Indonesian movies remain stuck in thematic mire

Indonesian movies remain stuck in thematic mire

By A.A. Navis

JAKARTA (JP): The late Usmar Ismail, one of Indonesia's
foremost directors, decried the melodramatic and violent themes
of Indonesian films in an article in the early 1950s. It is a sad
reality that his criticisms are still pertinent to the film
industry today.

Writing in the bimonthly Konfrontasi 1/1954, Umar complained
"... films in Indonesia today are heavily infested with romantic
elements, tear-jerking tragedies, overt sentimentality, brutal,
horrid violence, and mysterious superstitions."

In the article Sari Soal Dalam Film Indonesia (The True
Problem of Indonesian Films), Umar described the films as
calculated to tug at the simplest human emotions, and cited their
plot similarities with cinematic vehicles from other countries in
the region.

"Today's film viewers favor the "Assepoestar theme," he
wrote. "The essence is that a poor man or woman is oppressed by
powerful, rich people, but he or she returns the evil with
kindness.... Malayan, Philippine and Indian films which are
invading the market do not differ much from the Indonesian
version. Philippine films mainly focus on mystical tales, magic
and superstition; Malayan films have great appeal to the lower
instincts of viewers, with themes which are overly sentimental
and generously specked with singing. Indian films, on the other
hand, make use of both elements, albeit in more spectacular
ways."

Usmar said serious films featuring complex characterizations
of people with weaknesses and strengths, flaws and scruples,
failed to attract audiences. He commended Darah dan Doa (Blood
and Prayers) and Antara Langit dan Bumi (Between Heaven and
Earth), both written by Armijn Pane, as exceptionally crafted
films, but wrote they were unpopular among the average moviegoer
with little or no education.

Usmar believed there were two obstructions to progress. First,
the intellectual level of the audience had not changed since the
colonial period. Second, there was the blanket perspective of
narrow-minded members of the censorship board combined with
intervention of military parties, who balked at being confronted
with their shortcomings on film.

Twenty years after Usmar's article, several notable films were
made by directors, including Syumanjaya and Teguh Karya.
Syumanjaya presented a tale of a poor but noble teacher in Si
Mamad, and Teguh's works included 1828, an epic exploration of
Dutch colonialism. Both received the prestigious Citra awards,
the local film industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, but
they attracted few viewers.

Indonesians flocked instead to Benyamin Tarzan Kota (Benyamin,
the City Tarzan), featuring the antics of the famous Indonesian
comic, or Mandarin action films dubbed Cina mengamuk (Chinese
running amok). This preference for vulgar humor and violence
continued despite the fact that many more Indonesians had
graduated from university than when Usmar wrote his analysis.

Today, despite improved economic conditions and advanced
education in Indonesia, the themes which interest most
Indonesians remain virtually the same as in the 1950s and 1970s.

Witness the popularity of steamy Latin American soap operas
(telenovellas), and Hong Kong or Mandarin fantasy films with
people who can fly or breathe fire from their mouths. Not to
mention the Indian films in which the actors break into song and
dance at regular intervals, either in sadness or in merriment.

Indonesian films have to copy these foreign films to be
successful. This has lead to the slew of imitations of the
melodramatic soap operas, heroic tales featuring martial arts,
hard-boiled American crime stories, one-dimensional comedies or
superstitious tales.

Quality films like Garin Nugroho's Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang (And
the Moon Dances) or Eros Djarot's Tjoet Nyak Din cannot earn a
showing at mainstream movie theaters despite awards from several
international film festivals. Historical or new war pictures
depicting flawless heroes, as in Tuanku Tambusai (My Master
Tambusai), or Si Pincang (The Cripple), draw few viewers compared
with silly tales such as Naga Bonar.

Entertaining

Film buffs believe the average Indonesian filmgoer is little
different from his counterparts in other developing countries.

Those oppressed by the problems and difficulties of daily life
are unlikely to be attracted to tales of human sorrow or
emotionally taxing film dramas. They crave entertainment, films
that offer escape, and heroism in which good conquers evil.

The leading man should be handsome, strong, mighty and
muscular. Needless to say, the women are forever beautiful, good
and determined. The stories unfold in a luscious park or against
some beautiful backdrop, filmed in mansions similar to those
found in Pondok Indah. Poor, unattractive people who live in
humble houses, as depicted in Si Mamad, have no place in these
scenarios.

But the yearning for escape and tales of superhuman heroes,
just like Flash Gordon 60 years ago, is still found among
audiences in developed countries. This has found its release in
versions like Star Trek, or Superman. Frightening films of the
supernatural like Dracula have been replaced by Aliens. These
pictures draw a correlation between viewers in developing and
developed countries, but also show their differences.

Film viewers in developed countries are averse to sob stories.
Sad tales only agitate their emotions. Beside entertaining films,
serious stories are still enjoyed. Films share the same principle
as a novel; they are in essence a work of fiction. Films offer
fantasy visuals, and books do likewise through literal
depictions.

Like books, some films carry an entertaining tone, and others
are of a literary trend. Fiction, and entertaining stories,
invariably become best sellers in developed countries, but
literature also draws a wide readership. And this applies to
films as well.

In developing countries like Indonesia, literature still holds
little appeal to the public. It is not unlike the lack of
interest in Si Mamad or Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang as serious film
vehicles. Films are thus reduced to unartistic productions in an
industry that aims to make money and exploits the base tastes of
viewers. It does not aspire to refine reason, or raise the human
intellect.

Should we stop this or leave it be? The answer to this depends
on who is in a stronger position in this country -- scholars and
intellectuals, or industrialists and businesspeople.