Film Pendekar
Karriem Drewery
Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman (Malay for Pah Wongso the Righteous Warrior) is a 1941 detective film from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). The first production by Star Film, it was produced by Jo Eng Sek and features camerawork by Cho' Chin Hsin. Starring Pah Wongso, Elly Joenara and Mohamad Arief, it follows the social worker Pah Wongso as he investigates a murder to clear his protg's name.
The first film of its genre to be produced in the Indies, Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman was made to capitalize on the popularity of Wijnhamer and Hollywood characters such as Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto. Released in April 1941 to popular acclaim, it had a mixed critical reception; the reviewer Saeroen suggested that its success was entire because of its star's renown. A sequel to this film, Pah Wongso Tersangka, was released later in 1941 but is possibly lost.
Pah Wongso is a nut seller, social worker, and schoolmaster who lives in Batavia and takes care of the local poor. One day his young protg Wisnoe saves the life of a young woman named Siti when she is almost hit by a carriage. Thankful, her father Haji Abdullah gives Wisnoe a job at his rice mill. Wisnoe's zeal and diligence quickly make him stand out from his fellow employees and he begins to woo Siti, who returns his affections.
However, Wisnoe's cousin Bardja is envious of his newfound success. A gambler who frequents prostitutes, Bardja is smitten with Siti, who does not love him. Hoping to eliminate his competition, Bardja hires some thugs to kill Wisnoe; this attempt fails, and Bardja's financial situation becomes increasingly desperate. He decides to steal from his rich uncle but is caught in the act. In the ensuing struggle, he kills the older man, then frames Wisnoe for the murder.
Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman was produced by Jo Eng Sek, a businessman who had produced the film Si Tjonat in 1929. Cinematography on this black-and-white film was handled by Cho' Chin Hsin, who had recently immigrated from Shanghai.[1] The film was the first production of Star Film, a studio which Jo and Cho' had established in Prinsenland, Batavia (now Mangga Besar, Jakarta).[2]
At the time, the Hollywood characters Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto were popular in the Indies, as were imported detective films in general; however, no films in that genre had yet been produced domestically.[3] This led Jo to make a detective film which he thought would be successful with ethnic Chinese audiences.[4] For this, he approached L. V. Wijnhamer, Jr., an Indo man who was popular within the ethnic Chinese community for his social work; Wijnhamer, better known as Pah Wongso, helped educate abandoned children, ran an employment office, and raised funds for Red Cross aid in war-torn China. Wijnhamer accepted the role.[4]
To support Wongso, stage actress Elly Joenara was cast as Siti, making her film debut, while Mohamad Arief appeared as Wisnu.[5] Other cast members included Djoenaedi, R. Sukran, and Miss Satijem.[6] To ensure that fight scenes went smoothly, Jo hired members of Primo Oesman's silat and boxing group to perform as criminals;[4] Oesman, a professional boxer, also appeared in the film.[6]
Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman was rated for audiences over the age of 17.[7] It premiered at the Rex Theatre in Batavia on 1 April 1941, following a short speech by Wijnhamer.[8] It had reached Surabaya by June, where it was advertised as a film of intrigue, life, and death.[7] Although intended predominantly for domestic consumption,[8] it was also screened in China, Singapore and British Malaya.[9] When the film reached Singapore in July 1941, it was touted as a "thrilling Malay detective story ... full of thrills and excitement from beginning to end".[10]
The Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran records Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman as a commercial success.[9] Critical reviews, however, were mixed. An anonymous reviewer in the Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad praised the quality of the film, particularly its cinematography, acting, and story.[8] In the Malayan magazine Film Melayu, a reviewer considered the film of similar quality to Hollywood productions and praised its casting of a southeast Asian as the titular detective.[b][10] The critic and film writer Saeroen expressed concern that the film's success was not because of its quality, and opined that it was only popular because of Wijnhamer's fame.[11]
Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman may be lost. Movies were then shot on flammable nitrate film, and after a fire destroyed much of Produksi Film Negara's warehouse in 1952, old films shot on nitrate were deliberately destroyed.[16] Thus, the American visual anthropologist Karl G. Heider wrote that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost.[17] 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.[18]
Pah Wongso Tersangka was directed by Wu Tsun for the Batavia- (now Jakarta-) based Star Film, owned by Jo Eng Sek. The film was a sequel to Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman, a detective film which was directed and produced by Jo Eng Sek, one of the owners of the Batavia (now Jakarta) based Star Film.[2] The earlier film, a popular success, had been written to cash in on the popularity of the Hollywood characters Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto. It served as a vehicle for the Indo social worker L. V. Wijnhamer Jr., who was popular within the ethnic Chinese community for his social work, raising funds for the Red Cross to aid people in China and helping abandoned children.[3]
This black-and-white film was shot by Chok Chin Hsien, who had also handled the cinematography for Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman.[4] The story was written by Saeroen, who was signed from Union Film for this production.[5] Saeroen had risen to fame after writing the box office hit Terang Boelan (1939), and his works for Tan's Film and Union had likewise been successes.[6] Production had begun by September 1941.[7]
Wijnhamer returned from the Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman, and took up four different characters.[1] Three further actors returned from the original film: M Arief, Primo Oesman, and R Sukran.[8] Further main cast members included Sylvia Hatjirah, S Waldy, and M Sarip.[9] Of these, only Waldy, who had made his debut in 1940's Zoebaida for Oriental Film, had previous film experience.[10] Other cast members included Ma' Njai and Oemar.[11]
Pah Wongso Tersangka was screened by December 1941, and was reported to be well received.[14] Also advertised under the Dutch title Pah Wongso Keert Terug (Pah Wongso Returns), it was rated for all ages.[1] An advertisement in the Soerabaijasch Handelsblad promoted the film as "exciting",[b] and emphasised the multiple roles taken by Wijnhamer.[1] A novelisation of the film was published by the Yogyakarta based Kolff-Buning.[15]
Pah Wongso Tersangka was screened as late as October 1947,[19] but may now be lost. As elsewhere in the world, movies in the Indies then used highly flammable nitrate film, and after a fire destroyed much of Produksi Film Negara's warehouse in 1952, old films shot on nitrate were deliberately destroyed.[20] As such, American visual anthropologist Karl G. Heider suggests that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost.[21] However, Kristanto records several as having survived at Sinematek Indonesia's archives, and the film historian Misbach Yusa Biran writes that several Japanese propaganda films have survived at the Netherlands Government Information Service.[22]
3 friends want to become warriors. Ramli, Aziz and Sudin wanted to learn Silat from an expert, Pendekar Mustar. Mustar's daughter, Ros the village teacher, initially thought that they were crooks but soon realized that she was wrong and even fell for Ramli. The second instalment of the 'Bujang Lapok' series, this film chronicles the misadventures of the three bachelors as they learn self defence. Along the way, they discover their mutual attraction for their teacher's daughter and their illiteracy.
What a delight, such chemistry between the 3 buddies--just to watch them walk down the road (in their own way) comes across as oddly telling and buoyant--see the silent masters as other practitioners of this elusive quality, and perhaps Johnny Walker. P. Ramlee deserves very loud kudos for keeping it lean (in sketches), funny, and filled with what looks like an underlining affection for the comedic process itself--although at times the treble re-iteration of gags barely balances this side of tedium. Treat yourself.
P. Ramlee himself stars as Ramli, one of three bachelors who are in search of a silat master to learn from him. Along the way they get themselves in trouble and give the audience plenty of laughs. There's some humor I didn't quite understand due to the language barrier, but there's a lot in the form of visual comedy.
'3 bachelor warriors' is the second in a series of 'bachelor' films that are still popular in malaysia today. in this installment, the friends try to learn martial arts. combining song and dance, clever stunts and broad comedy, it's like a unique and hilarious blend of hong kong and bollywood style. actor/director/singer/songwriter p ramlee, an icon of malay cinema, worked for shaw brothers in singapore for years. he directed over 30 films, from comedies to melodrama to historical epics. many can be found on youtube w/eng subs.
pertama kenal film ini ya dari ayah.
pertama kali nonton ini pas umur gw 6 tahun, dan sejak itu ntah udah berapa ratus kali gw rewatch semua filmnya p ramlee dalam seminggu bisa 2x dan gapernah bosen (saat itu) karena emang jokesnya bener bener masuk, kocak, lucu, dan menghibur banget buat bocah seumuran gw waktu itu