Before the advent of DVDs and Video Streaming, one has to rely on the Silver Screen.

Cinemas in Rangoon

In our younger days, the cinemas in Rangoon include :

• Bayint Naung
• Carlton / Yuzana
• Excelsior / Waziya
• Globe / Gon
• Kar Htay
• Light house / Nay Pyi Daw
• Ma Yo San
• Myoma
• President / Thamada
• Palladium / Pa Pa Win
• Ritz
• Regent
• Royal / Taw Win
• Shwe Gon
• Shwe Mann
• Sun Thiri
• Tabin Shwe Htee
• Wizaya

Cost of cinema tickets

• President had Loge seats for five kyats
• Most cinemas have Dress Circle seats for K3.50.
• Back row seats cost K2.50.
• Middle row seats cost K1.50. UTC members get a discount rate of 90 pyas.
• Front row sets sell for 75 pyas.

Typical schedule

• Screening times were 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM, 6:30 PM and 9:30 PM.
• When a movie was offered in multiple cinemas, the starting times of the main feature were staggered (to allow the physical sharing of the movie reels across adjacent or close cinemas).
• New shows usually started on Fridays at 12:30 PM.
• Attendees for the “First Day First Show” usually indicated the popularity of a new movie.
• The movie “Hna ma let shawt nay le dawt” was one exception. Some believe U Khin Maung Yin (A60, Modern Artist) was ahead of the time.
• Before the main feature, there were news (e.g. by Rank Organization), cartoons and trailers (of forthcoming movies).

Well-known movies

• Action
  e.g. The Longest Day, The Guns of Navarone
• Comedy
  e.g. Jerry Lewis, Norman Wisdom
• Drama
  e.g. Imitation of Life, Madam X
• Historical
  e.g. Ten Commandments, Ben Hur
• Musical
  e.g. South Pacific, Sound of Music
• Science Fiction
  e.g. Time Machine
• Suspense
  e.g. Dracula, Psycho
• Travelog
  e.g. Around the world in eighty days

Observations

• Cinema-scope, Todd AO productions were some of the then novel features.
• Most movie lengths were between 8000 to 12000 feet. Longer films required the change of viewing times (e.g. less shows per day).
• Movies needed approval from the Censor Board.
• Academy awards were given to eligible Burmese/Myanmar movies, directors, actors, …
• Cinemas were nationalized were nationalized a few years after the Coup d’etat.

• With the advent of TV, DVDs and the Internet, the former cinema goers around the world changed their viewing habits.
• A few years back, only a limited number of movies were produced in Myanmar.
• Some Myanmar movie stars and enthusiasts are building cinemas (some of them mega-cinemas) to revive the memories of the Silver Screen (and its improvements).