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''Tiger from Tjampa'' () is an Indonesian
black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
released in 1953, produced by Perfini, written and directed by D. Djajakusuma. It is still highly regarded today in
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, ...
as an early portrayal in a fiction film of aspects of a traditional regional
culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
. Despite the numerous combat scenes as well as scenes of students practicing
pencak silat Pencak silat (; in Western writings sometimes spelled "pentjak silat" or phonetically as "penchak silat") is a class of related Indonesian martial arts. In neighbouring countries, the term usually refers to professional competitive silat. It ...
, Indonesia's traditional form of self-defence, based on the movements of animals and although in the film, the lessons are conducted by a famous master, ''Tiger from Tjampa'' was never presented as a
martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression a ...
. D. Djajakusuma won Best Scenario for this film at the first
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 ...
held in 1955.


Plot

Set in the 1930s, and narrated like an old ballad, ''The Tiger from Tjampa'' tells the story of a young man, Lukman (Bambang Hermanto) who seeks to avenge his father's murder by learning
pencak silat Pencak silat (; in Western writings sometimes spelled "pentjak silat" or phonetically as "penchak silat") is a class of related Indonesian martial arts. In neighbouring countries, the term usually refers to professional competitive silat. It ...
, Indonesia's traditional form of self-defence, based on the movements of animals. The pencak silat shown in the film is regionally specific to
West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...
. Lukman pleads Datuk Langit (Raden Ismail) to teach him, the man having asked him for three
buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...
s as payment which is beyond his means. Lukman then witnesses a man beat his opponent in a fight quite easily and begs him to teach him silat. The man agrees with the condition that his silat would not be used for oppressing the weak, but for
self defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in tim ...
only. Lukman breaks his promise numerous times, but every time his teacher always manages to forgive him until his lessons are complete. Lukman then once defies his teacher by killing a gambler, and is imprisoned. In jail, Lukman learns that Datuk Langit is responsible for his father's death. He manages to escape from prison and confront him, finally defeating him, after which he turns both him and himself to the authorities.


Production

Filmed largely on location in 1953 in the villages in West Sumatra, the region of the matrilineal
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see bel ...
people, ''The Tiger from Tjampa'' is exceptional in its evocation of a unique region and milieu. Apart from some of the main actors, almost everything in the film is from West Sumatra. All the film's varied music is from there, as are its dances. In its dialogue the film also effectively uses ''peribahasa'' - maxims and proverbs handed down for generations within oral culture - with their characteristic lilting Minangkabau rhythms. The film also displays the intense spirit of community that underlies educational practises in an oral culture. Djajakusuma, who took this project over from
Usmar Ismail Usmar Ismail (20 March 1921 – 2 January 1971) was an Indonesian film director, author, journalist and revolutionary of Minangkabau descent. He is widely regarded as the native Indonesian pioneer of the cinema of Indonesia. Biography Ismail ...
, is remembered in Indonesia as one of the first to make feature films in regional areas after independence. Both as a filmmaker, and as a teacher at the Jakarta Institute of the Arts, Djajakusuma's advocacy for a cinema engaging with the regions influenced younger generations of directors to follow his example, among those being
Slamet Rahardjo Slamet Rahardjo Djarot (born 21 January 1949) is an Indonesian actor, director, and screenwriter of Javanese- Bantenese descent. He is the elder brother of director, songwriter, and politician, Eros Djarot. Since his directorial debut in 1979 w ...
and
Garin Nugroho Garin Nugroho Riyanto (born 6 June 1961) is an Indonesian film director. Biography Nugroho was born in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta on 6 June 1961. He was the fourth child of postal workers Soetjipto Amin and Mariah, who eventually ...
.


Awards

D. Djajakusuma received the Best Scenario award at the
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 ...
in 1955.


Controversy

''Tiger from Tjampa'' raised controversy when the female lead, Nurnaningsih appeared half naked on-screen. This was a first in
Indonesian cinema The cinema of Indonesia refers to films produced domestically in Indonesia. The statutory Indonesian Film Board, or BPI, defines Indonesian films as "movies that are made by or using Indonesian resources whose Intellectual Property Right is ow ...
.


References

* http://arts.monash.edu.au/mai/films/tiger.php * http://perfilman.pnri.go.id/filmografi.php?1=1&a=view&recid=FILM-M2703 (Indonesian) * https://ditulis.id/tag/nurnaningsih-pamer-tubuh-di-film-harimau-tjampa/ (Indonesian)


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiger From Tjampa 1953 films 1950s Indonesian-language films Indonesian martial arts films Films shot in Indonesia Films directed by D. Djajakusuma Indonesian drama films 1953 drama films Indonesian black-and-white films Films set in Sumatra Silat films