Jalan Ampas is a street near

Balestier Road Balestier () is a sub zone located in the planning area of Novena in the Central Region of Singapore. The main road, Balestier Road, links Thomson Road to Serangoon Road and the road continues on as Lavender Street. The area is home to rows ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

where the movie studios Malay Film Productions and

Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

were located.

Etymology and history

The name Jalan Ampas owes its heritage as a sugar cane plantation in the early days. In

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

, ''ampas tebu'' ( post-1972 spelling: ''hampas tebu'') refers to the fibrous pulp that remains after sugar cane has been crushed to extract its juice.

Landmarks

Former Shaw Movie Studio

In 1947, under the banner of

Malay Film Productions The Malay Film Productions Ltd., also known as the Shaw Studio, is a former film studio located on Jalan Ampas in Balestier, Singapore. The studio operated from 1947 to 1969 with more than 150 movies produced, and was a major contributor to the Go ...

, the Shaw Brothers set up a film studio in the area, which was to become 'the golden age of Malay cinema'. During the 1950s and 60s, at the peak of its existence, the studio produced over 160 films at the span of two decades. Prominent figures such as

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...

and former Malaysia Prime Minister

Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, ‏تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...

visited the studio. During this time, the road itself is synonymous and associated with the studio till today. The studio launched the careers of many Malay film stars, such as S. Shamsuddin,

Aziz Sattar Datuk Abdul Aziz bin Sattar ( Jawi: عبدالعزيز بن ستار;‎ 8 August 1925 – 6 May 2014) was a Malaysian actor, singer, comedian, and director who is mostly known for his roles in the black and white Malay films of the 1950s a ...

, Ahmad Nisfu and

P. Ramlee Tan Sri Datuk Amar Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh (later Ramlee bin Puteh) (22 March 1929 – 29 May 1973), better known by his stage name P. Ramlee (Puteh Ramlee), was a Malaysian actor, filmmaker, musician, and composer famous in both m ...

. Films such as ''

Seniman Bujang Lapok ''Seniman Bujang Lapok'' (''The Three Worn Out Actor Bachelors'', also known in the film as ''The Nitwit Movie Stars'') is a 1961 Malay comedy film directed by P. Ramlee. It is the fourth instalment in the ''Bujang Lapok'' series of films, but ...

'' and '' Ibu Mertua-ku'' became instant hits and cult classics. However, in 1967 due to the lack of demand of Malay films, the studio ceased productions and closed down.

References

Roads in Singapore {{Singapore-road-stub