Expectations soar for 'Princess of Mount Ledang'

Expectations soar for 'Princess of Mount Ledang'

Sean Young, Associated Press/Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

For weeks, the nationwide frenzy of anticipation for Princess of
Mount Ledang -- Malaysia's most expensive movie ever -- has been
inescapable.

Mammoth street billboards proclaim the coming of this Malay-
language epic based on centuries-old local folklore about a
beautiful princess who spurns the love of a tyrannical sultan.
The theme song reigns on radio charts. Newspaper columnists
speculate that the picture could be the first from this Southeast
Asian country to win widespread foreign acclaim.

"Is Malaysia capable of creating a film to match worldwide
standards? This movie proves it," says Gil Rossellini, a New
York-based film distribution executive who helped the movie
secure its international premiere at next month's Venice Film
Festival.

Rossellini expects global audiences to relish a rare glimpse
at the pre-colonial era monarchies of Southeast Asia in a movie
he says reminds him of historical dramas made by his adopted
father, Roberto Rossellini, the legendary director who pioneered
Italy's school of neorealist cinema decades ago.

By Hollywood's standards, the US$4 million (3.3 million) spent
to recreate 15th century Malay village life and palace intrigue
might seem minuscule. But it's 10 times the budget of most movies
in a nation where scarcely two dozen local films play each year
and American blockbusters rule the multiplexes.

The enterprise -- produced by Malaysian entertainment company
Enfiniti and helmed by Saw Teong Hin, a local music video veteran
who is making his feature film directorial debut -- carries more
than the whiff of a prestige piece.

It opens nationwide on Tuesday, when Malaysia celebrates the
47th anniversary of its independence from Britain. It's the first
big-screen period drama about the Malay sultanate since the
1960s. And it tells a story that's beloved by many Malaysians.

"I wanted to be part of this movie so much because we all grew
up with this tale, which was told to us by our grandparents and
taught to us in school," says Tiara Jacquelina, a Malaysian
actress who takes on the title role of a princess who is
betrothed to the cruel ruler of a maritime empire but loves one
of his bodyguards instead.

The movie is certain to spark a box-office stampede for people
who are fatigued with the Malaysian film industry's typical
output of adolescent comedies and horror knockoffs -- though
critical response remains in doubt.

Princess of Mount Ledang is easy on the eyes, showing off
colorful, splendidly outfitted characters amid sweeping vistas of
misty mountaintops, white coastlines and gnarled forests.

But it's saddled with a script that gives those characters
little to do but make grave observations about how chickens
cannot outrun foxes and people should be careful while crossing
oceans, because the waters might somehow transform into flames.
From the start, the movie trades narrative urgency for deadly
solemnness and perpetual philosophizing.

Jacquelina and M. Nasir, who plays her warrior lover, have
charisma to spare, but their romance never ignites, partly since
they have less than a half-hour of screen time together in a 155-
minute movie. Jacquelina's character seems content to stare at
sunsets and take long, solitary baths near a waterfall, while
Nasir is elsewhere, wrestling with existential angst.

Nevertheless, the filmmakers have high hopes for the movie's
rollout scheduled for Sept. 5 in Venice, where it will be in
competition for movies from new directors. After that, Princess
of Mount Ledang will probably be shown at other film festivals
while awaiting a possible distribution deal in the United States
and Europe.

"It's not easy to get attention in this big world, but we hope
people will embrace this movie, because it showcases our
country's culture and heritage," said producer Shazalli Ramly.

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On the Net:
http://www.pglthemovie.com

GetAP 1.00 -- AUG 27, 2004 07:40:00