ABSTRACT
As Kristin Thompson has pointed out, the idea of verisimilitude has been important to the classical Hollywood cinema in terms primarily of the mise-en-scène; the principal consideration for the narrative itself, including the characters and relationships among them, is compositional unity, not necessarily realism. This chapter looks at the lack of verisimilitude in these Malay films of the 1950s and 60s, with special attention on the spaces depicted, and offer explanations for this, together with some reasons for the change in the perception of this lack. It looks at four films from this era, each representing a different genre, to illustrate the extent of the inconsistency of the mise-en-scène. Two were made by Cathay-Keris: Tun Fatimah, a historical drama drawn from Malay court narratives and genealogies and Satay, a comedy-drama. The other two were made by Malay Film Productions: Anak Pontianak, a horror film, and Labu dan Labi, a comedy.
