Release
Tjitra was released in 1949, with a novelisation following in 1950; a song of the same name, by Cornel Simanjuntak, followed not long after. The introduction to the novel, entitled "Pengantar ke Dunia Film" ("Introduction to the World of Cinema"), was later compiled in the 1983 anthology Usmar Ismail Mengupas Film (Usmar Ismail on Film). A 35 mm copy of the film Tjitra is stored at Sinematek Indonesia's archives.
In a 1962 letter Ismail wrote that, aside from choosing the story, he had been given little control over the film. The producer dictated which shots were to be used and most of the creative aspects of filming. As such, Ismail disavowed Tjitra and Harta Karun, writing that he considered his first film to be Darah dan Doa (The Long March; 1950). The Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran wrote that, unlike most films from the Dutch East Indies, it showed a sense of an Indonesian nation.
Embun is a 1952 film directed by D. Djajakusuma for Perfini in his directorial debut.
Abisin Abbas, better known by his pseudonym Andjar Asmara, was a dramatist and filmmaker active in the cinema of the Dutch East Indies. Born in Alahan Panjang, West Sumatra, he first worked as a reporter in Batavia. He became a writer for the Padangsche Opera in Padang, where he developed a new, dialogue-centric style, which later spread throughout the region. After returning to Batavia in 1929, he spent over a year as a theatre and film critic. In 1930 he joined the Dardanella touring troupe as a writer. He went to India in an unsuccessful bid to film his stage play Dr Samsi.
Rentjong Atjeh is a 1940 action film from the Dutch East Indies directed by The Teng Chun. Telling of a group who take revenge against pirates in the Strait of Malacca, it starred Ferry Kock, Dewi Mada, Bissoe, Mohammad Mochtar, and Hadidjah. It was filmed near the shore in Batavia and reused footage from The's earlier work Alang-Alang (1939). Rentjong Atjeh, inspired in part by the Tarzan films, was a commercial success, although it may now be lost.
Roekihati is a 1940 film from the Dutch East Indies. Directed by the brothers Joshua and Othniel Wong and produced by Tan's Film, it follows a young village woman who goes to the city and encounters various difficulties. Targeted at lower-class audiences, it was shot in black-and-white and starred Roekiah and Raden Djoemala.
Raden Ariffien, often credited as Rd Ariffien, was an Indonesian film director. Initially a nationalist figure, he entered the film industry in 1940 after a period in theatre and radio. During his 25-year career, he was involved in some 36 films in various positions. He later became head editor of the film magazine Varia.
Raden Inoe Perbatasari was an Indonesian politician turned film director and actor.
Mohammad Said Hamid Junid, often credited as Moh. Said HJ, was a film director, storywriter, and actor active in the early cinema of Indonesia. After an unsuccessful career in the theatre he directed some nineteen films, beginning with Boenga Sembodja in 1942.
Gadis Desa is a 1949 comedy from what is now Indonesia written and directed by Andjar Asmara. Starring Basuki Djaelani, Ratna Ruthinah, Ali Joego, and Djauhari Effendi, it follows the romantic hijinks of a village girl who is taken to be a rich man's second wife. The film, produced by a Dutch-run company, is recognised as the first in which future "father of Indonesian film" Usmar Ismail was involved.
Darah dan Doa is a 1950 Indonesian war film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail, telling the story of the Siliwangi Division and its leader Captain Sudarto on a march to West Java. Following Ismail's Dutch-produced Tjitra (1949), Darah dan Doa is often cited as the first 'Indonesian' film, and the film's first day of shooting – 30 March – is celebrated in Indonesia as National Film Day.
Air Mata Iboe is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies directed and written by Njoo Cheong Seng. Starring Fifi Young, Rd Ismail, Ali Sarosa, and Ali Joego, it followed a mother who raises her children lovingly but is ultimately betrayed by her eldest sons when she falls upon hard times. The film, billed as a "musical extravaganza," featured a soundtrack by R. Koesbini, and an eponymous title song written by Njoo.
Panggilan Darah is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies written and directed by Sutan Usman Karim and produced by Tjho Seng Han for Oriental Film. The black-and-white film starred Dhalia and Soerip as orphaned sisters trying to make a living in the colonial capital of Batavia before moving to Kudus to work at a clove cigarette factory.
Matjan Berbisik is a 1940 film from the Dutch East Indies which was directed by Tan Tjoei Hock and produced by The Teng Chun. Starring Hadidjah and Mohamad Mochtar, the film follows two men who are raised as brothers and compete for the love of the same woman. A copy of the black-and-white film, which featured keroncong music, is stored at Sinematek Indonesia.
Srigala Item is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies that was directed by Tan Tjoei Hock and produced by The Teng Chun for Action Film. Starring Hadidjah, Mohamad Mochtar, and Tan Tjeng Bok, the film's plot – inspired by Zorro – follows a young man who became a masked vigilante to take revenge against his conniving uncle. Srigala Item was a commercial success, which Misbach Yusa Biran credits to the plot's use for escapism. A copy of the black-and-white film, which featured kroncong music, is stored at Sinematek Indonesia.
Noesa Penida is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies which was directed by Andjar Asmara and produced by The Teng Chun of Java Industrial FIlm. It tells of a love triangle between two brothers, born to a commoner, and a noble woman.
Elang Darat is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies which was directed by Inoe Perbatasari and produced by The Teng Chun for Jacatra Film. A detective film, it follows a man who comes to a village to track the villainous bandit known only as "Elang Darat".
Djaoeh Dimata is a 1948 film from what is now Indonesia written and directed by Andjar Asmara for the South Pacific Film Corporation (SPFC). Starring Ratna Asmara and Ali Joego, it follows a woman who moves to Jakarta to find work after her husband is blinded in an accident. SPFC's first production, Djaoeh Dimata took two to three months to film and cost almost 130,000 gulden.
Ismail Djoemala was an Indonesian actor active in the 1940s. He was often cast alongside Roekiah as her romantic interest.
Air Mata Mengalir di Tjitarum is a 1948 film from what is now Indonesia, written and directed by Roestam Sutan Palindih for the Tan & Wong Bros Film Company.
Raden Soekarno, better known as Rendra Karno, was an Indonesian actor. Born in Kutoarjo, Central Java, Soekarno entered the film industry in 1941, making his debut appearance in Union Films' Soeara Berbisa. Over the next forty years he appeared in more than fifty films. He was also involved in the theatre during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies and the Indonesian National Revolution. For his role in 1962's Bajangan di Waktu Fadjar, he was named best supporting actor at the 1963 Asian Film Festival in Tokyo.
Indriati Gerald Bernardina, also known by her stage name Indriati Iskak and after marriage as Indri Makki, is an Indonesian actress turned psychologist and marketer. She entered the Indonesian film industry and soared to popularity with Usmar Ismail's commercially successful Tiga Dara (1957). She appeared in eight further films and established her own girl group before retiring from cinema in 1963. She graduated from the University of Indonesia with a degree in psychology in 1968, and has taught the subject at the Jakarta Art Institute. For twenty-six years she worked with Unilever, and since 1994 she has been a marketing consultant with Makki Makki.
