JP\/18\/MALAY<\/p>\n
Malaysian Cinema's Golden Age Crashes in the Whirlwind of
\nCultural and Political Change<\/p>\n
Malaysian cinema dimmed in the cultural, political change<\/p>\n
During a recent visit to Kuala Lumpur, The Jakarta Post film
\ncontributor, Paul F. Agusta, had the opportunity to meet with
\nseveral important figures in Malaysian cinema. He shares more of
\nwhat he learned in this second article of a series of three on
\nthe dynamic history and current creative state of moviemaking in
\nour neighbor to the north.<\/p>\n
As Malaysian cinema rocketed into its golden years, the rich
\nmulticultural input that fueled its success brought with it the
\nsweeping changes that were among the factors that would bring it
\ncrashing down. A new, younger and more cosmopolitan educated
\naudience was emerging in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
They were less inhibited than previous generations and more
\nadventurous. They were migrating to and settling in the cities,
\nready and eager for almost anything new and different. The old
\nformulas combining Chinese and Malay storytelling and Indian song
\nand dance no longer satisfied.<\/p>\n
By the late 1950s and early 1960s soaring production costs,
\nincreasing demands from production staff and actors, as well as
\nthe introduction of television in 1963, exacerbated the impact of
\na dwindling market. Even the courageous forays of P. Ramlee into
\nthe realm of social commentary in films like Madu Tiga (Three
\nWives), 1964, could not draw the crowds of previous years.<\/p>\n
The death knell for the Golden Age of Malaysian Cinema was
\nsounded near the end of 1965 when Singapore left the Federation
\nof Malaysia, motivating an influx of veteran directors, actors
\nand screenplay writers into Kuala Lumpur's already excessively
\ncompetitive and waning filmmaking sector.<\/p>\n
The Shaw Brother's Malay Film Productions closed in 1967, with
\nCathay-Keris meeting a similar fate in 1973.<\/p>\n
According to Hassan Muthalib, Malaysia's prime film historian,
\nwith the quantity and quality of local film productions falling,
\nan influx of Indonesian and Indian films began to attract the
\nhearts and minds of the increasingly sophisticated and discerning
\nMalaysian audience.<\/p>\n
These imports, such as Matjan Kemajoran (The Tiger of
\nKemayoran), Pahlawan Sembilan (Nine Warriors), and Bernafas Dalam
\nLumpur (Breathing in Mud) from Indonesia, and Sangam (Confluence)
\nas well as Bobby from India, were shot in color and had strong
\nstorylines and top-class acting and directing. The films set
\nMalaysian movie industry precedents by drawing large crowds into
\ntheaters for months at a time.<\/p>\n
Merdeka Film Productions, founded in 1961 just outside of
\nKuala Lumpur by Ho Ah Loke and H.M. Shah, tried to counter this
\nonslaught in 1975 by enhancing local production value with the
\nimportation of Hong Kong film crews.<\/p>\n
Although Merdeka used Malay director Jamil Sulong for the
\nflagship film of this collaboration, Permintaan Terakhir (The
\nLast Request), the foreign crew's influence was obvious and drew
\nan outcry from industry locals who felt their turf was being
\ninvaded.<\/p>\n
Despite massive efforts to stay afloat, and occasional award-
\nwinning films, such as Adik Manja (Affectionate Child) in 1979,
\nMerdeka Film Productions was forced to close down in 1980, ending
\nChinese domination of the Malaysian film industry.<\/p>\n
As noted in the chapter Gentle Winds of Change on the
\ndevelopment of the Malaysian film industry by Hassan Muthalib and
\nWong Tuck Cheong in the book Being and Becoming: The Cinemas of
\nAsia, the time had come for the locals to take over.<\/p>\n
The Filem Negara Malaysia (Malaysian State Film, initially
\nestablished as the Malayan Film Unit in 1946), best known for its
\ndocumentaries and anticommunist film campaigns, also produced
\nseveral features, including Kisah Kampong Kita (the Story of Our
\nVillage) and the Tongkat Hitam (Black Baton) series of films in
\nthe 1960s and early 1970s.<\/p>\n
By 1975, with Malay films holding only 12.1 percent of the
\nlocal market share, the National Film Corporation was formed with
\nthe intention of contributing towards national unity and other
\nnation-building efforts. In 1981, the National Film Development
\nCorporation (FINAS) was established to assist the local film
\ncommunity's efforts to develop and improve its output.<\/p>\n
Even so, throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s, the
\nlocal, or bumiputera, film companies relied heavily on their
\nprofits from distributing Indonesian films on the Malaysian
\nmarket to fund their own productions.<\/p>\n
Among the more successful movies produced were Sabah Film's
\nKeluarga Si Comat (The Comat Family), 1975, Hapuslah Air Matamu
\n(Wipe Away Your Tears), 1976, Pendekar (The Warrior), 1977, and
\nthe biggest box-office hit, Azura, 1984.<\/p>\n
These successes lured other producers to try their hand, but
\nnot many survived, with some closing down after no more than one
\nrelease due to a lack of understanding of the film industry
\nfundamentals of production, marketing and distribution.<\/p>\n
As the 1970s passed, more new faces emerged and faded as an
\nemphasis on low budget films dominated the industry. The
\nstorylines were predictable, the characterizations stereotypical,
\nthe acting amateurish, and there was absolutely no attempt at
\ntechnical innovation.<\/p>\n
However, because some of the films actually made money, the
\nmainstream directors found little motivation to pull themselves
\nout of the rut they were in.<\/p>\n
The 1970s also saw the introduction of the Malaysian
\ngovernment's New Economic Policy that encouraged young Malays to
\nmove into the cities and get involved in business, including the
\nmovie industry.<\/p>\n
A generation of young film professionals emerged, who were
\neager to apply their own ideas as well as their varied education
\nin the movie industry, and sought experience with the local
\ncommercial production houses, where they picked up the basics of
\ncinematography, art direction and directing.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the movie-going public began to find its own
\nvoice, a decidedly critical one that was answered by the
\ndevelopment of film appreciation forums, the frequent appearance
\nof articles on film criticism and letters to the editor in the
\nlocal press.<\/p>\n
Among the critical ideas raised by writers such as Johan
\nJaafar, Nasir Jani and Mansor Puteh, were the need to present an
\naccurate onscreen depiction of the local culture, and the
\nperception that storytelling in movies should be geared as much
\ntoward social comment as it was toward entertainment.<\/p>\n
These thoughts were to inform the developments in the film
\nindustry well into the following decades.<\/p>",
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