''Si Pitoeng'' is a film from the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

(modern-day

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

) that was released in 1931. Directed by the

Wong brothers The Wong brothers were three ethnic Chinese film directors and cameramen active in the cinema of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). The sons of an Adventist preacher, the brothers – Nelson (1895–1945), Joshua (1906–1981), and Oth ...

and starring Herman Shim and Ining Resmini, it was the first film based on the life of

Si Pitung Si Pitung (Old spelling: Si Pitoeng; or sometimes written just Pitung) was a 19th-century bandit in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (modern-day Jakarta, Indonesia). His exploits have become legendary since then, with numerous accounts of his life, deed ...

, a bandit from Batavia (modern-day

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 ...

Background

The historical

was a 19th-century bandit in Batavia,

(modern-day Jakarta, Indonesia). He began his criminal career in 1892 by robbing Hadji Sapiudin, a wealthy landowner who lived northeast of Batavia. He then continued stealing, although some tellings have him only stealing from people who collaborated with the Dutch colonial government. He was eventually caught in an ambush and killed by the police officer A.W.V. Hinne and several assistants. Later folklore led to him becoming an Indonesian

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

, stealing from the rich to give to the poor, and attributed mystical powers.

Plot

Pitoeng (Herman Shim) is a Muslim bandit of

Betawi Betawi may refer to: *Betawi people *Betawi language *Betawi cuisine Betawi cuisine is rich, diverse and eclectic, in part because the Betawi people that create them were composed from numbers of Native Indonesian, regional immigrants that came ...

descent. He steals from the rich citizens while dealing with a love interest (Ining Resmini) and police officer (Zorro).

Production

''Si Pitoeng'' was produced by Halimoen Film. The Indonesian film historian

Misbach Yusa Biran Misbach Yusa Biran (11 September 1933 – 11 April 2012) was an Indonesian writer, director and columnist who pioneered the Indonesian film archives. Personal life Biran was born in Rangkasbitung, in the Lebak Regency, to a Minangkaba ...

suggests that the theme was chosen by the film's financiers. ''Si Pitoeng'' was the first film about Pitung. The ''

kroncong Kroncong (pronounced "kronchong"; , ) is the name of a ukulele-like instrument and an Indonesian musical style that typically makes use of the kroncong (the sound ' comes from this instrument, so the music is called ''kroncong''). A ''kroncong'' ...

'' singer Ining Resmini, who had previously acted in ''Rampok Preanger'' (1929), was cast as Pitoeng's love interest, while the

peranakan The Peranakan Chinese () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (region), Nanyang (), namely the British Empire, British, Portugu ...

Chinese actor Herman Shim was cast as Pitoeng. Filming was completed in Bojong Loa,

Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...

. The film was directed by the

, who had studied film in the United States. The brothers' influence led to the film, despite being based on an Indonesian bandit, coming across as an American film; some viewers described it as a sort of

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

. The brothers had been directing films since ''

Lily van Java ''Lilly van Java'' (''Lily of Java''), also known as ''Melatie van Java'' (''Jasmine of Java''), is a 1928 film from the Dutch East Indies directed by Nelson Wong. Initially meant to be produced by South Sea Film and shot by an American direct ...

'' (''Lily of Java'') in 1927 and generally dealt with Chinese-Indonesian themes.

Release and reception

''Si Pitoeng'' was released by 6 February 1931, although little is known about its box office performance. Another film about the bandit, also entitled ''Si Pitung'', was released in 1970 and was the best performing Indonesian film of the year; this later production had three sequels.

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * *

External links