Janur Kuning
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''Janur Kuning'' (literally ''Yellow Coconut Leaves'') is a 1980 Indonesian
war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...
directed by Alam Surawidjaja and produced by Abbas Wiranatakusuma. Starring Kaharuddin Syah, Deddy Sutomo, and Dicky Zukarnaen, it follows the
Indonesian revolutionaries Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
six-hour assault on
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
, under
Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
, in a show of force against the Dutch army. At the time the most expensive domestic production ever, the film's title is meant to symbolise the Indonesian people's struggle. A critical success, ''Janur Kuning'' received a nomination and two special 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 Education, Culture, Research and Technology to celebrate cinematic achievements in ...
. It was screened annually on 1 March between 1980 and 1998, but has since been criticised as an attempt to manipulate history and create a cult with President
Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
in the centre.


Plot

In 1948, three years after the
Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...
began, the Dutch army invades the republican capital at
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
. Commander in Chief of the Army
Sudirman General of the Army Raden Sudirman ( Old Spelling: Soedirman; 24 January 1916 – 29 January 1950) was a high-ranking Indonesian military officer during the Indonesian National Revolution. The first commander of the Indonesian National Arm ...
(Deddy Sutomo) escapes, while the city's sultan Hamengkubuwana IX must stay there with his people and the national leadership. Sudirman, after escaping from the Dutch who were following him, goes on a guerrilla campaign. The following year, Lieutenant Colonel
Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
(Kaharuddin Syah) devises a daring plan, a show of force in the capital. Early in the morning on 1 March 1949 he takes his soldiers – all in full uniform – and retakes the city, overwhelming the Dutch. After six hours Suharto and his men retreat, as planned. Several months later the Dutch recognise Indonesia's independence.


Production

''Janur Kuning'' was directed by Alam Surawidjaja and produced by Abbas Wiranatakusuma of the
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
-based production house Metro 77. The script was written by Syafnizal Durab in collaboration with Arto Hady, while cinematography was completed by Kasdullah. In post-production Soemardjono handled editing and Sudharnoto and Suparman Sidik handled music and other sound effects. Kaharuddin Syah starred as Suharto, while Deddy Sutomo played Sudirman; other cast members included Amak Baldjun and Dicky Zulkarnaen. ''Janur Kuning'' was the most expensive Indonesian film up to that point, with a budget of Rp. 375 million. The cost led production to be held up for over a month when the allocated funds were unavailable. It was the second domestic production to deal with the 1 March general assault, after
Usmar Ismail Usmar Ismail (20 March 1921 – 2 January 1971) was an Indonesian film director, author, journalist and revolutionary of Minangkabau descent. He was widely regarded as the native Indonesian pioneer of the cinema of Indonesia. Biography ...
's ''
Enam Djam di Djogdja Enamelin is an enamel matrix protein (EMPs), that in humans is encoded by the ''ENAM'' gene. It is part of the non-amelogenins, which comprise 10% of the total enamel matrix proteins. It is one of the key proteins thought to be involved in amel ...
'' (''Six Hours in Jogja''; 1951). The film's title, which refers to immature coconut leaves, is meant to symbolise the Indonesian people's struggle against the Dutch colonists. In the film, fighters wear the leaves on their sleeves to show their loyalty. A scene was filmed, several minutes long, showing Sudirman meeting and hugging Sultan Hamengkubuwana IX after returning from his guerrilla campaign. According to Sutomo, the scene was cut because the censors working for Suharto's New Order disapproved of it. Sudirman, sickly from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
during his guerrilla campaign, is depicted as having mystic powers: the military historian Katherine McGregor notes such an effect in one scene, where Sudirman whispers a prayer and causes the rain to fall, distracting his Dutch pursuers and allowing him to escape. Several small scenes were filmed using foreign high school students from Jakarta International School, who were brought to Yogjakarta to portray the Dutch soldiers during their midterm break from school.LMcHaney, Participant(1979) Additional European extras were recruited from the ranks of young overland travelers from the US, Australia, Germany and other Western countries.


Release and reception

''Janur Kuning'' was released in 1980. At that year's
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 Education, Culture, Research and Technology to celebrate cinematic achievements in ...
, Amak Baldjun was nominated for a Citra Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film. Two special awards were also given at the ceremony, for Producer Supporting the People's Struggle ( and Hopeful Actor (). It has remained well received. In an overview of Indonesian patriotic films for ''
The Jakarta Globe The ''Jakarta Globe'' is a daily online English-language newspaper in Indonesia, launched in November 2008. The paper initially came out as a print newspaper with an average of 48 pages a day, and published Monday to Saturday. It had three sect ...
'', Awis Mranani wrote that ''Janur Kuning'' was "one to watch". After its release, ''Janur Kuning'' was broadcast annually on
TVRI TVRI (, Television of the Republic of Indonesia), legally ( Public Broadcasting Institution Television of the Republic of Indonesia) is a public television network and the oldest television network in Indonesia. Its national headquarters is i ...
on 1 March. In September 1998, four months after the
fall of Suharto Suharto resigned as President of Indonesia on 21 May 1998 following the collapse of support for his 32-year long presidency. Vice President B. J. Habibie took over the presidency. Suharto's grip on power weakened following severe economic and ...
, Information Minister
Yunus Yosfiah Lieutenant General (Ret.) Muhammad Yunus Yosfiah (born August 7, 1944) is an Indonesian politician and a decorated member of the Indonesian Army.GlobalSecuritKASSPSPOL - Sociopolitical Affairs Section.retrieved 2007-02-05 Yosfiah served as Minister ...
stated that the film was an attempt to manipulate history and create a cult with Suharto in the centre. Two other films, ''
Serangan Fajar ''Serangan Fajar'' (released internationally as ''Attack at Dawn'') is a 1982 Indonesian war film directed by Arifin C. Noer and produced by G. Dwipayana. Telling the lives of several persons during the Indonesian National Revolution, the film u ...
'' (''Dawn Attack''; 1981) and '' Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI'' (''Treachery of G30S/PKI''; 1984), were also affected by the decree. ''Serangan Fajar'' portrayed Suharto as a great hero of the revolution, especially the 1 March General Assault, while ''Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI'' emphasised the former president's role in destroying the 30 September Movement coup in 1965. The accuracy of ''Janur Kuning'' had been questioned as early as its release. A 35 mm copy is stored at
Sinematek Indonesia Sinematek Indonesia, or Sinematek for short, is a film archive located in Jakarta. Established in 1975 by Misbach Yusa Biran and Asrul Sani, the archive was the first in Southeast Asia, and remains the only one in Indonesia. It is home to roughl ...
in Jakarta.


Footnotes


Works cited

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend Indonesian war films Films about the Indonesian National Revolution Films set in Indonesia 1980s war films