or 1972) is a Singaporean film director, screenwriter and producer. He was a former film critic for ''The Straits Times''. Career Kelvin's passion for theatre and filmmaking began in his secondary school d ...

. It is set in the

Great World Amusement Park The Great World Amusement Park () also known locally as "Tua Seh Kai" (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tōa sè-kài) in Hokkien, was the second of three former amusement parks in Singapore, along with New World (established 1923) and Gay World (established 1936 ...

and was released in Singapore cinemas on 27 January 2011. The film features an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

of local singers, established

MediaCorp Mediacorp Pte. Ltd. is the state media, state-owned media conglomerate of Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the investment arm of the Government of Singapore—it owns and operates television channels, radio, and digital media properties. ...

artistes, a number of celebrities from

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and ''

getai Getai () refers to boisterous live stage performances typically held during the Ghost Festival in the seventh lunar month and on the birthdays of Chinese deities. These shows typically last from 7.30pm to after 10pm and are commonly organised ...

'' group "Babes in the City". A notable feature of the film is the heavy use of the various

Chinese languages The Sinitic languages (), often synonymous with the Chinese languages, are a group of East Asian analytic languages that constitute a major branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is frequently proposed that there is a primary split b ...

native to the Singaporean Chinese population, including

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

, Teochew,

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

, and

Hainanese Hainanese ( Hainan Romanised: ''Hái-nâm-oe'', Hainanese Pinyin: ''Hhai3 nam2 ue1'', ), also known as Qiongwen (), Qiongyu () or Hainan Min () is a group of Min Chinese varieties spoken in the far southern Chinese island province of Hain ...

. Many actors had lines of dialogue in languages they were not familiar with.

Plot

Prologue

On 12 November 2010, photographer Min was helping their staffs clearing up Brilliant Pearl

photographic studio A photographic studio is often a business owned and represented by one or more photographers, possibly accompanied by assistants and pupils, who create and sell their own and sometimes others’ photographs. History Since the early years of th ...

for the closure before her trip to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. While retrieving vintage photos, she found a paper note dated back on 15 December 1978, the day of the closure of

coinciding the relocation of Brilliant Pearl; her uncle Wen recalled that it was written by her mother's old friend Goh Ah Beng, a former employer of Great World; she found his residential address through the phonebook. She paid a visit to Goh and showed some pictures.

Boo's photo

On 15 February 1958, British-American celebrity

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

visited Great World. Boo, a clown, was excited to meet her; however, his employer Tiger, rejected his leave; several employees resigned in protest of Boo, allowing him an opportunity to meet Taylor. The photographer took a picture of Taylor kissing a baby, whereas Boo obstructed the view to depict that Taylor kissed him, impressing his mother. Tiger retired from his career afterwards, and his show was renamed to Tiny Tot's. Min recall Goh was the owner selling

lok-lok Lok-lok is a dish consisting of various Hot pot, steamboat style foods inclusive of meats and vegetables that are served on a skewer in mobile form. It is a street food in Malaysia, in cities such as Malacca, Kuching, among others. See also * ...

until the park's closure which led to his eventual retirement. While Min help Goh repair the fan, she showed a second photo.

Meijuan's photo

Taken before Singapore's

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

, Meijuan, a patron who helped Goh's business, worked in carnival shooting, One night, Leong suddenly kissed her as a method to avoid detection while hiding from his father Yeo, a

liniment Liniment (from , meaning "to smear, Anointing, anoint"), also called embrocation and heat rub, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have a viscosity similar to that of water; others are lotion or balm; s ...

businessman, and on the next day, he invited her a ride aboard haunted train, where he was mocked for being cowardice. Ting, her colleague, told that the Yeo's will be moving back to Malaysia and the liniment was selling fast; Meijuan visited his stall only to find it was vacated, before seeing a television screen about

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean politician who ruled as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He is widely recognised ...

making his proclamation. A year later, Leong, now an officer and

Singaporean Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial-religious origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, m ...

, came back to see Meijuan and began their relationship. A factory producing liniments was formed upon their marriage, and was still operational. Min showed another picture which Goh quickly recognizes.

Rose's photo

Henry returned to Singapore to meet Rose, a famed performer at ''Flamingo'' for the first time in a decade; she gave a performance of "

Rose, Rose, I Love You "Rose, Rose, I Love You" () is a 1940 Mandarin popular song composed by Chen Gexin and first recorded by Yao Lee. An English-language version whose lyrics have little in common with the original Mandarin was first recorded by Frankie Laine in ...

" despite an earlier mishap and a scolding from her manager Peter. After her performance, she reveals her relationship after seeing Henry; he revealed on his experience being detained in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

for five years until the government's release. He then introduced his family of two children before leaving on his trip to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, leaving Rose to tender her resignation; however, her audience's

ovation The ovation ( from ''ovare'': to rejoice) was a lesser form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted when war was not declared between enemies on the level of nations or states; when an enemy was considered basely inferior (e.g., slaves, pira ...

and Peter's insistence led her to continue performing until the closure; Rose starts a relationship with Peter. Goh further noted how

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and supermarkets did contribute to the closure of ''Flamingo''. After Min finished repairing the fan, she showed another picture; Goh becomes emotional, before revealing that it was their wedding photo.

The wedding photo

On the day of the

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Goh and his

mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute, Mutes or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), ...

wife, Lian, were newlyweds and enjoyed a wedding dinner at Wing Choon Yuen (now called Spring Court). Several of Goh's relatives and guests became impatient due to the head cooks slacking, where their manager, Molly, reprimanded them. After the delivery man came to deliver fish, their cooks and patrons noticed a disturbance; an elderly came to inform that the Japanese forces had bombed

Keppel Harbour Keppel Harbour (; ), also called the Keppel Channel and formerly New Harbour, is a stretch of water in Singapore between the mainland and the southern islands of Pulau Brani and Sentosa (formerly Pulau Blakang Mati). Its naturally sheltered and de ...

. Frightened, but not in despair despite a

power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...

, the chefs diligently cooked their dishes and informed the patrons to prepare for the eventual event that was about to come. Lian then shared her feelings with Goh. Goh revealed that Lian was killed during the Japanese's occupation, and thanked Min for finding the photo. Goh reminded that these stories were in the past and eventually forget.

Epilogue

Min returned to the studio only to discover it was empty, as the photos have been moved. A family then arrived at the studio, prompting a passport photo for their daughter, which Min complied. Min cancels her trip in favour of Brilliant Pearl's legacy and business.

Cast

;Wraparound Story *

Yvonne Lim Yvonne Lim (born 28 September 1976) is a Singaporean actress. Early life and education Lim was born to Hokkien-speaking family. She studied at CHIJ St Theresa's Convent and graduated with a Diploma in Electronic, Computer, & Communication E ...

as Tan Ah Huay *

Ben Yeo Ben Yeo Chi Lung (born 23 September 1978) is a Singaporean television host, actor and businessman. Career A former model, Yeo was first scouted on ''Snap'', SPH MediaWorks Channel U's talent show. He won the competition and was signed by S ...

as Ah Siong *

Olivia Ong Olivia Ong (born 2 October 1985) is a Singaporean singer and actress. Most of her works are in English, but she has recorded songs in Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and Japanese. In her early career, she focused on singing jazz. Now she has mo ...

as Ah Min *

Nancy Sit Nancy Sit Ka-yin ( zh, 薛家燕; born 30 March 1950) is a Hong Kong actress on the TVB network. Her acting career dated back to the 1960s, when she was a popular teen idol alongside Connie Chan Po-chu, and Josephine Siao. Sit recorded many ...

as Mrs Tan * Anna Lin Ruping as Ah Beng's neighbour *

Chew Chor Meng Chew Chor Meng (born 20 November 1968) is a Singaporean actor, television host and businessman. He is one of the first batch of actors to receive the Star Awards for All-Time Favourite Artiste in 2004. Career Chew started his career in show ...

as Goh Ah Beng *

Emma Yong Emma Yong Oi-Mun (楊愛曼, 20 January 1975 – 2 May 2012) was a Singaporean actress and singer. She was an actress for MediaCorp from the late 1990s until her death. She appeared in the film, '' The Blue Mansion'', in 2009 and she was in ...

as Mother at Photo Studio ;Boo's photo *

Henry Thia Henry Thia Hiok Hui (born 25 February 1952), also known as Alamak and Hui Ge (), is a Singaporean actor and comedian. Career Thia was a member of the main cast of ''Comedy Nite'' throughout its run, having the opportunity to work with both Ja ...

as Ah Boo *

Lai Meng Datuk Lai Kwai Yoon (; 29 September 1928 - 6 May 2018), known professionally as Lai Meng (), was a Malaysian actress. She appeared in many Malaysian and Singaporean films and TV shows, notably ''Empat Sekawan'', ''Ah Long Pte Ltd'', ''Money N ...

as Ah Boo's mother *

Chen Tianwen Chen Tianwen (born 28 May 1963) is a Singaporean actor. Career Chen was educated at the now-defunct Serangoon Garden Secondary Technical School. He joined the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (now Mediacorp) after completing the 5th a ...

as a

Bellboy A bellhop (North America), or hotel porter (international), is a hotel employee who helps patrons with their luggage while checking in or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform, like certain other page boys or doormen. This occupation is also known ...

* Tay Yin Yin as Ang Moh * Sam Tseng as Tiger *

Gurmit Singh Gurmit Singh (born 24 March 1965; ; ) is a Singaporean actor, comedian and host. He was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1994 to 2014. He is best known for his role as the titular character Phua Chu Kang in ''Phua Chu Kang Pte Lt ...

as a

Security Guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, factory guard, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) ...

*Kelly Schuster as

;Meijuan's photo *

Joanne Peh Joanne Peh Wei Siew (born 25 April 1983) is a Singaporean actress and television host. She is married to Singapore-based Chinese actor Qi Yuwu. Life and career After winning the title of Miss Elegant and Miss Personality in Miss Singapore ...

as Mei Juan *

John Cheng John Cheng Yeow Nam (also credited as Zhong Yao Nan; known in entertainment circle as Ah Mong, Ah Nan, or Ah Nam; 26 December 1961 – 22 January 2013), also known as Ang Tai Mong, was a Singaporean actor and Getai compere who made his screen ...

as Yeo, an oil seller * Zhang Zhenhuan as Ah Leong, Yeo's son * Justin Ang as an

Ah Beng ''Ah Beng'' () is a pejorative term applied to describe an anti-social lower-class youth in Malaysia and Singapore who displays common characteristics such as having dyed hair, wearing loud fashion, playing loud music in public and being less e ...

Ng Hui Ng Hui (born 22 July 1979) is a Singaporean educator, former actress and television host. She was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 2000 to 2012. Early life Ng attended Jin Shan Primary School, Raffles Girls' Secondary School and H ...

as Ah Ting *

Zheng Geping Zheng Geping (born Edmund Tay Kok Peng on 27 May 1964), formerly known as Zheng Guoping, is a Singaporean actor, executive producer and businessman. He has appeared in several MediaCorp Channel 8 television series. He left MediaCorp in 2023. ...

ghost train ride A dark ride—or ghost train when horror themed—is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects. Appearing as early a ...

operator ;Rose's photo *

Xiang Yun Xiang Yun (born Chen Cuichang on 27 October 1961) is a Singaporean actress and television host. She is commonly referred to as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" (senior actress) for being among the first locally trained artistes and has been in the ent ...

as Rose *

Paige Chua Paige Chua Qi Hui (born 25 June 1981) is a Singaporean actress and television host. Early life Chua was born in Singapore on 25 June 1981. She attended Mayflower Secondary School and Serangoon Junior College before graduating from the Nat ...

as Mu Dan *Babes in the City *

Huang Wenyong Huang Wenyong (25 July 1952 – 20 April 2013) was a Malaysia-born Singaporean actor, host and teacher. Huang died at the Singapore General Hospital at around 5 pm (GMT+8) on 20 April 2013, at the age of 60 due to lymphoma. Early lif ...

as Peter * Guo Liang as Henry * Vincent Tee as Towkay at Nightclub ;The wedding photo *

Chen Shucheng Chen Shucheng (born Tan Soo Seng on 21 October 1949) is a Singaporean actor and television host. He is one of Mediacorp's few artistes still active from the " black and white TV" era. Career Acting Chen joined Mediacorp Mediacorp Pte. L ...

as Towkay Lim *

Apple Hong Apple Hong (born 31 October 1978) is a Malaysian-born Singaporean actress, host, businesswoman and singer. She was a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1999 to 2011 but continues to film on an ad-hoc basis. Early life Hong was born in Kuala Lump ...

as Lim Bee Lian *

Bryan Wong Bryan may refer to: Places in the United States * Bryan, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Ohio, a city * Bryan, Texas, a city * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town * Bryan County, Georgia ...

as Ah Kiang *

Zhang Yaodong Zhang Yaodong (born Teoh Yeow Tong on 17 December 1977) is a Malaysian actor and businessman based in Singapore. Career Zhang entered the entertainment industry after finishing first runner-up in the Malaysian edition of talent-search cont ...

as Ah Dong *

Marcus Chin Marcus Chin On Kang (born 22 September 1953) is a Singaporean host, actor, comedian, singer, radio DJ, and businessman. Career Chin joined the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation during the 1970s. During the 1990s, he was mainly known for star ...

as Ah Chuen (head chef) *

Kym Ng Kym Ng Kwee Khim (born 1 July 1967) is a Singaporean television host and actress. She is known as one of Mediacorp's Variety Ah Jies (综艺阿姐). Ng has received numerous accolades locally and regionally. At the Star Awards, she was rec ...

as Molly *

Ix Shen Ix Shen (born 11 March 1972), also known as Shen Qing, is a Singaporean actor and film production crew. He was based in Ukraine when Russia invaded the country in 2022, and was known to provide first-hand accounts via the Internet. Career Shen ...

as Delivery Man *

Dennis Chew Dennis Chew Chong Kheng (born 15 August 1973), also known as Zhou Chongqing, is a Singaporean radio deejay, actor, variety show host, businessman and singer. Chew is known for playing Aunty Lucy, a character which requires him to cross-dress ...

as Aunty Lucy *

Kimberly Chia Kimberly Chia Jing Yi (born 7 August 1995) is a Singaporean actress. Early life and education Chia graduated from Compassvale Secondary School in 2011. Whilst she had wanted to study at LASALLE College of the Arts upon graduating, having r ...

as Ah Luan *

Benjamin Heng Benjamin Heng (born 1976) is a Singaporean actor, known for starring in the romantic action film '' Eating Air'', the comedy film '' Lelio Popo'', and in the horror comedy film '' Zombiepura'', as well as in several television series, such as ...

as Ah Ting's boyfriend *

Ken Kwek Ken Kwek (born 7 May 1979) is a Singaporean screenwriter, director, playwright and author. His short film compendium, ''Sex.Violence.FamilyValues'', was banned by the Singapore and Malaysian governments in 2012. His first feature film ''Unluc ...

as Kitchen Helper

Reception

As at 21 February 2011, the movie has earned more than S$2 million at the Singapore box office and attained viewership of 250,000.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:It's A Great, Great World 2011 films Singaporean comedy films Singaporean drama films Cultural depictions of Elizabeth Taylor 2010s English-language films Films set in Singapore Films set in the 20th century Films set in 1941 Films set in 1958 Films set in 1965 Films set in 1978 Films set in 2010 Films set in the 1960s Films set in the 1970s Films about World War II alternate histories Films set in amusement parks Films about photography