1901 marked the introduction of film to Sri Lanka (then
called Ceylon) when a film was shown for the first time in the country at a
private screening for the British governor West Ridgeway and prisoners of the
Second Boer War. It was a short film that documented the British victory in the
Boer War, the burial of Queen Victoria and the coronation of Edward VII. More
English screenings followed and attracted British settlers and Anglicized
Sinhalese.
Cinema in Sri Lanka became a public affair due to the efforts
of Warwick Major, an Englishman who developed "bioscope" showings.
These were films screened out in open areas and makeshift tents. The first
permanent theaters were built by Madan Theaters in 1903. The company showed
Indian films and achieved success, prompting the development of theaters by the
rival Olympia.
In 1925 Rajakeeya Wickremaya (Royal Adventure) became the
first film to be made in Sri Lanka. Dr. N.M. Perera played the lead in the film
which was shown in India and Singapore. However this film reels got burnt
before they were shown in Sri Lanka. In 1933 the film Paliganeema was screened
in Colombo.
During the 1920s and 1930s films with American stars like
Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Rudolph Valentino, and Douglas
Fairbanks, Jr. were popular in Sri Lanka. The Shiek and The Thief of Bagdad
were especially popular. in 1932, the first sound film to be screened was shown
at the Regal Cinema, titled "The Dream." By the 1930s Indian films
started to surpass English films in popularity. Bilwa Mangal set an early
record for Sri Lankan box office earning.
The beginnings of cinemas spread was seen when the Indian
Madan circuit established Elphinstone cinema in Colombo as a part of his
extensive cinema chain in Asia. Empire cinema, which became the longest
functioning cinema in Sri Lanka was established in 1915 and continued to
function till 2003 when it was demolished to make way for a commercial building
in Colombo
Inauguration (1947)
South Indian producer S. M. Nayagam played an important role
in the development of the first Sri Lankan film. In 1945, Nayagam founded a
company named Chitrakala Movietone and constructed a studio in Madurai, India
for the purpose of making a Sinhala film. After considering several options, he
decided to build the film around the historical love story of Saliya and
Asokamala and held a contest to find a suitable screenplay; the winner was
budding artist Shanthi Kumar. Due to disagreements however this project fell
through and Nayagam broke a deal with dramatist B. A. W. Jayamanne to film his
popular play Kadawunu Poronduwa.
Shanthi Kumar determined to film his script left Nayagam's
company and convinced the Ceylon Theaters group to fund his film. Faced with a
more daunting task of putting together the film from scratch, the Ashokamala
project began filming in Coimbatore about two months after the production of
Kadawunu Poronduwa had initiated. Naygam's film would win out screening at the
Mylan Theater on January 21, 1947. Ashokamala was screened three months later
in April 1947 at the Elphinstone Theater. Both films were popular with
audiences but derided by critics who found them to be derivative of South
Indian cinema.
Primitive stage (1947–1955)
Following the success of Kadawunu Poronduwa, B. A. W.
Jayamanne produced a string of popular movies based on his plays. These were
Kapati Arakshakaya, Weradunu Kurumanama (1948), Hadisi Vinischaya (1950, first
film directed by Jayamanne; he handled the post on all his subsequent films),
Sangavunu Pilithura (1951), Umathu Wishwasaya (1952), Kele Handa (1953),
Iranganie (1954), Mathabedaya (1954), Daiva Wipakaya (1956), Wanaliya (1958),
Hadisi Vivahaya (1959), Kawata Andare (1960), Jeewithe Pujawa (1961), Mangalika
(1963) and Magul Poruwa (1967; completed after his death by another director).
Jayamanne mostly adhered to a formula derived from South Indian cinema and
didn't contribute to the development of artistic film. Most of his films
featured the couple Rukmani Devi and Eddie Jayamanne (though never as lovers on
screen) which allowed them to become the first stars of Sri Lankan cinema.
Following the dawn of independence, Sri Lanka instituted
restrictions on travel to and from India causing Nayagam to move his business
into the island to cut costs. He purchased land outside of Kandana and built
the Sri Murugan Navakala studios (later known as the S. P. M. studios) which
would for a time be the most developed studio in the country. His first
production was Banda Nagarayata Pamine (1952) which was successful among local
audiences. It was the first locally produced Sinhalese film though in technique
it still remained South Indian. Nayagam followed the film with Prema Tharangaya
(1953) and Ahankara Sthree (1954). Due to the low quality of the studio (Nayagam
resisted buying high tech equipment), these films failed to match the standards
of Bollywood imports. They were also highly formulaic based extensively on
South Indian cinema (the technicians were all from India) featuring a
combination of exaggerated melodrama, lowbrow comedy, scuffles and dance numbers.
Of the few filmmakers interested in pursuing a truly
indigenous art form in these early years, Sirisena Wimalaweera was the most
prominent. In his work, Wimalaweera consulted Sri Lankan history for his themes
basing movies around historical characters like King Asoka, who oversaw the
introduction of Buddhism to the island and Saradiel, a Robin Hood-like
character.
K. Gunaratnam was another major producer in this period
breaking into the scene with the technically skilled Sujatha made at the state
of the art Modern Theaters studio in Salem, India. It was highly successful and
influenced popular cinema over the following decade. It was revolutionary in
its high production values and incorporation of North Indian cinema into the
accepted South Indian model. Still it failed to capture the true nature of
Sinhalese life or create anything uniquely Sri Lankan.
The Change - Rekava (1956)
In 1956 documentary filmmaker Lester James Peries and his
fellow film technicians William Blake and Titus Thotawatte broke away from the
Government Film Unit to produce what they hoped would be a truly Sinhalese film
that would revolutionize Sri Lankan cinema. In all facets of the creation of
Rekava, the trio strayed from tradition shooting completely outside of the
studio, creating an original story with no basis in literary or historical
material and utilizing a mostly inexperienced cast (with a few exceptions i.e.
D. R. Nanayakkara).
The story paid great attention to Sinhalese village life
giving equal time to marriage traditions, village customs and folk beliefs in a
non obstructive documentary-esque manner. The main plot revolved around a young
boy named Sena who becomes touted as a miracle worker after he is said to cure
the blindness of his friend Anula. Though some viewed the plot as a bit naive
due to the filmmakers being from the city and the attribution of superstition
belief in an exaggerated manner to village folk, it was a critical success and
was shown at the Cannes International Film Festival drawing praise from foreign
critics. It is widely considered in Sri Lanka to be the birth of true Sinhala
cinema. Audiences at the time were unresponsive however and the film was a box
office failure. They were unaccustomed to the documentary like nature of the
film and its avoidance of common melodramatic features common in cinema of the
time. The lack of a major romantic plot for example was a grievance to some.
Following the Change
(1957–1963)
Popular film continued in the Indian mould. There was great
interest in the cinema. The Sinhala daily, "Lankadipa' launched the first
Film Festival where "Deepasika" awards were given out.
Though Rekava failed to influence popular cinema which
continued to imitate Indian cinema, it did draw out the efforts of some small
independent filmmakers who coalesced into units. The most important group in
this period, Kurulu Rana, was led by screenwriter P. K. D. Seneviratne,
producer John Amaratunga and actress Punya Heendeniya.
Amaratunga in his pursuit to follow up Rekava came across
Seneviratne's radio drama Kurulubedde and enlisted him to adapt it into a film.
Though it maintained certain formulaic elements, the film was free of overt
Indian influence and contained various elements of Sinhalese culture. Actress
Punya Heendeniya broke ground in her role portraying a truly Sinhalese
character in contrast with the female roles of popular films modeled after
Indian actresses. It was a critical success within Sri Lanka and was praised
for its realistic portrayal of Sinhala village life. The group followed up with
the thematically similar Sikuru Tharuwa in 1963.
At this time, the Government Film Unit productions were
making their mark, particularly, Pragnasoma Hettiarchi's "Makers, Material
and Motiffs" which won the Gold Medal at Venice International Film
Festival in 1952. Hettiarchi was to repeat this feat again in 1972 with
"Centenary of Ceylon Tea".
Gamperaliya (1963)
In 1963, Lester James Peries with the help of producer Anton
Wickremasinghe made and released Gamperaliya based on a novel by critically
acclaimed writer Martin Wickramasinghe. Starring Punya Heendeniya, Henry
Jayasena and Gamini Fonseka. It was a turning point in Sri Lankan cinema doing
away with all formulaic elements (songs, dance, comic relief and fights)
present in popular cinema and achieving commercial success. It proved the
viability of artistic cinema in the country and gave Sri Lankan cinema a before
absent sense of prestige when Producer Anton Wicremasinghe was awarded the
Golden Peacock Award and the Critics' Prize at the Third International Film
Festival held in New Delhi and the Golden Head of Palanque at the Eighth World
Review of Film Festivals held in Acapulco, Mexico.
Commercial- Popular Cinema (1964–1970)
The success of Gamperaliya changed the course of Sri Lankan
cinema significantly. Following its release, many films attempted to adapt the
realistic style of the film and took up location shooting previously shunned.
Seneviratne again emerged in this period with a script about
village life titled Parasathu Mal. This time he had the support of the wealthy producer
Chitra Balasooriya who would not fall prey to financial difficulties
encountered by Amaratunga. Balasooriya was deeply interested in creating an
artistic film in the vein of Gamperaliya and enlisted Lester's wife Sumithra
Peries as technical director and gave the budding actor Gamini Fonseka a chance
to direct. Fonseka had served in a similar capacity on Rekawa. Also among the
crew was cameraman Sumitta Amarsinghe who had trained with the Government Film
Unit (GFU) and was adapt at outdoor shooting. The film would be a critical and
popular success.
Serendib Productions responded to the artistic mood in the
air in 1965 with Saravita starring a comedic actor, Joe Abeywickrema, for the
first time in Sri Lankan cinema. It dealt with slum life and the criminal
element within it and was awarded most of the national awards that year for
film. Titus Thotawatte who had broken away from Lester James Peries after
Sandesaya directed Chandiya the same year avoiding overt crudities prevalent in
the action genre made within the country.
G. D. L. Perera with his Kala Pela Society headed in a
radically different way in this period dealing with rural life with his first
film "Sama"
Siri Gunasinghe's Sath Samudura released in 1966 was the
biggest critical success in the wake of Gamperaliya. The film was praised for
its realistic portrayal of a fishing community and acting from a cast that
included Denawaka Hamine, Edmund Wijesinghe and Cyril Wickremage. Also drawing
acclaim were Gunasinghe's novel film techniques such as his extensive use of
close-ups. Working close with Gunasinghe on the script and the direction was
Vasantha Obeysekera. The editing and photography was handled by D. B.
Nihalsinghe. Both would go on to be major filmmakers on their own.
GDL Perera's "Sama" was followed by a film on
contemporary city settings in Dahasak Sithuvili. GDL joined up with the D.B.
Nihalsingha's famously fluid hand-held camera work of the "Sath
Samudura" fame, utilizing subjective camera and a sepiatone filter for the
first time in Sri Lankan cinema. Perera and his group had first came to fame
with Saama, a stylized but faithful observance of village life.
Other major films of this period include the debut
directorial efforts of Obeysekera (Vesgatho) and Nihalsinghe lanadmark film,
(Welikathara).
"Welikathara" was Tissa Abeysekara's first
screenplay- he was billed as "Additional Dialolgue Writer" up to that
time. Nihalsingha's recognition of Tissa Abeysekara's superlative writings
skills launched him on a career as the foremost screenplay writer in Sri Lanka.
"Welikathara" was to become one of the 10 top films of Sri Lankan
cinema. Nihalsingha's refershingly fluid camera work was noted by this time. He
combined the facets of Direction, Cinematography and Editing in
"Welikathara" to create an epic in CinemaScope for the first time in
Sri Lanka."Welikatara" was to become one of the "10 Best"
films of Sri Lanka.
An independent student production overseen by Ranjith Lal
(Nim Wallala), songwriter Mahagama Sekera's autobiographical effort (Tun Man
Handiya), the maiden production of Piyasiri Gunaratne (Mokade Une) and
Sugathapala Senerath Yapa's Hanthane Kathawa which introduced the to be matinee
idol Vijaya Kumaratunga
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