Njai Dasima (1929 film)

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Njai Dasima
Ad in Doenia Film
Directed byLie Tek Swie
Written byTan Khoen Yauw
Produced byTan Khoen Yauw
Starring
  • Nurhani
  • Anah
  • Wim Lender
  • Momo
Production
company
Release date
  • November 1929 (1929-11) (Dutch East Indies)
CountryDutch East Indies
LanguageSilent

Njai Dasima (

delman driver. The first film released by Tan's Film
, the film – adapted from an 1896 novel – was a critical and commercial success. It was released in two parts, followed by a sequel, and remade another two times by 1940.

Plot

Part 1

Dasima (Nurhani) is a

take a second wife
as she wants Dasima's money, which she will use for gambling.

Part 2

Dasima eventually realises that she has been tricked and begins to keep a close eye on her remaining wealth. To get at it, Samiun calls the thug Puasa and tells him to rob the young woman. At night, as Dasima goes to hear the story of Amir Hamzah at a nearby village, Puasa accosts her. He panics when she screams and kills her, then throws her body off a bridge; it washes up behind Williams' home. Samiun and Puasa are caught and sentenced to hang.

Production

Njai Dasima was the first film produced by Tan's Film, owned by ethnic Chinese.[1] Directed at native viewers, Njai Dasima was filmed from September to October 1929.[2][3]

The story was based on a novel written by G. Francis in 1896, which was advertised as based on a true story from 1813 Batavia. The story had previously been adapted by Toneel Melayu troupe. Tan's often adapted the troupe's work, and Njai Dasima was among their most successful.[4][5] Like most native adaptations of the novel, Njai Dasima avoided the anti-Muslim undertones present in the original work.[6]

Njai Dasima was directed by Lie Tek Swie and produced by Tan Khoen Yauw.[3] Nurhani, who played Dasima, was cast from the general populace.[7] Other stars included Anah, Wim Lender, and Momo.[3] The cinematography was handled by Andre Lupias.[8]

Release and reception

Njai Dasima was released in November 1929; it was released in two parts; the conclusion of the story was released in 1930.[8] It was a commercial success, to the point that the Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran writes that a cinema could make up several days losses with a single showing of the film.[9] Despite critical acclaim for her acting, Nurhani never played another film role.[7]

The film critic Kwee Tek Hoay, known for his scathing reviews, praised the visuals in Njai Dasima and the acting of Nurhani and the girl who played Nancy. However, he criticised the other actors, describing the one who played Williams as too young, the one who played Samiun as looking like a bellboy, and the one who played Mak Buyung as looking half crazy.[8] The magazine Doenia Film praised the filmography and acting by the lead characters.[8] The magazine Panorama later wrote that Njai Dasima was an important film for the Indies, as it showed that locally produced films could compete with foreign, especially American, ones.[6]

The film spawned a sequel,

Dasima, was directed by Tan Tjoei Hock in 1940.[12]

See also

References

Footnotes
  1. ^ Biran 2009, p. 76.
  2. ^ Biran 2009, p. 93.
  3. ^ a b c Filmindonesia.or.id, Njai Dasima (I).
  4. ^ Biran 2009, p. 99.
  5. ^ Biran 2009, p. 100.
  6. ^ a b Siegel 1997, p. 68.
  7. ^ a b Biran 2009, p. 101.
  8. ^ a b c d Biran 2009, p. 102.
  9. ^ Biran 2009, p. 24.
  10. ^ Biran 2009, p. 106.
  11. ^ Biran 2009, pp. 138–139.
  12. ^ Biran 2009, p. 209.
Bibliography
  • ISBN 978-979-3731-58-2
    .
  • "Njai Dasima (I)". filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Konfidan Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  • Siegel, James T (1997). Fetish, Recognition, Revolution. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
    ISBN 978-0-691-02652-7
    .

External links
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