UY, Richard @ Ricky Uy
Singapore Film Industry,
Accession Number 002324
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 6
Total Reels
- Lynette Tan
Interviewer
- 02:50:09
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Copyright Notice
All rights to the recordings and transcripts on this website, including the rights to copy, publish, broadcast and perform, are reserved. Written permission is required for any use. If you have any queries, please contact nas@nlb.gov.sg
Reel/Disc 1 of 6
Metadata
- 3 May 2001
Recording Date
- 00:29:58
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Ricky Uy began the interview with information about his family background and place of birth, and the reason why he left China. His recollections about being educated in British Hong Kong. His first experiences of going to the movies, and the kinds of films that he watched most frequently. The quota system that was enforced in Hong Kong regarding British movies - and the difference between local and imported films. The interview focused more specifically with his perspective of the American Western, as compared with Hong Kong productions. The dominance of the American product as compared with local film productions. The screening schedule of local productions, particularly in the late 1960s. Shaw Brothers as the MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) of Asia.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 6
Metadata
- 3 May 2001
Recording Date
- 00:29:02
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Success of Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers and its maintenance of a cinema circuit that included Singapore and Malaysia. Dominance of Shaw and its influence on all film industries in the Far East. Shaw as a dominant player in Singapore. Vertical integration as practiced by the studio. Social experience of going to the movies. Competition from television in the early 1970s. His first involvement in the movie industry - in distribution. Types of audiences that he encountered.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 6
Metadata
- 5 Sep 2001
Recording Date
- 00:25:40
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*A continuation of his initial involvement with the industry, how he was employed. Relevance of his educational background. Kind of training that he went through. People he assisted in the industry, and the role and duties that he was given. Shaw Brother's operations in Singapore. People who influenced him in the early part of his film career. How he made an assessment of the potential box-office that a film would bring in.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 6
Metadata
- 5 Sep 2001
Recording Date
- 00:28:06
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*More on his assessment of what determined the box-office of a film. How he then determined the rental for the film. The interview then moved onto social contacts. Ricky Uy's perspective of working in distribution and the attitude to film stars. How his family and friends perceived his move to the film industry. The role of the (colonial) government in the film industry. influence of censorship - as carried out by a government department. Loke Wan Tho (founder of Cathay organisation) as a competitor. Talked about being a personal secretary to Run Run Shaw. The status of the movies that he distributed, and the process of distribution. Shaw and P. Ramlee movies.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 6
Metadata
- 19 Sep 2001
Recording Date
- 00:28:52
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Number of movies that he was involved in. His work with the choreographer of the academy award winning 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. The effort that he made to bring Eastern film styles to Hollywood in the 1970s. Development and influence of those styles on American movies and Hollywood today. His perspective on the tradition of swordplay in Hong Kong movies and the storyline of 'Ninjas and Dragons'. Left Shaw Brothers in 1971, and made his first film. MGM financed film. The film was released in the States as well as Hong Kong. His company Pan-Asia Films. The function of the completion guaranteed that films needed for financing purposes. How actors were paid, and the recruiting of actors from Taiwan.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 6
Metadata
- 19 Sep 2001
Recording Date
- 00:28:31
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Talked about the film 'The Black Trail'. Gave rough estimates of how the film performed. How they recruited and paid the scriptwriters, lighting people and the actors. The distribution network of his company. The disruption to Shaw Brothers around the time that he left, as Raymond Chow broke away and formed Golden Harvest. How the company regarded his departure. The setting up of his distribution company (he started off with a production company). More on the people who had inspired and mentored him within the film industry. His use and reliance on the American model for filmmaking.
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