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.