The Problematic Production of Loetoeng Kasaroeng, Indonesia's First Silent Movie
When Europe held the first film screening in 1895, the Dutch East Indies government introduced the cinema concept. Then, 26 years later, the first Indonesian film released to the public was Loetoeng Kasaroeng.
George Krugers, of Indo-Dutch descent, directed the film, assisted by a Dutch director named L. Heuveuldrop who also acted as producer. Most of the actors involved are native Indonesians, which made this film the first original Indonesian film in history.
Loetoeng Kasaroeng is a silent film. The story was inspired by Javanese folklore, basically about a girl who falls in love with a monkey, or Lutung in Javanese, who has supernatural powers.
It focuses on two sisters who compete with each other, named Purbasari and Purbararang. Purbararang, the elder sister, teases Purbasari's lover, a lutung named Guruminda. Meanwhile, Purbararang's lover is a handsome human named Indrajaya.
Without them knowing, Guruminda was a handsome prince blessed with great power from heaven who was banished to earth because of his mistake. Later, they know that Guruminda is a god much more attractive than Indrajaya.
A troubled production
The cast consists of priyayi, or noble circles, under the coordination of the school principal, Raden Kartabrata. The cast includes the children of Wiranatakusumah V, the Regent of Bandung who helped finance the film.
Because most players are not real actors, Heuveldorp could not force them to take their roles seriously. To deal with the poorly acted actors, Kartabrata, who initially worked as the cinematographer, helped provide direction while completing this film.
Even though no actors attracted attention thanks to their unsatisfactory acting, the film became the beginning of a native Indonesian movie star. Oemar, who plays in this film, later starred in several other Indonesian films.
"Bandoenger" in Panorama magazine gave a bad review, stating that Loetoeng Kasaroeng could not match the technical quality of imported films. Some of the actors who play roles in films are not even paid.
Other reviews stated that the out-of-focus shots gave the entire film a gloomy and dark impression. Other bad reviews included awkward directing, inappropriate filming locations, and strange costumes.
Considering this film was starred by new and inexperienced actors, reviews said no actors stood out and deserved a spotlight.
Apart from Sundanese culture and dance not being considered attractive to other tribes, William van der Heide, a lecturer in film studies at Newcastle University in Australia, revealed that the representation of natives as primitive also contributed significantly to poor ticket sales.
Now, Loetoeng Kasaroeng is considered a lost film. American visual anthropologist Karl G. Heider revealed that all Indonesian films released before 1950 have been lost, meaning there is no official documentation about these films in the modern era.
However, the Indonesian Film Catalog by JB Kristanto notes that several films are stored in the Sinematek Indonesia archives. Meanwhile, Loetoeng Kasaroeng screening has yet to be carried out in the modern era.
From Sundanese folklore
Loetoeng Kasaroeng is a silent film. The story was inspired by Javanese folklore, basically about a girl who falls in love with a monkey, or Lutung in Javanese, who has supernatural powers.
It focuses on two sisters who compete with each other, named Purbasari and Purbararang. Purbararang, the elder sister, teases Purbasari's lover, a lutung named Guruminda. Meanwhile, Purbararang's lover is a handsome human named Indrajaya.
Without them knowing, Guruminda was a handsome prince blessed with great power from heaven who was banished to earth because of his mistake. Later, they know that Guruminda is a god much more attractive than Indrajaya.
A troubled production
The cast consists of priyayi, or noble circles, under the coordination of the school principal, Raden Kartabrata. The cast includes the children of Wiranatakusumah V, the Regent of Bandung who helped finance the film.
Because most players are not real actors, Heuveldorp could not force them to take their roles seriously. To deal with the poorly acted actors, Kartabrata, who initially worked as the cinematographer, helped provide direction while completing this film.
Even though no actors attracted attention thanks to their unsatisfactory acting, the film became the beginning of a native Indonesian movie star. Oemar, who plays in this film, later starred in several other Indonesian films.
Poor reception
"Bandoenger" in Panorama magazine gave a bad review, stating that Loetoeng Kasaroeng could not match the technical quality of imported films. Some of the actors who play roles in films are not even paid.
Other reviews stated that the out-of-focus shots gave the entire film a gloomy and dark impression. Other bad reviews included awkward directing, inappropriate filming locations, and strange costumes.
Considering this film was starred by new and inexperienced actors, reviews said no actors stood out and deserved a spotlight.
Apart from Sundanese culture and dance not being considered attractive to other tribes, William van der Heide, a lecturer in film studies at Newcastle University in Australia, revealed that the representation of natives as primitive also contributed significantly to poor ticket sales.
Now, Loetoeng Kasaroeng is considered a lost film. American visual anthropologist Karl G. Heider revealed that all Indonesian films released before 1950 have been lost, meaning there is no official documentation about these films in the modern era.
However, the Indonesian Film Catalog by JB Kristanto notes that several films are stored in the Sinematek Indonesia archives. Meanwhile, Loetoeng Kasaroeng screening has yet to be carried out in the modern era.
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