''Kabut Sutra Ungu'' (literally ''Mist of Purple Silk'') is a 1979 Indonesian film directed by

Sjumandjaja Sjumandjaja ( Perfected Spelling: Syumanjaya; 5 August 1933 – 19 July 1985) was an Indonesian director, screenwriter, and actor. During his career he wrote numerous films, directed fourteen, acted in ten, and produced nine; he also won ...

and starring Jenny Rachman,

Roy Marten Theodoros Roy Marten, born Wicaksono Abdul Salam (born 1 March 1952), is an Indonesian actor. Life and career Marten was born as Wicaksono Abdul Salam on 1 March 1952 in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia. In 1974, he made his acting debut in the ...

, and El Manik. Adopted from the novel of the same name by Ike Soepomo, it follows a young widow who must overcome various obstacles before marrying again.

Plot

Miranti (Jenny Rachman) is left a widow after her pilot husband dies in an accident. She forces herself to work independently, despite feeling alienated. She soon learns that her brother-in-law Dimas (

) cares greatly for her. Miranti ultimately realises that his feelings are more than just

pity Pity is a sympathetic sorrow evoked by the suffering of others. The word is comparable to ''compassion'', '' condolence'', or ''empathy''. It derives from the Latin (etymon also of ''piety''). Self-pity is pity directed towards oneself. Two d ...

, and the two can unite.

Production

''Kabut Sutra Ungu'' was produced and directed by

. It was his first film in over a year, following ''Yang Muda Yang Bercinta'' (''The Young Fall in Love''; 1978); the film's extended issues with the Indonesian censorship bureau, as well as his own poor health, had led Sjumandjaja to take a hiatus. Sjumandjaja adapted the

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

from the novel of the same name by Ike Soepomo, who had recently made her debut. Although he had previously heard his friends praise the novel, he first read it when an attendant on a train offered him a selection of books as reading material. Ultimately Sjumandjaja put a planned film on the

Wali Songo ''Wali Songo'' (), also transcribed as ''Wali Sanga'', are revered saints of Islam in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java, because of their historic role in the spread of Islam in Indonesia. The word ''wali'' is Arabic for "trusted on ...

on hold and began an adaptation. Production began in October 1979. The film, made for Matari Artis Jaya Film, saw Leo Fioole on camera and Berthy I Lindia as

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

. In post-production Sudharnoto handled music while Suparman Sidik did sound. The film was

edited Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, and ...

by Janis Badar. The film starred Jenny Rachman and Roy Marten, with other roles handled by actors including El Manik,

Sys NS Haryo Heroe Syswanto Ns. Soerio Soebagio (18 July 1956 – 23 January 2018), better known as Sys NS, was an Indonesian radio personality and politician. Biography Early life and music career Sys was born in Semarang, Central Java, on 18 July 19 ...

, Ami Priyono, Farouk Afero, and

Chitra Dewi Rara Patma Dewi Tjitrohadiseikusumo (26 January 1930 – 28 October 2008), best known under her stage name Chitra Dewi, was an Indonesian actress and director. She was noted for her roles in Usmar Ismail's films of the 1950s, appearing in fil ...

. Rachman, then rising in popularity, refused several offers so that she could take a role in ''Kabut Sutra Ungu''.

Release and reception

''Kabut Sutra Ungu'' was released in 1979. It proved the year's most popular Indonesian film, seeing almost half a million viewers in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

. A review in ''Berita Yudha'' found the film to be well done, despite having extensive dialogue and

Westernised Westernization (or Westernisation, see spelling differences), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt what is considered to be Western culture, in areas such as industr ...

symbolism. The reviewer considered the film to express the concerns faced by widows in Indonesia at the time.

Awards

''Kabut Sutra Ungu'' was nominated for seven Citra Awards at the 1980

Indonesian Film Festival The Indonesian Film Festival ( Indonesian: Festival Film Indonesia, 'FFI') is an annual awards ceremony organised by the Indonesian Film Board and the Ministry of Culture to celebrate cinematic achievements in the Indonesian film industry. Dur ...

, winning four; the festival also gave the film a special award as for showing a psychological change in society. Two of the awards it lost – Best Director and Best Screenplay – went to Frank Rorimpandey's ''Perawan Desa'', while Best Supporting Actor went to Hassan Sanusi of ''Rembulan dan Matahari''. ''Kabut Sutra Ungu'' also received an award for Best Actress at that year's

Asia Pacific Film Festival The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (abbreviated APFF) is an annual film festival hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific (FPA). The festival was first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954. History The festival was first he ...

. In 1981 it won the Antemas Award for being the best-selling film of the preceding year.

Footnotes

Works cited

* * * * * * *

External links

*{{IMDb title, 1797422, Kabut Sutra Ungu Citra Award winners Films directed by Sjumandjaja Films based on Indonesian novels Indonesian drama films