The film starts off with a young fashion photographer (Olivia Ong) bringing a set of old photographs taken by her mother to an old man (Chew Chor Meng) who might have connections to the people in the photographs. The old man then proceeds to tell 4 different stories based on each photograph, each story set in a different generation.
STORY ONE: A man (Henry Thia) working as a clown in Great World attempts to escape work in order to take a photograph with Elizabeth Taylor.
STORY TWO: The development of the relationship between a young games-stall owner (Joanne Peh) and a Malaysian oil-seller (Zhang Zhenhuan).
STORY THREE: A nightclub singer at her prime (Xiang Yun) longs for her love (Guo Liang) to return and give her strength to perform, only to find something else that will keep her strong on her feet.
STORY FOUR: The old man's own story - his blissful-to-tragic marriage to his mute wife (Apple Hong).
The Kelvin Tong-directed film was beautifully shot on the set recreation of the Great World Amusement Park, which captured the joyous vibe of the park in its heyday. Story-wise, the major use of the 5 major dialects of old-day Singapore (Cantonese, Hakka, Hainanese, Hokkien, Teochew) brings nostalgia to the senior generation. Also a plus for the local film - noting major events in Singapore's history (splitting from Malaysia in Story Two; the Japanese invasion in Story Four).
Joanne Peh stood out amongst the stellar, star-studded cast, as well as Sichuan-born actor Zhang Zhenhuan playing an "Ah Beng" (complete with a fake dialect), Chew Chor Meng as a food-stall owner, and Yvonne Lim as the photographer who plays a key role in linking the four seperate stories together.
Overall, it was humourous, sweet, fabulous and moving (in order). Bring yourself to experience Great World as it is back then, as well as your parents and/or grandparents who might want to relive the historic amusement park all over again. Thus, I give It's a Great Great World...
4/5
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