Was looking at the current thread about the new film "Merah Putih", which prompts me to ask if anyone is willing to come up with a list of the top 5 or 10 movies made about Indonesia since the beginning of the movie-making industry. They could be made by Indonesians, or joint local-foreign productions, or made mainly by non-Indonesians, such as "The Year of Living Dangerously" (which I quite like personally). I've not seen many such films and am looking for some good recommendations from more knowledgeable folks. Films like "Merah Putih" are not really my cup of tea, since I prefer "great stories" over excessive, heavy-handed nationalism, although of course I will see them mainly for their cultural or sociological interest. I also presume that most well-known or classic films of or about Indonesia will have English subtitles available somewhere, correct?
Unfortunately, it's not going to be a long list. Indonesian movies are overwhelmingly slanted towards the "cinta" and "hantu" genres, and there are few of the high-quality, public-funded films that you often see from other countries. Foreign films on Indonesia are few and far between.
But if you want a good chuckle, you could do worse than the Barry Prima classic "The Warrior," which has just been re-released on DVD.
Hello Odinius, OK, thanks for the title! According to the IMDB, "The Warrior" aka "Jaka Sembung" (1981) sounds like it falls into the category of "campy martial arts cult classic" — the sort that gives Tarantino wet dreams at night. Wikipedia also features a couple of other Barry Prima flicks including "Realita, Cinta dan Rock'n Roll" ("Reality, Love, and Rock'N Roll," 2006) and "Golok Setan" ("The Devil's Sword, 1984). Anyone seen these?
I also remember seeing "Lord Jim" (1965) a long time ago, which is sort of like "Lawrence of Arabia" set largely in the then so-called Malay Archipelago. It has a great cast including James Mason as the baddie you throw popcorn at whenever he's on screen, and sixties Israeli pin-up Daliah Lavi playing a sweet "native lass" and the "love interest" for Peter O'Toole (no doubt compelled by the actor's suggestive surname). I wonder what local views are on this particular classic?
Some of the Indonesian grindhouse films are great fun. They are almost better dubbed into English, as it adds another layer of ridiculousness to the whole affair.
Virgins from Hell is awesome.
Here's a fantastic review of The Warrior, including a number of clips!
"Merantau" (2009) was the closing film for the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival, which is a very well-known South Korean film fest (just west of Seoul):
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