Urban entertainment: Cinemas in the city of Medan, East Sumatra, 1909-1930S

Abstract

This study aims to explain and analyze the existence and development of cinemas as entertainment for urban communities in Medan. The cinemas in Medan consisted of Oranje Cinema, Deli Cinema, Orion Cinema, Royal Cinema, Juliana Cinema, Empire Cinema, Rex Cinema, and Tjoeng Koen Tat Cinema. The cinema businessman competed in airing movies that attracted people to cinemas. The films came from various genres, including mystery, romance, drama, history, biography, comedy, and documentary. Although the colonial government carried out supervision and censorship of films to conform to colonial standards and imagery, the existence and development of cinemas in Medan soon became an entertainment desired by urban people, which showed the diversity and social class of the city community.