Kedok Ketawa
| Kedok Ketawa | |
|---|---|
 Newspaper ad (Surabaya); underneath is an ad for My Man Godfrey (1936) | |
| Directed by | Jo An Djan |
| Starring |
|
| Studio | Union Film |
| Release dates |
|
| Country | Dutch East Indies |
| Language | Indonesian |
Kedok Ketawa (Indonesian for The Laughing Mask, also known by the Dutch title Het Lachende Masker) is a 1940 bandit film from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). The first production of Union Film, it was directed by Jo An Djan and starred Oedjang, Fatimah, Basoeki Resobowo, and Eddy Kock. It follows a young couple who face off against criminals with the help of a masked bandit. The film was generally well received, with most of the praise centred on its cinematography. It is likely lost.
Plot
In Cibodas, Banten, a young woman named Minarsih (Fatimah) is rescued from four thugs by the painter Basuki (Basoeki). They fall in love and begin planning their life together. However, a rich man is interested in taking Minarsih to be his wife and sends a gang to kidnap her. Basuki is unable to fight them back, but he is soon joined by the a bandit known only as the "The Laughing Mask" (Oedjang), who has unnatural fighting abilities. After two battles with the gang, Basuki and The Laughing Mask are victorious. Basuki and Minarsih can live together in peace.[1]
Production
Kedok Ketawa was directed by Jo An Djan and starred Oedjang, Fatimah, Basoeki Resobowo, and Eddy Kock.[2] Oedjang had been a stage actor before appearing in the film, while Fatimah and Basoeki were nobles with relatively extensive educations; the Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran writes that this is evidence the film was targeted at intellectual audiences.[3] Kedok Ketawa, which featured kroncong songs performed by Poniman, was the first film produced by Union Films in Batavia (now Jakarta).[4] The story, which features fighting, comedy, and singing,[1] may have been influenced by Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.[5]
Release and reception
Kedok Ketawa was released in Batavia in July 1940,[4] with a press screening on 20 July.[6] By September it was being shown in Surabaya.[7] In some newspaper advertisements, such as in Pemandangan, it was referred to as Pendekar dari Preanger (Warrior from Preanger),[2] while in others it was advertised with the Dutch title Het Lachende Masker.[7] It was marketed as an "Indonesian cocktail of violent actions ... and sweet romance."[lower-alpha 1][7]
The critic-cum-screenwriter Saeroen, writing for Pemandangan, praised the film, especially its cinematography; he compared it to imported Hollywood films.[4] An anonymous review in Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad found that the film was a mix of native and European sensibilities, praising the cinematography. The review summarised that the film surpassed expectations, but it was evident that this was a first production.[6] Another review, in Soerabaijasch Handelsblad, found the film among the best local productions, praising its cinematography and acting.[1]
Legacy
Soon after the success of Kedok Ketawa, Saeroen joined Union Film and wrote two films for them, Harta Berdarah (Bloody Treasure) and Bajar dengan Djiwa (Pay with One's Soul; both 1940). Union Film would produce a total of eight films in 1940 and 1941 before being closed following the Japanese invasion in early 1942.[8]
Kedok Ketawa is likely a lost film. The American visual anthropologist Karl G. Heider writes that all Indonesian films made before 1950 are lost.[9] However, JB Kristanto's Katalog Film Indonesia (Indonesian Film Catalogue) records several as having survived at Sinematek Indonesia's archives, and Biran writes that several Japanese propaganda films have survived at the Netherlands Government Information Service.[10]
Explanatory notes
- ↑ Original: "... een indonesische cocktail van heftige acties ... zoete romantiek"
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1940, Kedok Ketawa.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Filmindonesia.or.id, Kedok Ketawa.
- ↑ Biran 2009, p. 244.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Biran 2009, p. 232.
- ↑ Imanjaya 2006, p. 38.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad 1940, Filmaankondiging Cinema Palace.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1940, (untitled).
- ↑ Biran 2009, p. 233.
- ↑ Heider 1991, p. 14.
- ↑ Biran 2009, p. 351.
Works cited
- Biran, Misbach Yusa (2009). Sejarah Film 1900–1950: Bikin Film di Jawa [History of Film 1900–1950: Making Films in Java] (in Indonesian). Komunitas Bamboo working with the Jakarta Art Council. ISBN 978-979-3731-58-2.
- "Filmaankondiging Cinema Palace: Kedok Ketawa" [Film at Cinema Palace: Kedok Ketawa]. Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad (in Dutch) (Batavia: Kolff & Co.). 20 July 1940. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- Heider, Karl G (1991). Indonesian Cinema: National Culture on Screen. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1367-3.
- Imanjaya, Ekky (2006). A to Z about Indonesian Film (in Indonesian). Bandung: Mizan. ISBN 978-979-752-367-1.
- "Kedok Ketawa". Soerabaijasch Handelsblad (in Dutch) (Surabaya: Kolff & Co.). 12 September 1940. p. 10. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- "Kedok Ketawa". filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- "(Untitled)". Soerabaijasch Handelsblad (in Dutch) (Surabaya: Kolff & Co.). 13 September 1940. p. 7. Retrieved 5 February 2013.