Struggle between movement and genre in RI films

Struggle between movement and genre in RI films

By M.M.S. Marthawienata

JAKARTA (JP): People often wonder why Indonesian films are rarely down to earth and rarely reflect the realities of our society. Indonesia's film history shows that the prominent figures supporting movement have sunken into the steam of genre.

Movement versus genre. What does that mean?

If there is a mainstream cinema, there must be a counterpart; side-stream cinema. Mainstream cinema is known as genre, whereas side-stream cinema is movement. This definition is understood universally among people in the field of filmmaking.

In Hollywood, movement occasionally surfaces. Sometimes it even appears in the Academy Award arena, which constitutes an element of the genre subculture. As an example, films such as Driving Miss Daisy and Dead Poets' Society have found their way into the awards nominations.

English sociologist Andrew Tudor, in his book Image and Influence (London, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1974), stated that genre is an element of popular films, and can be classified as mass culture. Its sociological value lies in its role as trend setter of mass behavior. Movement is regarded as an art: a tool to convey important ideas for some intellectuals.

Marketable films

Genre found its form in 1918. Hollywood, at that time, undertook some standardization after years of experience and scooping up profits due to the downfall of the European film industry. This gave birth to formula pictures, which were the recipes for marketable films.

Then, moviegoers all over the world became more and more addicted to Hollywood films. Imitators appeared everywhere, even in the Netherlands Indies, as Indonesia was known up into the 1940s. Some artists, especially those in Europe, rebelled against this trend. This rebellion was later defined as "movement".

After World War II, an inspiring movement occurred in Italy, which had a strong tradition of realism. This was later known as Neo-realism. Movement filmmaking inspired Usmar Ismail to fight the tail end of mainstream genre in Indonesia that was led by ethnic Chinese cinema makers.

The Hollywood genre flourished in the Netherlands Indies indirectly, through Shanghai, and later on through Bombay. In the Netherlands Indies, however, formula pictures had their own scheme, which deviated from the original plan.

This deviation explains why Indonesian genre films of today are squashed by Hollywood formula pictures, and why locally made mainstream cinema is avoided by educated audiences, or intellectuals.

It is understandable that Garin Nugroho's films, Cinta Dalam Sepotong Roti and Surat Untuk Bidadari, did not win a place in the heart of Indonesian moviegoers, which have been conditioned by Hollywood genre films. The same goes for films by Teguh Karya, Slamet Rahardjo and Putu Wijaya. Their productions have shared a common fate.

When asked during a 1994 discussion, Garin acknowledged that he knew all of the formulas for Hollywood films. His challenge was how to make his films marketable, if he didn't try to use the American formula, which Indonesian moviegoers like?

It is an artist's right to say that he doesn't care whether people watch his films or not. The fact remains however that films are mass art, so it is a form of art that should be close to its public, unlike paintings that can be a personal form of art.

In his 1977 thesis for his doctoral degree, upon which his book Shadows on the Silver Screen was based, film critic Salim Said, who is now chairman of the Jakarta Arts Council, stated that Andrew Tudor didn't just see the differences between movement and genre, but also the similarities between the two.

According to Salim, when talking about movement as a pattern that was born out of resistance, Tudor warned, "(The difference) shouldn't hide the fact that the social dynamics is the same as genre. Both developed their own cultural pattern and their own educated audience in their own particular situation."

Furthermore, Salim stated, "It is clear now that the problems faced by Indonesian films through criticism and even insult ... are actually very basic problems. They involve values and habits that have become institutionalized through the relatively long history of Indonesian films."

"There is this firm belief that films are simply a marketable commodity. They have nothing to do with the reflection of the real Indonesia.

"The story is concocted according to formulas prescribed by the producers, because of which the various elements of the formulas -- sex, wealth, violence and exaggerated sadness -- are quite often independently emphasized. Considering that the basic formula is mostly obtained from foreign movies, 'the Indonesian face' is obviously missing," writes Salim in the introduction to Shadows on the Silver Screen.

What Salim said more or less means: Do not hope that big theme films or at least films showing a true Indonesian countenance will be created from the making of genre films in this country. Producers are business people looking for profit, not champions of culture.

These business people have been here for generations, whether through blood relations or business inheritance, since the era of Loetoeng Kasaroeng (1926), the first Indonesia film, up to the era of Gadis Metropolis 2 (1994). Movement supporters have only appeared since Darah dan Doa (1950), and only once in a while.

Sometimes, the so called movement characters appear among the genre heirs. This trend occurs not only in Indonesia, but also in Hollywood. The big muscle phenomenon, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, have been called "new movement", especially in the style used for shooting the pictures.

The emergence of this trend usually reflects the rebellion of directors who usually give way to producers. In Indonesia, the producer also takes on the roles of talent scout, casting director, story writer and script writer.

This situation has given birth to the so-called "under the tree directors." The person officially called the director is sitting under the tree receiving just enough money, while the film is being directed by the producer, or somebody else brought in by the producer from overseas, usually Hong Kong or sometimes India.

Tradition

Somehow the situation motivates some directors to break the tradition at their own risk. Some finance their own films. Sometimes the film crews and the artists chip in to finance the film. Some directors have asked for contract work but then subsidize the filmmaking from their own pocket.

For example, Slamet Rahardjo, Christine Hakim and Rima Melati chipped in to finance Teguh Karya's Di Balik Kelambu. Rima Melati, who owns several restaurants, was responsible for the provisions. However, Teguh Karya has gained support from his producer to make movement movies.

This first happened when he made November 1928, which won six Citra Awards in the 1979 Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) in Palembang, South Sumatra. He managed to get support from the founder of PT Inter Pratama Studio Laboratorium, Nyoo Han Siang, who also managed to attract the cooperation from genre producers Hendrik Gozali and Wiryo Wibowo.

Another producer who has tried to create some movement pieces is a woman novelist and engineer Prasanti, alias Budianti Abiyoga. Through her collaboration with script writer Asrul Sani and director M.T. Risyaf, they were successful in producing Naga Bonar, a film that sold well and was also successful in a film festival.

There was also an unknown with his first film, Tjoet Nya' Dhien. He broke a record in the 1988 Indonesian Film Festival with this historical epic. His name is Eros Djarot, Slamet Rahardjo Djarot's younger brother. Together they founded their own company, P.T. Ekapraya Film.

Eros' head was full of movement ideas. But he later became frustrated when faced with the reality of the situation in the film industry that had become extremely and tended to be monopolistic. Eventually even he lost confidence in his fight, unless, he said, there was a chance for a "big film".

Big film?

What Eros meant was Indonesia. That was a natural thought for Eros who is also a lecturer. Politics, economy and art cannot be separated. Eros, who later played midwife at the birth of the Detik tabloid, was also persistent in building relationships with the upper class in order to get their support for his aspirations.

Eros' predecessors -- Usmar Ismail, Djamaludin Malik and Asrul Sani -- in their time were politicians. All three of them belonged to the biggest political party at that time, Nadhlatul Ulama. They fought against the Indonesian Communist Party in the political arena as well as in filmmaking.

But, in the case of movement versus genre, Usmar didn't support Djamaludin. The latter pioneered the spread of the Hollywood subculture in Indonesia through NV Persari (Perseroan Artis Indonesia) which was founded on April 23, 1951. He even invited an Indian director.

"If the public wants Indian style films, we give them Indian until they get bored," he said. It wasn't that he didn't want to make good films. He was known to have provided scholarships for Persari employees to study overseas. He also employed Asrul Sani as head of story and script writing. Asrul was responsible for straightening up the quality of the stories.

Usmar himself, on the other hand, experienced some rise and fall in his desire to make movement films. He started his film career in the South Pacific Film Company as an assistant director to Andjar Asmara before making his own films, Harta Karun and Tjitra. The latter didn't sell well and he resigned from the company.

To materialize his obsession to make movement films, Usmar then founded NV Perfini (The Indonesian National Film Co.) on March 30, 1950. Like the Italian neo-realism directors, Roberto Rosselini and Vittorio de Sica, Usmar had a motto, "Take the camera to the street and use ordinary people, not actors/ actresses."

Later on, not all of the films he produced reflected the manifestation of his true dreams. Sometimes he had to compromise. However, his loyalty to taking the camera to the street made him and Perfini pioneers.

In the Apa Siapa (Who's Who) published by the now banned Tempo magazine, Usmar was said to have tried to make films as a medium to express art and was successful in putting down the foundation of domestic filmmaking. He is considered the "father of the Indonesian film industry.

And when the founder of the film company, whose logo is a bull, died on Jan. 22, 1971, Asrul Sani said, "With his going, he took away the spirit that revived Perfini as an institution that maintained certain principles in the Indonesian film world."

The logo still appeared when his second son, Irwan, produced Pacar Ketinggalan Kereta with Teguh Karya as the director. The film won a Citra Award in the 1989 FFI. In commemorating the 20th year of Usmar's death, critic Rosihan Anwar wrote, "It seems that there are still people who preserve the Perfini principles."

And now, at the time when Indonesian film is dying, we do not know who will come and replace him to maintain -- borrowing Salim Said's terminology -- "the aspiration to build an Indonesian film industry which really reflects the countenance of its own country."

Let's wait. And hope that we are not just waiting for Godot.