fbpx
Wikipedia

Star Film (Dutch East Indies company)

December 14, 2023

For the French company, see Star Film Company.

Star Film was a film production company in the Dutch East Indies. Established by Chinese-Indonesian businessman Jo Eng Sek and Chinese cameraman Cho' Chin Hsin in 1940, it produced five black-and-white films in 1940 and 1941; two of these were directed by Jo, and the remainder were directed by Wu Tsun. Another film was under production when the studio was closed following the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. Star helped establish the careers of actors such as S Waldy and Elly Joenara, and produced screenplays written by Rd Ariffien and Saeroen; its output, however, is probably lost.

Star Film Company
Logo, 1941
TypePrivate
IndustryFilm
FoundedBatavia, Dutch East Indies (1940 (1940))
Defunct1942 (1942)
FateDissolved
HeadquartersBatavia, Dutch East Indies
Area served
Dutch East Indies
Key people
  • Cho' Chin Hsin
  • Jo Eng Sek
ProductsMotion pictures

History edit

Star Film was established by Jo Eng Sek, who had previous film experience as co-producer of Si Tjonat (1929), and Shanghai-based cameraman Cho' Chin Hsin; for much of the life of the company, Jo would take the role of producer while Cho' would be on camera. The company's headquarters were located at Prinsenlaan, Batavia (now Mangga Besar, Jakarta).[1] The company released its first film, Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman, in April 1941. For this detective film, Star signed L. V. Wijnhamer Jr., an Indo social worker popular with the ethnic Chinese community.[2] The film was a commercial success, allowing the company to expand.[3]

Later Jo signed Rd Ariffien as a screenwriter;[3] the studio touted this as a victory, owing to Ariffien's wide network as a journalist.[4] He wrote a single work for the company, Tjioeng Wanara, based on the Sundanese legend as retold by M. A. Salmoen in a 1938 Balai Pustaka-published edition; this was directed and produced by Jo.[5][6] Several actors cast for the film continued with Star for the remainder of its existence, including comedian S Waldy and future film producer Elly Joenara. However, Ariffien left Star owing to dissatisfaction over Tjioeng Wanara.[3]

 
Poster for Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman, the company's first production

Star continued expanding, and Jo brought aboard Chinese director Wu Tsun, whose first film for the company was Lintah Darat.[5] It had begun production before the release of Tjioeng Wanara and dealt with a family torn apart by dealings with a loan shark.[7] This production received positive reviews.[8][9] Star then produced a sequel to Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman, again with Wu at the helm, and drew the journalist Saeroen as writer.[10][11] In this film, titled Pah Wongso Tersangka, Star emphasised comedy, relying on the interactions between Waldy, Pah Wongso, and the comedian Sarip.[12]

Saeroen wrote one more film for Star in 1941, Ajah Berdosa, before leaving the company.[13] This film, which follows a villager named Mardiman over a period of several years in which he loses everything owing to his infatuation with a "modern" woman,[14] was advertised as "an extremely simple and touching story"[a][15] and received positive reviews.[14] By late 1941, Star was producing an adaptation of the One Thousand and One Nights, titled 1001 Malam.[5] At the time several contemporary works were being adapted from Nights, including Tan's Film's Aladin and Koeda Sembrani, Populair's Film's Moestika dari Djemar, and Java Industrial Film's Ratna Moetoe Manikam.[16]

By early 1942, the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies had become concerned with the possibility of an invasion by the Empire of Japan.[17] This fear reached the general populace, and the February 1942 edition of film magazine Pertjatoeran Doenia dan Film reported that several studios would move away from the colonial capital of Batavia or go on a production hiatus. Star, though production of 1001 Malam was incomplete, was reported to be preparing to move.[18] When the Japanese occupied the Indies in March 1942,[5] Star was closed, never to reopen.[19]

Filmography edit

Star Film produced six films in two years.[5] All were feature length, black-and-white works, receiving wide releases in the Dutch East Indies. Some, such as Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman, were reportedly screened as far away as British Malaya, China, and Singapore.[20] Though its films were screened at least into the late 1940s,[b] the company's output is likely lost.[c]

Explanatory notes edit

  1. ^ Original: "Een uiterst eenvoudig en ontroerend verhaal..."
  2. ^ A screening of Lintah Darat is recorded in November 1949 in Singapore (The Straits Times 1949, (untitled)), and Tjioeng Wanara was shown in Surabaya in 1948 (Pelita Rakjat 1948, (untitled)).
  3. ^ All movies at the time were shot on 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 (Biran 2012, p. 291). As such, American visual anthropologist Karl G. Heider suggests that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost (Heider 1991, p. 14) However, J.B. Kristanto's Katalog Film Indonesia 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 (Biran 2009, p. 351).

References edit

  1. ^ Biran 2009, p. 233.
  2. ^ Biran 2009, p. 246.
  3. ^ a b c Biran 2009, p. 276.
  4. ^ Pertjatoeran Doenia dan Film 1941a, Warta dari Studio.
  5. ^ a b c d e Biran 2009, p. 234.
  6. ^ Filmindonesia.or.id, Tjioeng Wanara.
  7. ^ Filmindonesia.or.id, Lintah Darat.
  8. ^ De Indische Courant 1941, 'Lintah Darat'.
  9. ^ Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1941, Sampoerna Theater.
  10. ^ Filmindonesia.or.id, Pah Wongso Tersangka.
  11. ^ WorldCat, Pah Wongso Tersangka.
  12. ^ Pertjatoeran Doenia dan Film 1941c, Studio Nieuws.
  13. ^ Filmindonesia.or.id, Saeroen.
  14. ^ a b Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1942, Sampoerna-theatre.
  15. ^ Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1942, (untitled).
  16. ^ Biran 2009, p. 277.
  17. ^ Sardiman 2008, p. 98.
  18. ^ Pertjatoeran Doenia dan Film 1942, Studio Nieuws.
  19. ^ Biran 2009, pp. 319, 332.
  20. ^ Biran 2009, p. 247.

Works cited edit

  • Biran, Misbach Yusa (2009). Sejarah Film 1900–1950: Bikin Film di Jawa [History of Film 1900–1950: Making Films in Java] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Komunitas Bamboo working with the Jakarta Art Council. ISBN 978-979-3731-58-2.
  • Biran, Misbach Yusa (2012). "Film di Masa Kolonial" [Film in the Colonial Period]. Indonesia dalam Arus Sejarah: Masa Pergerakan Kebangsaan [Indonesia in the Flow of Time: The Nationalist Movement] (in Indonesian). Vol. V. Ministry of Education and Culture. pp. 268–93. ISBN 978-979-9226-97-6.
  • Heider, Karl G (1991). Indonesian Cinema: National Culture on Screen. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1367-3.
  • . filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  • "'Lintah Darat': Nieuwe productie der Star Film Coy" ['Lintah Darat': New Production of the Star Film Company]. De Indische Courant (in Dutch). Surabaya. 29 August 1941. p. 6.
  • . filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  • Pah Wongso Tersangka. WorldCat. OCLC 65071608.
  • . filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  • "Sampoerna Theater 'Lintah Darat'". Soerabaijasch Handelsblad (in Dutch). Surabaya. 20 November 1941. p. 6.
  • . Soerabaijasch Handelsblad (in Dutch). Surabaya. 9 January 1942. p. 6. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  • Sardiman (2008). Guru Bangsa: Sebuah Biografi Jenderal Sudirman [Teacher of the People: A Biography of General Sudirman] (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Ombak. ISBN 978-979-3472-92-8.
  • "Studio Nieuws" [Studio News]. Pertjatoeran Doenia Dan Film (in Indonesian). Batavia. 1 (5): 26–28. October 1941.
  • "Studio Nieuws" [Studio News]. Pertjatoeran Doenia Dan Film (in Indonesian). Batavia. 1 (9): 18–20. February 1942.
  • . filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  • "(untitled)". Soerabaijasch Handelsblad (in Dutch). Surabaya. 7 January 1942. p. 7.
  • "(untitled)". Pelita Rakjat (in Indonesian). Surabaya. 23 June 1948. p. 4. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014.
  • "(untitled)". The Straits Times. Singapore. 11 November 1949. p. 3.
  • "Warta dari Studio" [Reports from the Studios]. Pertjatoeran Doenia Dan Film (in Indonesian). Batavia. 1 (1): 18–20. June 1941.

December 14, 2023
star, film, dutch, east, indies, company, french, company, star, film, company, star, film, film, production, company, dutch, east, indies, established, chinese, indonesian, businessman, chinese, cameraman, chin, hsin, 1940, produced, five, black, white, films. For the French company see Star Film Company Star Film was a film production company in the Dutch East Indies Established by Chinese Indonesian businessman Jo Eng Sek and Chinese cameraman Cho Chin Hsin in 1940 it produced five black and white films in 1940 and 1941 two of these were directed by Jo and the remainder were directed by Wu Tsun Another film was under production when the studio was closed following the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies Star helped establish the careers of actors such as S Waldy and Elly Joenara and produced screenplays written by Rd Ariffien and Saeroen its output however is probably lost Star Film CompanyLogo 1941TypePrivateIndustryFilmFoundedBatavia Dutch East Indies 1940 1940 Defunct1942 1942 FateDissolvedHeadquartersBatavia Dutch East IndiesArea servedDutch East IndiesKey peopleCho Chin Hsin Jo Eng SekProductsMotion pictures Contents 1 History 2 Filmography 3 Explanatory notes 4 References 5 Works citedHistory editStar Film was established by Jo Eng Sek who had previous film experience as co producer of Si Tjonat 1929 and Shanghai based cameraman Cho Chin Hsin for much of the life of the company Jo would take the role of producer while Cho would be on camera The company s headquarters were located at Prinsenlaan Batavia now Mangga Besar Jakarta 1 The company released its first film Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman in April 1941 For this detective film Star signed L V Wijnhamer Jr an Indo social worker popular with the ethnic Chinese community 2 The film was a commercial success allowing the company to expand 3 Later Jo signed Rd Ariffien as a screenwriter 3 the studio touted this as a victory owing to Ariffien s wide network as a journalist 4 He wrote a single work for the company Tjioeng Wanara based on the Sundanese legend as retold by M A Salmoen in a 1938 Balai Pustaka published edition this was directed and produced by Jo 5 6 Several actors cast for the film continued with Star for the remainder of its existence including comedian S Waldy and future film producer Elly Joenara However Ariffien left Star owing to dissatisfaction over Tjioeng Wanara 3 nbsp Poster for Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman the company s first productionStar continued expanding and Jo brought aboard Chinese director Wu Tsun whose first film for the company was Lintah Darat 5 It had begun production before the release of Tjioeng Wanara and dealt with a family torn apart by dealings with a loan shark 7 This production received positive reviews 8 9 Star then produced a sequel to Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman again with Wu at the helm and drew the journalist Saeroen as writer 10 11 In this film titled Pah Wongso Tersangka Star emphasised comedy relying on the interactions between Waldy Pah Wongso and the comedian Sarip 12 Saeroen wrote one more film for Star in 1941 Ajah Berdosa before leaving the company 13 This film which follows a villager named Mardiman over a period of several years in which he loses everything owing to his infatuation with a modern woman 14 was advertised as an extremely simple and touching story a 15 and received positive reviews 14 By late 1941 Star was producing an adaptation of the One Thousand and One Nights titled 1001 Malam 5 At the time several contemporary works were being adapted from Nights including Tan s Film s Aladin and Koeda Sembrani Populair s Film s Moestika dari Djemar and Java Industrial Film s Ratna Moetoe Manikam 16 By early 1942 the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies had become concerned with the possibility of an invasion by the Empire of Japan 17 This fear reached the general populace and the February 1942 edition of film magazine Pertjatoeran Doenia dan Film reported that several studios would move away from the colonial capital of Batavia or go on a production hiatus Star though production of 1001 Malam was incomplete was reported to be preparing to move 18 When the Japanese occupied the Indies in March 1942 5 Star was closed never to reopen 19 Filmography editStar Film produced six films in two years 5 All were feature length black and white works receiving wide releases in the Dutch East Indies Some such as Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman were reportedly screened as far away as British Malaya China and Singapore 20 Though its films were screened at least into the late 1940s b the company s output is likely lost c Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman 1940 Tjioeng Wanara 1941 Lintah Darat 1941 Pah Wongso Tersangka 1941 Ajah Berdosa 1941 1001 Malam unfinished Explanatory notes edit Original Een uiterst eenvoudig en ontroerend verhaal A screening of Lintah Darat is recorded in November 1949 in Singapore The Straits Times 1949 untitled and Tjioeng Wanara was shown in Surabaya in 1948 Pelita Rakjat 1948 untitled All movies at the time were shot on 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 Biran 2012 p 291 As such American visual anthropologist Karl G Heider suggests that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost Heider 1991 p 14 However J B Kristanto s Katalog Film Indonesia 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 Biran 2009 p 351 References edit Biran 2009 p 233 Biran 2009 p 246 a b c Biran 2009 p 276 Pertjatoeran Doenia dan Film 1941a Warta dari Studio a b c d e Biran 2009 p 234 Filmindonesia or id Tjioeng Wanara Filmindonesia or id Lintah Darat De Indische Courant 1941 Lintah Darat Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1941 Sampoerna Theater Filmindonesia or id Pah Wongso Tersangka WorldCat Pah Wongso Tersangka Pertjatoeran Doenia dan Film 1941c Studio Nieuws Filmindonesia or id Saeroen a b Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1942 Sampoerna theatre Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1942 untitled Biran 2009 p 277 Sardiman 2008 p 98 Pertjatoeran Doenia dan Film 1942 Studio Nieuws Biran 2009 pp 319 332 Biran 2009 p 247 Works cited editBiran Misbach Yusa 2009 Sejarah Film 1900 1950 Bikin Film di Jawa History of Film 1900 1950 Making Films in Java in Indonesian Jakarta Komunitas Bamboo working with the Jakarta Art Council ISBN 978 979 3731 58 2 Biran Misbach Yusa 2012 Film di Masa Kolonial Film in the Colonial Period Indonesia dalam Arus Sejarah Masa Pergerakan Kebangsaan Indonesia in the Flow of Time The Nationalist Movement in Indonesian Vol V Ministry of Education and Culture pp 268 93 ISBN 978 979 9226 97 6 Heider Karl G 1991 Indonesian Cinema National Culture on Screen Honolulu University of Hawaii Press ISBN 978 0 8248 1367 3 Lintah Darat filmindonesia or id in Indonesian Jakarta Konfiden Foundation Archived from the original on 10 November 2013 Retrieved 26 July 2012 Lintah Darat Nieuwe productie der Star Film Coy Lintah Darat New Production of the Star Film Company De Indische Courant in Dutch Surabaya 29 August 1941 p 6 Pah Wongso Tersangka filmindonesia or id in Indonesian Jakarta Konfiden Foundation Archived from the original on 2 December 2013 Retrieved 26 July 2012 Pah Wongso Tersangka WorldCat OCLC 65071608 Saeroen filmindonesia or id in Indonesian Jakarta Konfiden Foundation Archived from the original on 10 November 2013 Retrieved 2 September 2012 Sampoerna Theater Lintah Darat Soerabaijasch Handelsblad in Dutch Surabaya 20 November 1941 p 6 Sampoerna theatre Ajah Berdosa Soerabaijasch Handelsblad in Dutch Surabaya 9 January 1942 p 6 Archived from the original on 10 November 2013 Retrieved 8 April 2014 Sardiman 2008 Guru Bangsa Sebuah Biografi Jenderal Sudirman Teacher of the People A Biography of General Sudirman in Indonesian Yogyakarta Ombak ISBN 978 979 3472 92 8 Studio Nieuws Studio News Pertjatoeran Doenia Dan Film in Indonesian Batavia 1 5 26 28 October 1941 Studio Nieuws Studio News Pertjatoeran Doenia Dan Film in Indonesian Batavia 1 9 18 20 February 1942 Tjioeng Wanara filmindonesia or id in Indonesian Jakarta Konfiden Foundation Archived from the original on 2 December 2013 Retrieved 26 July 2012 untitled Soerabaijasch Handelsblad in Dutch Surabaya 7 January 1942 p 7 untitled Pelita Rakjat in Indonesian Surabaya 23 June 1948 p 4 Archived from the original on 26 January 2014 untitled The Straits Times Singapore 11 November 1949 p 3 Warta dari Studio Reports from the Studios Pertjatoeran Doenia Dan Film in Indonesian Batavia 1 1 18 20 June 1941 Portal nbsp Companies Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Star Film Dutch East Indies company amp oldid 1056046074, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.