Slamet Rahardjo hits 50 with much to look forward to

By Marselli Sumarno

JAKARTA (JP): Director Slamet Rahardjo, who celebrates his birthday today (Thursday), is involved in various organizations.

As an actor, he is listed as a member of the Association of Indonesian Film Artists. In his capacity as a director, he is active in the Film and Television Workers' League and has even become its chairman. As a producer, he is a member of the Association of Indonesian Film Producers. He is also an executive of the National Film Development Board and a permanent teaching staffer at the School of Film and Television, Jakarta Institute of the Arts.

In short, he is a very busy man.

As a director, he has made eight wide screen films: Rembulan dan Matahari (The Moon and The Sun), Semerah Bibirnya Seputih Hatinya (As Red as Her Lips, as White as Her Heart), Ponirah Terpidana (Ponirah Accused), Kembang Kertas (Paper Flowers), Kasmaran (In Love), Kodrat (Destiny), Langitku Rumahku (My Sky, My Home), and Telegram, which is now in the post-production stage. He has also made a number of TV films, including the two miniseries Suro Buldog and Tajuk.

Renowned world directors have their own characteristics or style. For example, Jean-Luc Godard (strong ideas), Yazujiro Ozu (poetic married life), Ingmar Bergman (moods), Wim Wenders (adventures), Bernardo Bertolucci (shape, beauty), Woody Allen (film noir) and Abbas Kiarostami (self-searching).

How about Slamet, born a Javanese?

A 50-year-old man cannot be said to be young. But it seems that being 50 years old is still rather young for a director who is expected to work until the end of his life. Especially because at the beginning of this year, Slamet repeated his old statement: "My life and death are in the film world."

In his first film, Rembulan dan Matahari (1979), he showed his ambition to make his mark. The story is not that important, but he makes strong impressions with a couple of lovers in the warok traditional local culture in a mountain village in Ponorogo, East Java.

Ponirah Terpidana has a strong theme. The heroine is a Javanese woman from Yogyakarta, Ponirah, who is regarded as a person who has brought bad luck since she was born. The beautiful Ponirah appears as the personification of someone who is chained by fate.

I thought Slamet would be persistent with the style and theme established in these two films, which have a Javanese cultural background. I was not entirely right. In his effort to make more commercial films, he came up with Kasmaran starring beautiful Ida Iasha, and Kodrat with the sexy Anna Tairas. Kodrat even has Hollywood icons. Both films, however, were flops.

The New Order regime restricted the creativity of artists, including film makers. There was also an unhealthy business climate. Slamet must have been fully aware of that. His Langitku Rumahku was badly treated. The Subentra Group, which controls film distribution in the country, refused to screen the movie widely, saying it did not make money. Slamet took the case to court.

It was the first legal case concerning monopolistic film distribution. Slamet lost, but it became a national issue.

It is obvious that Slamet has a sense of directing. He has not become the epigone of his teacher, Teguh Karya. In fact, he has shown a directing style which is "like allowing things to pass by." That is his strong point as a director.

If something negative must be said about him, maybe it is the need of Slamet to become more persistent in combining his strength with ideas, or whatever you call it, which fits to his directing style. How could he do that? It depends on Slamet himself.

Today, Slamet is one of Indonesia's senior directors. Some directors more senior, such as Sjumandjaja, Arifin C. Noor, Wim Umboh and Nya Abbas Akup have died. Some others are not active due to health problems. Most younger directors who are about his age are "buried" in the production of TV series. Meanwhile, many fresh talents, especially from the School of Film and Television, Jakarta Institute of the Arts, have recently started to emerge.

So, happy birthday and keep working.

The writer teaches at School of Film and Television, Jakarta Institute of the Arts.