''Rajuan Alam'' (

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 ...

: ''Rayuan Alam'', released internationally as ''A House, a Wife, a Singing Bird'') is a 1956

semi-documentary A semidocumentary is a form of book, film, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events, or which is presented in a manner similar to a documentary. Characteristics Stylistically, it ...

directed by Miriam Bucher and starring and

Lies Noor Eliza Firmansjah "Lies" Noor (12 July 1943 – 14 March 1961) was an Indonesian actress and model. Rising to popularity after her appearance in 1952's ''Pulang'' (''Homecoming''), directed by , by 1955 Noor was able to demand fees of Rp 10,000 ( ...

Plot

Amin (), a village youth, attempts to earn a living in the city. However, he is unsuccessful, and thus he returns to the village to live with his wife, Marlina (

). Before they can marry, however, Marlina falls ill with malaria. When she is cured, they are able to marry.

Production

''Rajuan Alam'' was written by Padma T Astradiningrat and directed by Miriam Bucher as a joint production 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. ...

(PFN) and the

United States Information Service The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...

(USIS). The film was shot in Eastmancolor by cameramen Lie Gie San and Bert Sarodjo, making it the first PFN production to be shot in colour. Scenes for the film were shot in

Surakarta Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoh ...

and Salatiga, and dialogue was recorded in both Indonesian and English. ''Rajuan Alam'' starred and

. It also featured Rd Ismail as Marlina's father, as well as

Boes Boestami Boes Boestami (Perfected Spelling: Bus Bustami; 30 December 1922 – 11 September 1970) was an Indonesian journalist and film actor. He was mostly known for his comedic roles. Biography Boestami was born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now J ...

, Ali Yugo, Chaidar Djafar, Tb Sanusi, and Pranadjaja. Editing was handled by G Sarono and B Supardi, with artistic design provided by HB Angin. Sound was recorded by Dick Ninkeula and Sudjito, and the film was scored by Bernard Ijzerdraat and Sukiman. The twenty-six minute film was intended as a

about efforts to combat

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

Release and reception

''Rajuan Alam'' was released in Indonesia in 1956. It was screened at the 4th

Asia-Pacific Film Festival The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (abbreviated APFF) is an annual film festival hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific. The festival was first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954. History The festival was first held in Toky ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan, in 1957. Hermanto and Noor travelled to Japan to attend the screening, where the film was given the English-language title ''A House, a Wife, a Singing Bird''. This title was a reference to a Javanese view that all a man needed for true happiness was a place to live, a woman by his side, and a bird to sing to him.

References

Works cited

* * * * {{refend Films shot in Indonesia Indonesian-language films Indonesian documentary films United States Information Agency films Produksi Film Negara films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films Indonesian black-and-white films 1956 documentary films