Bidasari
| Bidasari | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jamil Sulong |
| Starring |
Jins Shamsuddin Sarimah |
Release dates | 1965 |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Language | Malay |
Bidasari is a 1965 Malaysian black-and-white romantic-drama film starring Jins Shamsuddin and Sarimah. The film is notable as having dialogue that is written almost completely as rhyming poetry. The story is based on the very popular romantic Malay poem during 18th and 19th century in the Malay world, Syair Bidasari,[1] believed to be written as early as 1750 A.D.[2] (based on Kembayat Negara annals)[3] and mentioned by Dr. J. Leyden in 1807 A.D. as Hikaiat Bida Sari (Bidasari Annals),[4] which has some similarities with the western fairy-tale of Snow White that was published by The Brothers Grimm in 1812 A.D. of their fairy-tale collection book.
Plot
A simple merchant and his young son are out in the woods when he discovers a drifting boat in a river. The boat contains a baby girl, along with a bowl containing a live goldfish. The merchant realises the baby is unusual because her life is bonded to the fish: if the fish leaves the water, the baby stops breathing. The merchant adopts the baby as his own and names her Bidasari. Years later Bidasari grows up into a beautiful young woman (Sarimah), while the merchant and his son prosper into a wealthy businessmen believing that their good fortune has been due to Bidasari's entering their lives.
At the royal palace of the kingdom, the King has just remarried a beautiful woman, the Permaisuri (Queen). The Permaisuri is a proud woman who secretly practises witchcraft. Hidden in her chambers is a magic mirror that can show her anything she asks. She uses it to ask who the most beautiful in all the land is. One day when she asks the mirror this question, the image of Bidasari appears in it. She is enraged by this and orders her servants to find Bidasari. Her search leads her to the merchant's house and, under the guise of kindness, the Permaisuri asks the merchant for permission to bring Bidasari to the palace to be her companion. Although the merchant is reluctant to part with his beloved daughter, he lets her go. But once Bidasari arrives at the palace, she is sent to the kitchens as a servant, where she is starved and given the filthiest jobs.
After the Permaisuri is satisfied that Bidasari's beauty has been ruined, she again asks her magic mirror who the most beautiful in the land is. When the mirror shows Bidasari yet again, the Permaisuri flies into a rage and runs to the kitchen, where she grabs burning pieces of firewood to burn Bidasari's face. She is shocked when the fire goes out and Bidasari's face is left untouched. Bidasari, who has by now realised that the Permaisuri's malice is targeted only at her and will never stop, begs for mercy and explains her life is bonded to that of a fish that is kept in a bowl in her father's garden.
At night, the Permaisuri has a servant steal the fish for her from the merchant's garden. As soon as the fish leaves the water, Bidasari collapses and stops breathing. Satisfied that Bidasari's life is in her hands, the Permaisuri hangs the fish around her neck as a trophy. When she asks the mirror who is the most beautiful in the land, the mirror shows her own image. The next day the merchant realises the fish is missing, and is told that Bidasari died mysteriously at the palace. Her body is returned to him and he builds a small tomb for her in the woods where her body is laid out in peace.
Meanwhile, the Permaisuri's stepson the Prince has been having dreams about Bidasari, although he has never met her. The dreams plague him even in his waking hours, despite his father's advice that such a beautiful woman cannot exist. The Permaisuri sees her stepson acting this way and plants a painting of Bidasari in his room. The Prince finds the painting, which leads him to the merchant who explains the sad tale of Bidasari's death and the mysterious disappearance of the fish.
Elsewhere the merchant's son, has travelled to another kingdom to expand the family's business. There he meets the King and Queen, who have only a young child despite their advanced years. They tell him that actually had another child, a princess, and that years ago the kingdom was under attack and they had to send her away for her safety. They explain their daughter's unusual nature: her life is bonded to a fish. Bidasari's brother tells them that the princess must be Bidasari, but she has sadly just died. The King and Queen decide to travel to Bidasari's kingdom to see her body for themselves.
The Prince decides to visit Bidasari's tomb to see her beauty with his own eyes. Coincidentally at this time, back at the palace the Permaisuri is having a bath in the royal bathing pool. The fish manages to break free of its locket and drops into the water where it starts swimming. This causes Bidasari to wake up right before the Prince's eyes. Bidasari tells him of what the Permaisuri did to her, which confirms the Prince's suspicions of his stepmother. When the Permaisuri finishes her bath, she discovers that the fish has gotten free. She manages to catch it just as the Prince is about to help Bidasari leave the tomb, causing her to fall unconscious again. The Prince places Bidasari back in the tomb and promises to make things right.
The Prince returns to the palace in a fury, demanding that the Permaisuri give him the fish. The Permaisuri pretends not to know anything, and when the King listens to the Prince's explanation, the King declares that his son has gone insane and calls the royal guards. A fight ensues, during which the Permaisuri is injured and dies.
Just before the Prince is captured, the merchant, Bidasari's biological royal parents, and the Prince's loyal manservants arrive with Bidasari on a stretcher. The merchant and other King explain that Bidasari is a princess, and that the story about the fish being bonded to Bidasari's life is true. The Prince takes the fish from the locket around the Permaisuri's neck and puts it into a bowl of water. As soon as the fish enters the water, Bidasari comes back to life. The King apologises to his son, and the Prince and Bidasari are married.
Cast
- Sarimah as Bidasari
- Jins Shamsuddin as Putera
See also
References
- ↑ Millie, J. (2004). Bidasari: Jewel of Malay Muslim Culture (pp. 1). The Netherlands: KITLV Press.
- ↑ Liaw, Yock Fang (1975). Sejarah Kesusastraan Melayu Klasik. Singapura: Pustaka Nasional.
- ↑ Millie, J. (2004). Bidasari: Jewel of Malay Muslim Culture(pp. 23). The Netherlands: KITLV Press.
- ↑ Millie, J. (2004). Bidasari: Jewel of Malay Muslim Culture(pp. 2 - 3). The Netherlands: KITLV Press.
External links
- Bidasari at the Internet Movie Database