''Mega Mendoeng'' (;

Perfected Spelling The Enhanced Spelling of the Indonesian Language ( id, Ejaan Bahasa Indonesia yang Disempurnakan, EYD) is the spelling system used for the Indonesian language. History The Enhanced Spelling of the Indonesian Language ( id, Ejaan Bahasa Indone ...

: ''Mega Mendung'') is a black-and-white drama film from the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

(now Indonesia) directed by Boen Kin Nam and produced by Ang Hock Liem for

Union Films Union Films was a film production company located in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia). Established by ethnic Chinese businessmen Ang Hock Liem and Tjoa Ma Tjoen in 1940, it produced seven black-and-white films before it was dis ...

. Starring Rd Soekarno, Oedjang, Boen Sofiati, and Soehaena, it follows two young lovers who are separated by lies but ultimately reunite at the village of Mega Mendoeng in

Bogor Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.Soeara Berbisa ''Soeara Berbisa'' (; Perfected Spelling: ''Suara Berbisa''; Indonesian for ''Venomous Voice'') is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies. Produced by Ang Hock Liem for Union Films and directed by R Hu, this black-and-white film stars Raden So ...

'' and completed over a period of three months. It was released in early 1942 and screened as late as July of that year, but may now be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

Plot

Winanta's father, Raden Koesoema, tells him that he should divorce his wife, Retnaningsih, to marry his cousin Fatimah, on threat of being disowned. To spare her husband from this fate, Retnaningsih decides to abandon him and moves from

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

to Batavia (now

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 ...

), where she lives a life of poverty. Unknown to her, this decision is used by Raden Koesoema as proof of her that she was not trustworthy. Winanta falls into despair, but eventually marries Fatimah. Eighteen years later, Winanta and Fatimah have had a daughter named Koestini (Boen Sofiati), who is studying in Batavia. Educated, graceful, and beautiful, she is popular with young men but only returns the affections of Soedjono ( Rd Soekarno), a young assistant pharmacist who is polite and refined. One of her spurned suitors, Soekatma, decides to ruin their relationship by telling Winanta that Koestini has spent all of her time chasing boys rather than studying. Believing these lies, Winanta recalls Koestini to Bandung. Koestini falls ill, and her death is reported. Driven mad by the news, Soedjono begins wandering aimlessly. Ultimately, as if guided by some unseen force, he discovers Koestini alive in a village called Mega Mendoeng, near

, a production house based out of

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

(now Jakarta) which was run by Tjoa Ma Tjoen and financed by Ang Hock Liem. A sound technician by training, ''Mega Mendoeng'' was Boen's only full directorial credit. Liem served as producer. The film was announced in September 1941 and produced concurrently with ''

Soeara Berbisa ''Soeara Berbisa'' (; Perfected Spelling: ''Suara Berbisa''; Indonesian for ''Venomous Voice'') is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies. Produced by Ang Hock Liem for Union Films and directed by R Hu, this black-and-white film stars Raden So ...

'' (''Venomous Voice''), a film on which Boen acted as

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

. ''Mega Mendoeng'' was completed by December 1941, after ''Soeara Berbisa''. The black-and-white film starred Rd Soekarno, Oedjang, Boen Sofiati, and Soehaena; it also featured Ratna Djoewita, Ratnasih, Gamari Fadjar, and Moesa. Oedjang had acted for Union since its first film, ''

Kedok Ketawa ''Kedok Ketawa'' (; Indonesian for ''The Laughing Mask'', also known by the Dutch title ''Het Lachende Masker'') is a 1940 action film from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Union Films' first production, it was directed by Jo An Djan. Sta ...

'' (''The Laughing Mask''; 1940), while Soekarno and Soehaena had made their debuts in ''Soeara Berbisa''. Sofiati, a stage actress who operated her own troupe, was a newcomer to cinema.; This cast was of various socio-economic backgrounds, including noblemen and stage actors. Although Union stated that the film was made along realist lines and aimed at educated viewers, owing to the inclusion of stage actors – people who usually entertained lower class audiences – the Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran suggests that this was untrue.

Release and legacy

''Mega Mendoeng'' was released in early 1942, the seventh and final film completed by Union. With a Japanese invasion looming, the February 1942 edition of the film magazine ''Pertjatoeran Doenia dan Film'' reported that several studios would move away from the colonial capital of Batavia or go on a production hiatus. Union, though already beginning production of a film set in the

Majapahit Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was ba ...

era titled ''Damar Woelan'', was forced to close shop; it never reopened. Soekarno returned to the film industry in the 1950s and was active until the 1970s, mostly credited as Rendra Karno. ''Mega Mendoeng'' was screened as late as July 1942, but may now be

. Movies were then shot on highly flammable nitrate film, and after a fire destroyed much of

Produksi Film Negara Produksi Film Negara (''State Film Productions'', abbreviated as PFN) is an Indonesian state-owned film funding company, previously a film production company. PFN is one of the pioneers in Indonesian film industry at the time when it is formed. ...

's warehouse in 1952, old films shot on nitrate were deliberately destroyed. As such, the American visual anthropologist

Karl G. Heider Karl Heider (born January 21, 1935) is an American visual anthropologist. Life and education Heider was born in Northampton, Massachusetts. Heider is the son of psychologists Fritz and Grace (née Moore) Heider. He had two brothers; John and ...

suggests that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost. However, J.B. Kristanto's ''Katalog Film Indonesia'' records several as having survived at Sinematek Indonesia's archives, and Biran writes that several Japanese propaganda films have survived at the Netherlands Government Information Service.

Explanatory notes

References

Works cited

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Portal bar, Film, Indonesia, Netherlands 1942 films Union Films films Lost Indonesian films Dutch East Indies films Indonesian black-and-white films 1940s lost films