120 Malay Movies by Amir Muhammad (Matahari Books, 2010)
August 9th, 2010 § 1 Comment
no, the cover doesn't reveal a hidden image if you stare at it for a long time. But it should.
Amir Muhammad’s latest book has rekindled my interest in the Golden Age of Malay cinema (anything filmed before 1973). I grew up watching mainly P. Ramlee movies (usually his comedies but some of his melodramas as well) on RTM back when Malaysia only had two channels. I recorded his movies and re-watched them over and over until one day, I ‘grew up’ and left the VHS tapes to gather dust. This was also a point in time when I thought P. Ramlee movies and all the Malay movies of that era were of a low quality and not really worth the time of an ‘adult’ like me. Yes, the comedies were funny but they were lawak bodoh, surely. 120 Malay Movies begs to differ.
Why only 120 movies? Amir writes in the introduction (and it is probably the first introduction in a book that I read from start to finish. It was that interesting) that it was a sarcastic way of equating watching Malay movies with the depravities in Marquis De Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom. However, he came out of that experience with a much higher appreciation of the gradually forgotten, and some totally forgotten, Malay film classics.
The reviews are short. He has to write 120 of them after all. But they are packed with Amir’s irreverent humour and lots of historical background of the Malay film industry in Singapore at the time and also the historical context that must have inspired some of the films. We have to remember that when the book begins with Cinta, a 1948 film, there was no Malaysia. Malaya was still under British rule. Communist insurgents threatened to topple it. Left-wing parties were demanding independence while right-wing parties (UMNO being the most prominent) wanted stability and the preservation of Malay rights. Television was unheard of. Mass entertainment could be had only through radio and cinema. Also, Islamic conservatism, though no doubt existed then, was much more subdued than it is today. The land was under Orang Putih control. What did they care what the natives watched as long as it kept them happy. And the natives were happy, I’ll bet.
I admit I was surprised to learn that Malay movies of yesteryear were more daring compared to the local movies today. A tighter censorship practice is to be blamed (or to be credited depending on your point of view). No way would a film like Cinta or Raja Bersiong would pass muster today with their portrayals of bare-shouldered ladies and Malays praying in a Hindu temple. Because everyone knows Malay women are paragons of modesty and all Malays are borne out of their mothers’ wombs as pious Muslims. To say otherwise is just crazy talk. Taboo subjects like rape, incest and adultery are brought front and center and sometimes as in Cinta Kasih Sayang the adulteress wasn’t even struck by lightning or run over by a car by the end of the film. Try doing that today. U-Wei even had to change the title of his Perempuan, Isteri dan Jalang to Peremuan, Isteri dan …. and that was before the censorship guys even looked at the actual film.
I no longer regard P. Ramlee comedies as anywhere near to approaching lawak bodoh of the Senario variety. On the contrary, his were witty and slyly poked the egos of authorities of the day. Amir even suggested that P. Ramlee didn’t care much for royalty since he made fun of them any chance he got. My kinda guy, P. Ramlee. This was never so blatant as in Nujum Pak Belalang when due to their superstition and desperation, P. Ramlee as Pak Belalang managed to humiliate not only the village headman but the entire royal family as well (the Sultan had to crawl to retrieve his crown). Not only did Pak Belalang get away with it, he married the Princess as well.
In Labu & Labi, Udo Omar’s role as Haji Bakhil (literally, Haji Miser) pokes fun at those Muslims who think they’ve booked a place in Heaven just because they’ve performed the pilgrimage to Mecca when it is their continued actions on Earth which will determine their place in the afterlife, haji or not.
And the famous tune from Psycho could be heard when P. Ramlee’s three wives come looking for him in the shower in Madu 3. Really? I must watch that movie again to make sure. Yeah, okay. No Malay movie could be considered stupid or childish if it had a Hitchcock-inspired scene in it. I reverse my opinion. P. Ramlee movies and in fact, most of the movies in this book were not the bottom of the barrel quality I have been led to believe. Perhaps I have been prejudiced by the state of the Malay film industry today with its obsession with truly lawak bodoh and the Mat Rempit culture featuring ‘talent’ who couldn’t even mime their way out of an invisible box. The films made in Jalam Ampas and Jalan Keris (Shaw Bros. films and Cathay Keris films respectively) may not have had much money to spend and had to be completed within three weeks but at least they had soul. And we’re much poorer for it now that those type of films are no longer made.
Amir states that he viewed these movies on VCD which were either official releases or pirated copies. VCDs? In this day and age and no one has seen fit to transfer these gems to DVDs? We’re living at a time when old Hollywood classics (some of them in black and white) are being re-issued on High-definition Blu-Ray while Amir still had to view old Malay films on vcd? This is the reason why I never shop for Malay movies at Speedy. I hate vcds. There have no chapter breaks, no extras, no commentaries. How can they expect us to appreciate the classics if they can’t even bother to give these films some love (or as Amir describes it, lurve)?
120 Malay Movies is a wonderful book even if you have no interest in Malay movies. It might even make a fan out of you. From a historical perspective it shows us that there was once a nation whose people was more open in thinking and was not afraid to share it. The fact that they lived with no internet and all the things we take for granted today puts us to shame.
The hardcover first edition of this book is a limited edition of 500 copies and was meant to be special which is why it was not stocked by any of the bookshops. Amir informed me he has less than 100 copies left so if you want one, email him at matahari.books@gmail.com for details. It’s RM60 which includes postage and handling. Don’t forget to ask for an autograph.
You could also pop in Kinokuniya@Suria KLCC. Amir said that 50 copies will be sold there by this Wednesday (11th August). Amazon.com stocks it as well for 35 bucks and no discounts.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by usenleo, Amir Muhammad. Amir Muhammad said: The Malaysian Reader ( @Khairul_H ) reviews 120 MALAY MOVIES: http://bit.ly/9yF0xR [...]