Merah Putih (film)
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Merah Putih | |
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Directed by | Yadi Sugandi |
Written by | Conor Allyn Rob Allyn |
Starring | Donny Alamsyah Lukman Sardi Darius Sinathrya Rudy Wowor |
Release date |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
Country | Indonesia |
Language | Bahasa Indonesia |
Merah Putih ("Red [and] White") is a
Genre
After a silence of almost two decades, Indonesian war-themed movies made a return with the release of Merah Putih. Janur Kuning (Young Yellow Coconut Leaves), Enam Djam di Jogja (Six Hours in Yogya), Serangan Fajar (The Dawn Attack) and Cut Nyak Dien are just few of many war movies screened in cinemas years ago, portraying the spirit, struggles and courage of Indonesians in fighting the Dutch and Japanese colonialists to gain independence and freedom.
Story
Set against a historically authentic backdrop of
The movie starts with the tough lives of the aforementioned characters in a military school, showing friendship and even competition among them. But the lives of the young cadets changes when Dutch soldiers suddenly attack their camp, tearing them apart. With limited weaponry and forces, they decided to unite to fight against the Dutch and defend their freedom. Combining action, drama, humor, romance, human tragedy and strong personal stories, the movie is aimed at inspiring the new generation with the spirit of the generations before them who fought and sacrificed themselves for the freedoms Indonesia enjoys today.
Idea
The idea of the film first emerged when Allyn asked his close friend Hashim about two old portraits of youths in uniform on his wall. Hashim told Allyn they were pictures of his two uncles, First Lt. R.M. Subianto Djojohadikusumo and Cadet R.M. Sujono Djojohadikusumo, who had died in the battle of Lengkong in 1946. His uncles were the brothers of Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, one of the founding fathers of Indonesia and the economic guru who helped win recognition of Indonesia's independence by the United Nations. "I thought it would make a great Hollywood movie!" said Allyn. Hashim and Allyn agreed that the story of brave young Indonesians willing to sacrifice their lives for the independence of Indonesia needed to be retold to the younger generation of Indonesia – and to the world outside, where few people know much about Indonesia's long and bloody struggle for independence.
Shooting the film
Allyn brought technical experts from
Before the film shoot began, the cast joined a military boot camp for 10 days where they were trained as if they were true military cadets. The daily training consisted of marching, grueling physical training, training in the use of various weapons, and reading the Pancasila, the national ideology. "Every morning we were woken up at 4 a.m. We had to be on the training site on time and studied Indonesian history on a daily basis," Darius said. "This movie is a reminder for all of us of why we become Indonesia at the beginning. I hope this movie can encourage the young generation to love this country and to make our Indonesia better," Donny said. Despite a series of fighting and explosions scenes, you won't find a spectacular amount of action in this film, especially if you are a war movie lover. Allyn said that this first movie was more of an introduction of the characters and transitions of how they became mature. He promised that there would be more action scenes in the second and third movies.
Trilogy
Merah Putih is the first part of the "Merdeka (freedom) Trilogy". The second part,
See also
Sources
- Triwik Kurniasari, THE JAKARTA POST, 08/09/2009
- [1] Merah Putih on IMDb
- [2] Darah Garuda (Merah Putih II) on IMDb
- [3] Hati Merdeka (Merah Putih III) on IMDb
External links
- Merah Putih at IMDb
- Merah Putih at Rotten Tomatoes