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Heider considers ''Terang Boelan'' one of the two most important cinematic works from the Dutch East Indies during the 1930s; Balink's earlier film ''Pareh'' was the other.{{sfn|Heider|1991|p=15}} Biran considers the film a turning point in the history [[Indonesian cinema]], showing the possibilities of the medium;{{sfn|Biran|2009|p=169}} Said concurs, describing the film as a milestone in the country's history.{{sfn|Said|1982|pp=23–24}} However, the repeated use of its formula has seen criticism. The director [[Teguh Karya]], for instance, was heavily critical of films which used the same formula as ''Terang Boelan'' without building on it.{{sfn|Heider|1991|pp=6, 16}}
Heider considers ''Terang Boelan'' one of the two most important cinematic works from the Dutch East Indies during the 1930s; Balink's earlier film ''Pareh'' was the other.{{sfn|Heider|1991|p=15}} Biran considers the film a turning point in the history [[Indonesian cinema]], showing the possibilities of the medium;{{sfn|Biran|2009|p=169}} Said concurs, describing the film as a milestone in the country's history.{{sfn|Said|1982|pp=23–24}} However, the repeated use of its formula has seen criticism. The director [[Teguh Karya]], for instance, was heavily critical of films which used the same formula as ''Terang Boelan'' without building on it.{{sfn|Heider|1991|pp=6, 16}}


''Terang Boelan'' is now considered [[Lost film|lost]],{{sfn|Said|McGlynn|Heider|1991|p=31}} as are most domestic productions from the era.{{efn|{{harvtxt|Heider|1991|p=14}} writes that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost. However, JB Kristanto's ''Katalog Film Indonesia'' (''Indonesian Film Catalogue'') records several as having survived at [[Sinematek Indonesia]]'s archives, and {{harvtxt|Biran|2009|p=351}} writes that several Japanese propaganda films have survived at the [[Netherlands Government Information Service]].}} The Filipino film historian and director [[Nick Deocampo]] notes that films made with nitrate film burned easily and are thus easily lost, but suggests that copies of ''Terang Boelan'' may have survived until the 1970s.{{sfn|Deocampo|2006|pp=1917-1919}}
''Terang Boelan'' is now considered [[Lost film|lost]],{{sfn|Said|McGlynn|Heider|1991|p=31}} as are most domestic productions from the era.{{efn|{{harvtxt|Heider|1991|p=14}} writes that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost. However, JB Kristanto's ''Katalog Film Indonesia'' (''Indonesian Film Catalogue'') records several as having survived at [[Sinematek Indonesia]]'s archives, and {{harvtxt|Biran|2009|p=351}} writes that several Japanese propaganda films have survived at the [[Netherlands Government Information Service]].}} The Filipino film historian and director [[Nick Deocampo]] notes that films made with nitrate film burned easily and are thus easily lost, but suggests that copies of ''Terang Boelan'' may have survived until the 1970s.{{sfn|Deocampo|2006|pp=1917-1919}} <!--Said, Heider, and the American translator [[John H. McGlynn]] express hope that copies of the film have survived in "attics" in Indonesia or the Netherlands.{{sfn|Said|McGlynn|Heider|1991|p=31}}-->


==Notes==
==Notes==
Line 209: Line 209:
|author2-link=John H. McGlynn
|author2-link=John H. McGlynn
|last3=Heider
|last3=Heider
|first3=Karl G.
|first3=Karl G
|author3-link=Karl G. Heider
|author3-link=Karl G. Heider
|publisher=Festival of Indonesia Foundation
|publisher=Festival of Indonesia Foundation

Revision as of 00:33, 4 September 2012

Terang Boelan
Theatrical poster, Batavia
Directed byAlbert Balink
Screenplay bySaeroen
Starring
Cinematography
Music byIsmail Marzuki
Production
company
Algemeen Nederlandsch Indisch Filmsyndicaat
Release date
  • 1937 (1937)
CountryDutch East Indies
LanguageMalay
For the song, see Terang Bulan.

Terang Boelan (released internationally as Full Moon) is a 1937[a] film written by Saeroen and directed by Albert Balink. Starring Rd. Mochtar, Roekiah, and E. T. Effendi, it followed two lovers who elope after one is nearly forced to marry an opium smuggler. Shot in several parts of the Dutch East Indies and Singapore and targeted at native audiences, the film featured kroncong music and several actors from Balink's previous work Pareh (1936).

Terang Boelan was a commercial success, earning 200,000 Straits dollars in British Malaya. This revived the faltering film industry in the country and inspired native-oriented movies in Malaya. Modern critical reception of the lost film has generally been positive, although complaints have been targeted at the formulaic nature of later films which followed Terang Boelan's formula.

Plot

Rohaya (Roekiah) is told to separate from her lover, Kasim (Rd. Mochtar) so that she can marry the disreputable Musa (E. T. Effendi). The night before the wedding, Kasim plays the song "Terang Boelan" for his love, and they agree to elope. The night of the wedding, Rohaya and Mochtar make their escape from Sawoba Island to Malacca, where Kasim begins work at a drydock and Rohaya keeps busy as a housewife. They discover that Kasim's old friend, Dullah (Kartolo), has also lived in Malacca for some time.

However, their life together is interrupted when Musa, who is actually an opium dealer, discovers them. While Kasim is away at work, Rohaya's father (Muhin) comes and takes her back to Sawoba. Kasim, having discovered Musa's deeds, returns to his hometown and rallies the villagers by telling them of Musa's opium dealings. He then begins fighting with Musa, ultimately being saved by Dullah, who had followed him. The villagers and Rohaya's father agree that Kasim and Rohaya should be together, as they are truly in love.[b]

Production

During 1934 and early 1935, all feature films released in the Dutch East Indies had been produced by The Teng Chun, based on Chinese mythology or martial arts;[1] this situation was an effect of the Great Depression and changing market trends.[2] The Dutchman Albert Balink, who had no formal film experience, had produced Pareh (Rice) in 1935, joining with the ethnic Chinese Wong brothers (Othniel and Joshua) and Dutch documentarian Mannus Franken[3] in an attempt to show that locally-produced, well-made films could be profitable. Pareh was a failure and bankrupted the producers,[4] leaving The to dominate the industry for a further two years.[1]

By late 1936 Balink had found financial backing and opened the Batavia (now Jakarta)-based Dutch Indies Film Syndicate (Algemeen Nederlandsch Indisch Filmsyndicaat, or ANIF), which focused mainly on newsreels and documentaries, with the Wongs and Franken. On 1 January 1937 ANIF announced that it would be filming several feature films, one of which was Terang Boelan.[5][6] As opposed to The, who targeted his films at lower-class audiences, Balink aimed the film at educated persons, generally native.[7] According to the Indonesian film critic Salim Said, this arose from Balink's experience with Pareh and resulted in less of an ethnological approach.[8]

The story for Terang Boelan was written by Saeroen, a reporter with the newspaper Pemandangan who had close connections to the theatrical community.[9] The film was written shortly after the domestic release of the American-produced Dorothy Lamour vehicle The Jungle Princess (1936), which served as an inspiration.[10] The Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran notes that this gave Terang Boelan stylistic and thematic similarities to the earlier film.[11] Said also recognises such similarities, describing Terang Boelan as reflecting the "jungle princess" works popular at the time.[12] Saeroen named the fictional island on which Terang Boelan takes place, Sawoba, after the crew: Saeroen, Wong, and Balink.[9]

One of the Wong brothers, c. 1947; the Wongs' collaboration with Balink on Terang Boelan was their second, after Pareh.

Filming had begun by February 1937, under Balink's direction and with the Wongs on camera.[13] Sources conflict on whether Franken was involved; Biran writes that Franken had been left in charge of the studio's documentaries,[5] while the American film scholar Karl G. Heider records Franken as co-directing the film.[14] Scenes were shot in black-and-white at Cilincing in Batavia, Merak Beach in Banten, and Tanjong Katong in Singapore,[15][16] and used highly flammable nitrate film.[17]

The cast of Terang Boelan mostly consisted of actors who had appeared in Pareh. This included the leading actor, Rd. Mochtar, and several minor players, including E. T. Effendi and Soekarsih. Other cast members, including the leading lady Roekiah and her husband Kartolo, were drawn from traditional toneel theatrical troupes. The film, which included the songs "Terang Boelan" and "Boenga Mawar" ("Rose"), required its cast to sing keroncong music (traditional music with Portuguese influences); as Mochtar was unable to perform, Ismail Marzuki – later known as a composer – sang while Mocthar lip synced.[8][10][18] Marzuki also provided the film's music.[15]

Release and reception

Terang Boelan was released in 1937; it was also marketed under the Dutch title Het Eilan der Droomen.[16][19] it made its premier at the Rex Theatre in Batavia.[15] The film was advertised as proving that the Indies were as beautiful as Hawaii, a popular island paradise in contemporary films. Posters also emphasised the use of Indonesian;[16] William van der Heide, a lecturer on film studies at the University of Newcastle in Australia, notes that the film continued a trend of "Indonesianisation", or a national identity, which had been present for several years.[10]

The film was a commercial success, both in the Indies and internationally; native audiences included native fans of toneel and kroncong who rarely went to the cinema,[10][20] and much of the audience consisted of people from the lower classes.[17] After being licensed by RKO Radio Pictures, the film was screened in British Malaya, where it earned 200,000 Straits dollars in two months.[18][21] Terang Boelan proved to be the most successful production in the area until 1953's Krisis (Crisis), released after Indonesia had become independent.[22]

However, ANIF was displeased with the film and halted its other non-documentary productions, leading Balink to leave the country and immigrate to the United States.[23] Other cast and crew members also left the company and joined Tan's Film, including the Wongs,[24] following a short tour in Malaya.[21] Mochtar and Roekiah became a popular screen couple beginning with the company's production Fatima, which kept much of the cast of Terang Boelan; they stayed booked together until Mochtar left the company in 1940.[16][25] Mochtar also married fellow Terang Boelan actress Soekarsih.[26]

Legacy

The success of Terang Boelan led to an "explosion" in film production in the country, many of these films following the same formula, including songs, beautiful scenery, and romance.[19][20] Before the film was released, local studios had generally been unsuccessful in finding a premise popular with audiences,[27] but the triple successes of Terang Boelan, Fatima, and Alang-Alang (Grass; 1939) revived the industry.[28] Four new production houses were established in 1940,[29] and actors and actresses previously attached to theatrical troupes entered the film industry, which was reaching new audiences.[30] The vast majority of the films released in the Indies were released between 1939 and the Japanese occupation in 1942.[31] Meanwhile, in Malaya, the brothers Run Run and Runme Shaw, drawing inspiration from Terang Boelan and Alang-Alang's success with Malay audiences, established Malay Film Productions in Singapore. The studio was one of the more successful in the country.[32]

Heider considers Terang Boelan one of the two most important cinematic works from the Dutch East Indies during the 1930s; Balink's earlier film Pareh was the other.[14] Biran considers the film a turning point in the history Indonesian cinema, showing the possibilities of the medium;[9] Said concurs, describing the film as a milestone in the country's history.[8] However, the repeated use of its formula has seen criticism. The director Teguh Karya, for instance, was heavily critical of films which used the same formula as Terang Boelan without building on it.[33]

Terang Boelan is now considered lost,[34] as are most domestic productions from the era.[c] The Filipino film historian and director Nick Deocampo notes that films made with nitrate film burned easily and are thus easily lost, but suggests that copies of Terang Boelan may have survived until the 1970s.[17]

Notes

  1. ^ Some sources, such as Anwar (2004, p. 84), give the release year as 1938.
  2. ^ Plot derived from Said (1982, pp. 24–26) and Biran (2009, pp. 169–170)
  3. ^ Heider (1991, p. 14) writes that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost. However, JB Kristanto's Katalog Film Indonesia (Indonesian Film Catalogue) records several as having survived at Sinematek Indonesia's archives, and Biran (2009, p. 351) writes that several Japanese propaganda films have survived at the Netherlands Government Information Service.

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Biran 2009, pp. 380–382.
  2. ^ Biran 2009, p. 145.
  3. ^ Biran 2009, p. 155, 159.
  4. ^ Biran 2009, pp. 161–162.
  5. ^ a b Biran 2009, pp. 165–168.
  6. ^ Said 1982, p. 142.
  7. ^ Biran 2009, p. 146.
  8. ^ a b c Said 1982, pp. 23–24.
  9. ^ a b c Biran 2009, p. 169.
  10. ^ a b c d van der Heide 2002, p. 128.
  11. ^ Biran 2009, p. 170.
  12. ^ Said 1982, p. 11.
  13. ^ Filmindonesia.or.id, Kredit Lengkap.
  14. ^ a b Heider 1991, p. 15.
  15. ^ a b c Esha et al. 2005, p. 32.
  16. ^ a b c d Filmindonesia.or.id, Terang Boelan.
  17. ^ a b c Deocampo 2006, pp. 1917–1919.
  18. ^ a b Biran 2009, p. 171.
  19. ^ a b Biran 2009, p. 25.
  20. ^ a b Said 1982, p. 25.
  21. ^ a b Esha et al. 2005, p. 33.
  22. ^ Anwar 2004, p. 84.
  23. ^ Biran 2009, pp. 172–173.
  24. ^ Biran 2009, p. 174.
  25. ^ Biran 2009, p. 214.
  26. ^ Filmindonesia.or.id, Pareh.
  27. ^ Biran 2009, p. 87.
  28. ^ Biran 2009, p. 182.
  29. ^ Biran 2009, p. 205.
  30. ^ Said 1982, p. 27.
  31. ^ Biran 2009, pp. 383–385.
  32. ^ Khoo 2006, p. 90.
  33. ^ Heider 1991, pp. 6, 16.
  34. ^ Said, McGlynn & Heider 1991, p. 31.

Bibliography

  • Anwar, Rosihan (2004). Sejarah Kecil "petite histoire" Indonesia (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Kompas. ISBN 978-979-709-428-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  • Biran, Misbach Yusa (2009). Sejarah Film 1900–1950: Bikin Film di Jawa (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Komunitas Bamboo working with the Jakarta Art Council. ISBN 978-979-3731-58-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  • Deocampo, Nick, ed. (2006). Lost Films of Asia. Manila: Anvil. ISBN 978-971-27-1861-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Esha, Teguh; Alhaziri, Wasmi; Fauzi, Muhammad; Donald W., Sabu; Sigarlaki, Erwin R. (2005). Ismail Marzuki: Musik, Tanah Air, dan Cinta (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: LP3ES. ISBN 978-979-3330-36-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  • van der Heide, William (2002). Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film: Border Crossings and National Cultures. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-90-5356-580-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Heider, Karl G (1991). Indonesian Cinema: National Culture on Screen. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1367-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Khoo, Gaik Cheng (2006). Reclaiming Adat: Contemporary Malaysian Film and Literature. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-1172-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • "Kredit Lengkap". Filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). National Library of Indonesia and Sinematek. Archived from the original on 12 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  • "Pareh". filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: National Library of Indonesia and Sinematek. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  • Said, Salim (1982). Profil Dunia Film Indonesia (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Grafiti Pers. OCLC 9507803. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  • Said, Salim; McGlynn, John H.; Heider, Karl G (1991). Cinema of Indonesia: Eleven Indonesian Films, Notes & Synopses. New York: Festival of Indonesia Foundation. ISBN 978-1-879578-00-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • "Terang Boelan". filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: National Library of Indonesia and Sinematek. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

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