Slamet Rahardjo hits 50 with much to look forward to

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.