D. Djajakusuma
The dedicated but easily angered Djajakusuma was influenced by Usmar Ismail's realist views, although he focused more on traditional aspects of life. His theatrical performances attempted to modernise traditional forms so that they could be better received in a modern world. He is credited with revitalising the Betawi dance form lenong and received numerous awards for his filmmaking, including two Best Director awards from the Indonesian Film Festival.
He studied drama and filmmaking under Andjar Asmara, Huyung, and Sutarto with Usmar Ismail, who would also become a director. In 1943, during the Japanese occupation, he worked at the Cultural Centre in Jakarta as a translator and thespian; filmmaking had slowed during the occupation, and nearly all films made in the country were short propaganda pieces. Among works he translated were several pieces by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. Upon leaving the department he joined Usmar Ismail's theatre troupe, Maya; other members included HB Jassin and Rosihan Anwar.
Following Indonesia's independence and the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration's occupation of Jakarta, in early 1946 Djajakusuma fled to the new national capital at Yogyakarta. There, he spent a time with the national news agency Antara before joining the military's educational division and rose to the rank of captain during the revolution. He was involved in the establishment of a school for performance art, the Mataram Entertainment Foundation, which was under the ministry of information, and taught there. Following Operation Kraai, in which the Dutch forces invaded Yogyakarta, Djajakusuma would listen to international news broadcasts and write them down, to be printed in the local newspapers.
In 1951 Djajakusuma produced his 1st work for Perfini, Dosa Tak Berampun, which was directed by Ismail. He also made his directorial debut that year with Embun (Dewdrop), which detailed revolutionaries upon returning to their village after the war. The film, which was shot on location, had trouble with both the censorship bureau and critics for its depiction of traditional superstitions, which were considered incompatible with the need for modernisation. The release of Embun made Djajakusuma one of four directors working for Perfini; the others were Ismail, Nya Abas Akup, and Wahyu Sihombing.
While Ismail, who headed Perfini, was abroad studying film, Perfini focused on non-controversial films. As such, Djajakusuma's next production, Terimalah Laguku, was a musical which avoided controversial, realist themes. This was followed by the critically acclaimed film Harimau Tjampa (Tiger from Tjampa) in 1953, which followed a man named Lukman as he attempted to avenge his father's death. Set amidst Minang culture, the film featured some of the 1st nudity in a local production.
In 1954 Djajakusuma, Ismail, and fellow Perfini worker Asrul Sani worked to establish the National Theatre Academy of Indonesia, which promoted realism; the Indonesian dramatist Putu Wijaya describes the realism promoted by the Academy as more Indonesian than western, while Djajakusuma recalls that it was inspired by the Italian neorealist movement. That year he directed two comedies, Putri dari Medan (Daughter of Medan) and Mertua Sinting (Insane Parents-in-Law). The following year he was one of the founders of the Indonesian Screen Actors Guild (Persatuan Artis Film Indonesia) and directed the drama Arni.
Djajakusuma spent a year studying film at the University of Washington in Seattle and the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles from 1956 to 1957; Ismail had done the same several years earlier. His 1st film upon his return to Indonesia, Tjambuk Api, was a critique of the widespread corruption in Indonesia which was reportedly held by the censorship bureau for almost a year; he followed this with the drama Pak Prawiro (Mr. Prawiro), which was sponsored by the Post Savings Bank (Bank Tabungan Pos) and meant to convey the importance of having savings. During this period he studied the traditional theatre of India and Japan, seeking inspiration for the filming of traditional Indonesian stories.
In 1960 Djajakusuma released his 1st film based on traditional wayang stories, Lahirnja Gatotkatja; the traditional puppetry had fascinated him as a child, and he greatly enjoyed the character Gatotkaca. Shot in Yogyakarta, the film featured a cast of stars from Jakarta and local talent in backing roles. That year he also released Mak Tjomblang, a comedy adapted from Nikolai Gogol's 1842 drama Marriage (Женитьба). In 1963 Djajakusuma released another comedy, Masa Topan dan Badai (Time of Cyclones and Storms), which may have been adapted from Friedrich Maximilian Klinger's Sturm und Drang, and the following year he directed his last film with Perfini, Rimba Bergema (Echoing Jungles), which was meant to promote the nation's rubber industry. Also in 1964 he helped establish the Film and TV Employee's Union (Persatuan Karyawan Film dan TV).
By the early 1970s Djajakusuma's productivity in film had declined. His last films, Api di Bukit Menoreh and Malin Kundang (Anak Durhaka) (Malin Kundang [Faithless Child], based on a folktale), were released in 1971. He instead focused on traditional theatre. Djajakusuma established the troupe Jaya Budhaya in the early 1970s, then the wayang orang troupe Bharata in 1973. He also helped promote traditional arts like the Betawi lenong and Javanese ludruk over a period of several years; the Indonesian cultural scholar S. M. Ardan credits him with revitalising lenong, which had been on the verge of dying out. In 1977 Djajakusuma organised another national wayang festival.
In 1977 Djajakusuma served on the jury of the Indonesian Film Festival.[b] While reading the decision, he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, while Rosihan Anwar completed the reading. Djajakusuma's neighbour and frequent collaborator Taufiq Ismail told reporters that it wasn't the 1st time Djajakusuma had done so. Djajakusuma continued to suffer from bouts of sudden weakness for the rest of his life, caused by high blood pressure. However, he continued to work in theatre and traditional wayang. For example, in June 1980 his stage play Yu Tang Curi (Yu Tang Steals) was performed at Ismail Marzuki Hall. That year he made his last film appearance, as an actor in Perempuan dalam Pasungan (Girl in Stocks), directed by Ismail Soebardjo. By the 1980s Djajakusuma had become the dean of the Faculty of Art at the Jakarta Art Institute (Institut Kesenian Jakarta, or IKJ) in Cikini, also doubling as a lecturer. In 1984 he went to the Three Continents Festival in Nantes, France, where two of his films were shown to critical acclaim.
In early 1987 Djajakusuma's doctor diagnosed him with heart disease, which led Djajakusuma to begin dieting and stop smoking. His adoptive family later recalled that he showed no outward signs of ill health. Although he continued to be highly respected in Indonesian film circles, he was displeased with the condition of the country's film industry; he considered it to be on the verge of collapse, as most cinemas preferred screening foreign films, especially from Hollywood. However, he expressed interest in making several further films.
Like Usmar Ismail, Djajakusuma was influenced by realism. However, while Ismail preferred to focus on national-level themes, Djajakusuma was more drawn to simple, locally relevant storylines with educational messages. This realism carried over into Djajakusuma's work in wayang. The settings, traditionally drawn, were instead created as three-dimensional sets, including representations of trees, rocks, and water. According to Soemardjono, who often edited Djajakusuma's films, the director enjoyed experimenting with new techniques to better convey his intentions.
Djajakusuma often included traditional arts in his films, and two of them were based on traditional wayang stories. As such, these films used wayang-inspired costumes and tempos. This regional-focused adaptation fell out of the mainstream after 1965, having been replaced by films about city life. Djajakusuma's theatrical productions experimented with new storytelling techniques, adapting the traditional styles for the modern world. As a lecturer teaching screenwriting and the history of theatre, Djajakusuma focused on Indonesian arts, arguing that Indonesians should focus on local arts and not continue to depend on Western theories. In other areas he was mostly apolitical.
The Indonesian sociologist Umar Kayam, who had served on the Jakarta Art Council with Djajakusuma, described the director as highly disciplined. The Indonesian film scholar Misbach Yusa Biran described him as quick to emotion when he was displeased, yet quick to calm when the trigger was removed; this sentiment was echoed by several persons who had worked with Djajakusuma. Coverage in the film magazine Djaja described him as hardworking and highly dedicated to his craft, to the point of forsaking romantic relationships.
Djajakusuma's film Harimau Tjampa garnered him the award for best director at the 1st FFI in 1954; it also earned a Best Screenplay Award at the 1954 Asian Film Festival. Djajakusuma's later film Bimo Kroda garnered him Best Director at the 1967 FFI, and in 1970 he garnered an art award from the Indonesian government. At the 1987 Indonesian Film Festival Djajakusuma received a special award for his contributions to the film industry. He received several further awards from different foundations for his work during his lifetime. In November 2003 Djajakusuma was posthumously awarded a Budaya Parama Dharma Award by President Megawati Sukarnoputri for his contributions to the development of Indonesian culture. Other awardees included the comedian Bing Slamet and the actress Fifi Young.
The award-winning director Teguh Karya cited the works of Djajakusuma, Usmar Ismail, and Asrul Sani as "legendary" and among his greatest influences. According to a memorial in the newspaper Kompas, Djajakusuma was also dubbed a "living legend" during his visit to Nantes. According to Kompas, his best-remembered works are Harimau Tjampa and Tjambuk Api. Those two works are those most often shown, owing to the fact that ready-to-use copies are stored at Sinematek Indonesia; his other surviving films are kept as negatives.
Related Sites for D. Djajakusuma
- CorporationWiki - People Directory - through read D. Djajakusuma
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- Daftar tokoh Jawa - Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas read D. Djajakusuma
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