The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa | |
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Directed by | Yusry Abdul Halim |
Written by | Yusry Abdul Halim Amir Hafizi |
Based on | Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa |
Produced by | Norman Abdul Halim Edry Abdul Halim Johan Lucas Amaludin Syukri |
Starring | Stephen Rahman-Hughes Jing Lusi Gavin Stenhouse Khir Rahman Craig Fong Maya Karin |
Cinematography | Mohd. Nor |
Music by | Edry Abdul Halim |
Distributed by | Malaysia: KRU Studios International: Epic Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
Country | Malaysia |
Languages | Malay English Mandarin |
Budget | US$2.2 million |
Box office | US$6.3 million |
The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines (also called Clash of Empires: The Battle for Asia in the United Kingdom) is a 2011 Malaysian Malay-language epic adventure film loosely based on the late 18th or 19th century document Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa (Kedah Annals), which is also its title as released in Malaysia (Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa). The film is directed, co-written, and co-produced by Yusry Abdul Halim. The film stars Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Merong Mahawangsa, who escorts Prince Marcus Carprenius of the Roman Empire to Langkasuka to marry Princess Meng Li Hua from the Han Dynasty of China, thus uniting the two powers of East and West. The film was produced and distributed by KRU Studios.
The film was released to Malaysian cinemas nationwide beginning on 10 March 2011. The film won eight out of its 13 nominations in the 24th Malaysia Film Festival in the same year, including the category for Best Film. [1] [2]
In the second century AD, the powerful Roman Empire has agreed to form an alliance with the Han Dynasty by marrying their prince and princess. However, the Roman Emperor's son Marcus Carprenius (Gavin Stenhouse) opposes the decision as he will only be used as a pawn in the two countries' political schemes so he tries to sail away. The Chinese princess Meng Li Hua (Jing Lusi) also wants to be free and does the same by fleeing to a mysterious peninsula with her handmaiden Ying Ying.
After barely surviving a storm, the Roman fleet lands on the coast of Western India. Upon arrival, Marcus and his entourage are greeted by a local dealer who introduces them to Merong Mahawangsa (Stephen Rahman-Hughes), a smuggler who claims to be the descendant of the Greek king Alexander the Great. After watching Merong fight and defeat Sunder, a nobleman who holds Merong responsible for having an affair with his sister, Marcus is impressed and he recruits Merong to guide him to the mysterious peninsula while admiral Lycius sails back to Rome to get new ships and reward to Merong for helping the prince. Merong and Marcus arrive in the peninsula where they meet the Chinese Admiral Liu Yun (Craig Robert Fong). One night, Marcus meets Meng for the first time and they quickly fall in love as they discover that they both share the same goal of being free. The next morning, the Chinese and the Romans are attacked by a pirate tribe called Garuda led by a sorcerer named Taji (Wan Hanafi Su). Meng and Ying Ying are kidnapped by the Garuda while Marcus tries in vain to save them. Heavily outnumbered, the Chinese and the Romans are defeated. Enraged by Marcus' apparent death, Merong kills most of the Garuda fighters before he is knocked out.
Merong is nursed back to health by a tribal leader named Kesum (Rahim Razali) and Embok (ms:Ummi NazeeraUmmi Nazeera). Merong learns from Kesum that he and Taji were once students to a great warrior mage who wore an amulet of immortality. Desiring the amulet, Taji betrayed and killed the mage, and then he led a small band of pirates to raid the villages. Among Taji's victims were Merong's mother Lang (Umie Aida) and Embok herself. Merong also learns of a prophecy that a great warrior will unite all the peninsula's tribes into one kingdom to defeat their enemies. Merong then becomes Kesum's student and begins uniting the tribes, fulfilling the prophecy in the process. In the Garuda's island, Meng and Ying Ying are held captives by Taji and his pirates. During their attempt to escape, Meng and Ying Ying manage to steal the amulet of immortality. Meanwhile, after uniting all the tribes, Merong creates the kingdom of Langkasuka. Merong then reunites with Liu Yun, a recovering Marcus, and a small group of Chinese soldiers. Together, they set off to rescue Meng and Ying Ying from the Garuda. Before launching the attack, Embok confesses her love for Merong.
The next morning, Merong and his army begin their attack on the Garuda. Though heavily outnumbered, Merong sets all the Garuda ships on fire using a ship loaded with mirrors to reflect the sunlight. Taji then uses sorcery to unleash a powerful storm that covers the sun, rendering the weapon useless. Merong and his army fight the Garuda on the beach during which Liu Yun sacrifices himself to save Marcus. As the Garuda surround Merong's army, the Sino-Roman armada led by Lycius arrives and turns the tide, routing the Garuda in the process. As the battle ends in a Sino-Roman victory, Merong kills Taji in a fierce duel but at the cost of his life.
Many years after the great battle, Sultan Mudzafar Shah, the first Sultan of Kedah, chronicles the history of Merong Mahawangsa in the Kedah Annals to honor his memory and heroic deeds. [3]
The Garuda in the original tale is depicted as a gigantic bird-like creature whereas the film—due to limitations of the technology needed to recreate the bird—instead portrays it as a different entity, particularly a pirate tribe nation with its own island.
The film's music score was initially composed by Reza Ramsey and Yudi Ashady before they undergo re-arrangements to be played by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Claus Peter Flor. [5]
Anuar Zain sings the theme song for the film, titled "Sedetik Lebih", which was composed by Edry Abdul Halim.
The first official trailer was released in October 2010. The production was completed several months later. KRU Studios later announced that the film would be screened in the cinemas on 11 March 2011.
This film was shown for the first time during a royal audience with the Sultan of Kedah, Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah and his family on 25 February 2011 [6] prior to a nationwide release in March of the same year. A 30-minute making-of programme was broadcast on Malaysian TV station TV3 as part of the promotion, showing various elements of the production behind the scenes and also exclusive interviews with the cast and the crew. [7] [8] [9]
The film was later made available in the on-demand service Astro First on 21 April 2011. The DVD was also released on the same day. It was eventually released on the Blu-ray format in the United Kingdom on 23 May, becoming the first Malaysian made feature film to do so.
After its release in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei; the United Kingdom was the next country to screen the film. The film was released there under the title Clash of Empires: Battle for Asia. [10]
Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa was released in the DVD format on 21 April 2011 in Malaysia. In the United Kingdom, the film has been released on Blu-ray and DVD under the title Clash of Empires: Battle for Asia on 23 May 2011. [10] Its British release makes it the second Malaysian film to be released on Blu-ray after Ice Kacang Puppy Love which was released in Hong Kong.
Following its Malaysian release, the film grossed MYR 6.3 million at the box-office [11] (only in Malaysia) by the end of March 2011, making the film the most successful local epic film.
Kedah, also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland and the Langkawi islands. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice, while Langkawi is an archipelago, most of which are uninhabited islands.
Pattani is a town in the far south of Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. It is the capital of Pattani Province. The city has a population of 44,353 (2018). It covers the whole tambon Sabarang, Anoru and Chabang Tiko of Mueang Pattani district.
Langkasuka was an ancient Hindu-Buddhist kingdom located in the Malay Peninsula. The name is Sanskrit in origin; it is thought to be a combination of langkha for "resplendent land" -sukkha for "bliss". The kingdom, along with Old Kedah, is among the earliest kingdoms founded on the Malay Peninsula. The exact location of the kingdom is of some debate, but archaeological discoveries at Yarang near Pattani, Thailand suggest a probable location. The kingdom is proposed to have been established in the 1st century, perhaps between 80 and 100 AD.
Patani, or the Sultanate of Patani was a Malay sultanate in the historical Pattani Region. It covered approximately the area of the modern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and part of the northern modern-day Malaysian state of Kelantan. The 2nd–15th century state of Langkasuka and 6–7th century state of Pan Pan may or may not have been related.
KRU is a Malaysian pop boy band formed in 1992. The group comprises three brothers, namely Datuk Norman Abdul Halim, Datuk Yusry Abdul Halim and Edry Abdul Halim'. Apart from revolutionising the Malaysian music scene with their blend of pop, R&B and hip hop, Dato' Norman Abdul Halim heads a successful business empire, KRU Studios, with Dato' Yusry Abdul Halim specialising in film, media content and live events, whilst Edry Abdul Halim is a successful composer/producer.
Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, alternatively spelt Hikayat Marong Mahawangsa and also known as the Kedah Annals, is a Malay literary work that gives a romantic account of the history and tales relating to the Malay kingdom, kingdom of Kedah. The work is thought to have been written in the late 18th century or some time in the 19th century. Although it contains historical facts, there are also many incredible assertions in its accounts. The era covered by the text ranged from the opening of Kedah by Merong Mahawangsa, described as a descendant of Dhu al-Qarnayn until the acceptance of Islam.
Merong Mahawangsa is a legendary warrior and a ruler who is said to be the first king of Langkasuka, or the modern-day Pattani empire. His tale is mentioned in the Kedah Annals, where it mentions him as a hero who became the first king of Langkasuka.
The Kedah Sultanate is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Union but was restored and added to the Malayan Union's successor, the Federation of Malaya.
Raja Bersiong is a 1968 Malaysian Malay-language historical epic film Malay film directed by Jamil Sulong and based on a story by former Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Despite costing RM 750,000 to produce, ten times the cost of the average Malaysian film, it was a flop at the box-office.
KRU Studios is a Malaysian media and entertainment company. Founded in 1992, KRU Studios has since diversified and now provides a range of services related to the media and entertainment industry, specialising in both production and distribution capabilities.
Tunku Abdul Majid Idris Ismail Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar is a member of the Johor royal family and the Tunku Aris Bendahara of Johor. Tunku Majid has served in honorary positions in national sports associations, including as President of the Malaysian Golf Association and as Deputy President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation. An incident in 1992 in which Tunku Majid assaulted a hockey player led to the ending of legal immunity for Malaysia's nobility.
Kedahan Malays or commonly known as Orang Utara ('Northerners'), are a sub-group of Malays native to northern Malay Peninsula in areas of both current and historical area of Kedah. They are among the oldest ethnic groups in the Malay peninsula with a history dating back 2,800 years as proven by the discovery of sites in Bujang Valley and historical documents from India, China and Arabia. Kedahan Malays are one of the largest Malay sub-groups in Malaysia, comprising at least 15% of the total Malaysian Malay population including those with Kedahan ancestry.
Paduka Sri Sultan Mudzaffar Shah I, styled Phra Ong Mahawangsa was a legendary king and was said to be the first Sultan of Kedah, according to Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa. He was the last Hindu king of Kedah, styled Sri Paduka Maharaja Durbar Raja before his accession. After his conversion to Islam, he later became the founder of the Kedah Sultanate.
Craig Robert Fong is an Australian actor.
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Astro Mustika HD was a television channel by the Malaysian satellite provider Astro. It was the first in-house channel by Astro for telenovelas, movies, specials, telemovie & reality in High Definition in Malaysia. Astro Mustika HD was included in the network's Mustika Pack.
Kassim Ahmad was a Malaysian Muslim philosopher, intellectual, writer, poet and an educator. He was also a socialist politician in the early days of Malaya and later Malaysia and was detained without trial from 1976 to 1981 under Malaysia's Internal Security Act.
Genealogies of Kedah Rulers can be found in two traditional Malay texts, the first one being Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, a chronicle written in the late 16th century, and the other is Al-Tarikh Salasilah Kedah, a royal-sanctioned history published in 1928. The records however do not provide consistent genealogies for the early Rulers of Kedah. According to the Hikayat, Kedah's first Ruler was Merong Mahawangsa. In the Salasilah, it is stated that the first Kedah Ruler was Derbar Raja I who originated from Persia in the 9th century CE.
Malaysian folklore is the folk culture of Malaysia and other indigenous people of the Malay archipelago as expressed in its oral traditions, written manuscripts and local wisdoms. Malaysian folklores were traditionally transmitted orally in the absence of writing systems. Oral tradition thrived among the Malays, but continues to survive among Orang Asli and numerous Bornean ethnic groups in Sarawak and Sabah. Nevertheless, Malaysian folklores are closely connected with classical Malay folklore of the region. Even though, Malay folklore tends to have a regional background, with the passing of time, and through the influence of the modern media, large parts of regional Malay folklore have become interwoven with the wider popular Malaysian folklore.