The Wong brothers were three ethnic Chinese film directors and cameramen active in the cinema of the
Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). The sons of an Adventist preacher, the brothers – Nelson (1895–1945), Joshua (1906–1981), and Othniel (1908–1986) – received much of their education in the United States before going to Shanghai and establishing The Great Wall Productions.
By 1927, Nelson had arrived in the
Dutch East Indies and was working with
Miss Riboet's Orion, a theatrical troupe. When its owner
Tio Tek Djien suggested he make a film with the troupe's star, Nelson insisted that his family be brought to the Indies. Although this initial film was not realised, the brothers made numerous feature films with different studios under the banner Halimoen Film, starting with ''
Lily van Java
''Lilly van Java'' (''Lily of Java''), also known as ''Melatie van Java'' (''Jasmine of Java''), is a 1928 film from the Dutch East Indies directed by Wong brothers, Nelson Wong. Initially meant to be produced by South Sea Film and shot by an A ...
'' (1929). After a two-year hiatus, during which Nelson fell ill, Joshua and Othniel worked with
Albert Balink
Albert Balink (3 August 1906 – 8 February 1976) was a Dutch journalist and filmmaker who contributed to early Indonesian cinema. Born in the Netherlands, he began a career in film journalism in the Dutch East Indies. A self-taught filmmaker ...
and
Mannus Franken
Mannus Franken (6 February 1899 – 1 August 1953) was a Dutch filmmaker who played an important role in the development of Indonesian cinema. He made his debut as a writer before working with Joris Ivens in producing two documentary films. ...
to produce ''
Pareh
''Pareh'' ( Sundanese for "rice"), released internationally as ''Pareh, Song of the Rice'', is a 1936 film from the Dutch East Indies (modern day Indonesia). Directed by the Dutchmen Albert Balink and Mannus Franken, it featured an amateur na ...
'', a commercial failure which bankrupted its producers.
The Wongs collaborated again with Balink on ''
Terang Boelan
''Terang Boelan'' (; Indonesian for "Full Moon", ''Terang Bulan'' in the Perfected Spelling System) is a 1937 film from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Written by Saeroen, directed by Albert Balink, and starring Rd Mochtar, Roekiah an ...
'' in 1937, a commercial success which left the brothers rich. They began working with
Tan's Film
Tan's Film was a film production house in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia). Established by the brothers Tan Khoen Yauw and Tan Khoen Hian on September 1, 1929, its films were mostly targeted at native ethnic groups. Starting with '' Njai ...
afterwards, making another five films with the company. After the
Japanese occupation Joshua and Othniel became merchants, returning to film in 1948 with the Tan brothers. Their new company produced 45 films, although the Wongs were not involved in all of them.
Youth
The Wong brothers were the sons of Wong Siong Tek, an
Adventist
Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Wil ...
clergyman. Nelson was born in 1895, Joshua in 1906, and Othniel in 1908. The Indonesian film historian
Misbach Yusa Biran
Misbach Yusa Biran (11 September 1933 – 11 April 2012) was an Indonesian writer, director and columnist who pioneered the Indonesian film archives.
Personal life
Biran was born in Rangkasbitung, in the Lebak Regency, to a Minangkabau ...
writes that the brothers were born in China and later went to the United States, Nelson in 1920 and his family some time afterwards; however, the
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 rough ...
publication ''Apa Siapa Orang Film Indonesia'' (''Who and What: Indonesian Filmmakers'') indicates that Nelson was born in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
and raised in China, and lists the brothers as attending several American schools as early as 1916.
In the early 1920s Nelson spent time in Los Angeles, ostensibly to get a college education. However, he instead focused on learning about the developing film industry, spending time watching productions with
The Teng Chun
The Teng Chun (; 18 June 1902 – 25 February 1977), also known by his Indonesian name Tahjar Ederis, was a Chinese Indonesian film producer. Born to a rich businessman, The became interested in film while still a youth. After a period as a ...
and
Fred Young. He reportedly received small parts on the crew, working with cables and electricity. Biran writes that Nelson was one of the cameramen for ''
The Three Musketeers
''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight ...
'' in 1921. Around this time Joshua and Othniel became active in film, studying under their brother. However, their family disapproved of this and later disowned them.
By the mid-1920s the Wong brothers had left the US and moved to
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
, China, where they established The Great Wall, a film company sponsored by a
Chinese-American
Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from m ...
. The Wongs showed no interest in adapting
Chinese myths and legends – works which other studios often adapted – instead focusing on modern stories. The company is recorded as making a single work, in 1924, but closed soon after.
Early works
Nelson emigrated from
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
to the
Dutch East Indies by 1927, when he is recorded as a cashier at the
Miss Riboet's Orion drama troupe owned by
Tio Tek Djien; Wong Siong Tek may have been preaching in the area as well. Tio, later learning that Wong had experience in film, asked him to record the troupe's performances. Nelson did so, using a simple camera. The ability to make films convinced Tio that a feature film would be a profitable venture; the country's first domestically produced film, ''
Loetoeng Kasaroeng'', had been released in 1926. Nelson agreed, but only on the condition that Tio bring his brothers to the Indies. Tio helped the younger Wongs immigrate, spending several thousand
gulden for transportation for them and their equipment.
When the brothers arrived in the Indies, Tio bought an old
tapioca flour
Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America. ...
factory in
Bandung for them to use as a studio. Nelson and Tio began plans to make a film starring Miss Riboet, the star of Tio's troupe, but these were cancelled after discovering that Riboet's face was "not photogenic". Tio pulled out, but the Wongs were able to find another financier, a
General Motors employee named David Wong.
![Lari-ka-mekah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Lari-ka-mekah.jpg)
The brothers decided to complete ''
Lily van Java
''Lilly van Java'' (''Lily of Java''), also known as ''Melatie van Java'' (''Jasmine of Java''), is a 1928 film from the Dutch East Indies directed by Wong brothers, Nelson Wong. Initially meant to be produced by South Sea Film and shot by an A ...
'' (''Lily of Java''), a film which had been partially worked on by South Sea Film in Batavia (modern day
Jakarta); South Sea had reportedly booked an American named Len Ross to direct, but after shooting several scenes he left the country. Reports differ on the success of the film: the reporter Leopold Gan described it as doing very well, to the point its reels were damaged from overuse, while Joshua Wong recalled it as having been a commercial failure. After the film, David Wong backed out and the brothers were left without a financier.
The brothers, under the banner Halimoen Film, began taking orders from several different studios, with Nelson, Joshua, and Othniel serving in various roles in the crew. In 1929 the brothers worked with Batavia Motion Pictures to produce the Chinese-oriented bandit film ''
Si Tjonat'', which was fairly well received. They also produced the action film ''Rampok Preanger'' independently, a film which may have been based on an American work and starred a Chinese actor and
native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
''
keroncong
Kroncong (pronounced "kronchong"; id, Keroncong, nl, Krontjong) is the name of a ukulele-like instrument and an Indonesian musical style that typically makes use of the kroncong (the sound ' comes from this instrument, so the music is called ' ...
'' singer, and shot the drama ''
Melati van Agam'' (''Jasmine of Agam'').
In 1930 the Wongs produced ''Lari ke Arab'' (''Escape to Arabia''), an original script written by Joshua that the brothers worked on collaboratively; the film was originally entitled ''Lari ke Mekah'' (''Escape to Mecca''), but the (national censorship board) refused the title as it could be insulting to Muslims. This was followed in 1931 by several films, including the brothers' first talkie ''
Indonesia Malaise'' (''Indonesia in a Depression''), an unsuccessful comedy produced with M. H. Schilling about a woman who pines for her imprisoned lover; the film was prefaced with another Wong–Schilling collaboration, ''Sinjo Tjo Main di Film'' (''Sinjo Tjo Acts in a Film''), based on Schilling's radio work. The brothers' final work that year, ''
Si Pitoeng'', adapted the story of the
Betawi bandit
Si Pitung
Si Pitung (Old spelling: Si Pitoeng; or sometimes written just Pitung) was a 19th-century bandit in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (modern-day Jakarta, Indonesia). His exploits have since become legendary, with numerous accounts of his life, deeds, an ...
and cast an ethnic-Chinese actor in the role.
The brothers were commissioned by Schilling in 1932 to film ''
Zuster Theresia'' (''Sister Theresia''), a
talkie
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
targeted at the Dutch population of the Indies which followed a man who falls in love with his nanny despite being married. Based on the film's plot, Biran suggests that the Wongs had little creative influence. ''Zuster Theresia'' was a critical failure and Halimoen Films closed soon after.
''Pareh'' and ''Terang Boelan''
![Terang Boelan p311](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Terang_Boelan_p311.jpg)
Nelson became sickly around 1934 and went on hiatus; he died in
Surabaya in 1945. However, Joshua and Othniel remained in the industry, and in late 1933 or early 1934 were introduced to
Albert Balink
Albert Balink (3 August 1906 – 8 February 1976) was a Dutch journalist and filmmaker who contributed to early Indonesian cinema. Born in the Netherlands, he began a career in film journalism in the Dutch East Indies. A self-taught filmmaker ...
, a reporter from the ''Soematra Post'' in
Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...
. Balink intended to shock the market with an expensive film with high production values, in contrast to the budget films by The Teng Chun which were dominating the market. The Wongs were asked to house the company in their studio and help with the cinematography.
Over a period of almost two years Joshua and Othniel worked with Balink to scout shooting locations and potential cast members, including joining a car chase which resulted in
Rd. Mochtar being cast in the lead role. The resulting film, ''
Pareh
''Pareh'' ( Sundanese for "rice"), released internationally as ''Pareh, Song of the Rice'', is a 1936 film from the Dutch East Indies (modern day Indonesia). Directed by the Dutchmen Albert Balink and Mannus Franken, it featured an amateur na ...
'' (''Rice''), followed the forbidden love between a fisherman and a farmer's daughter, and was edited in the Netherlands by co-director
Mannus Franken
Mannus Franken (6 February 1899 – 1 August 1953) was a Dutch filmmaker who played an important role in the development of Indonesian cinema. He made his debut as a writer before working with Joris Ivens in producing two documentary films. ...
. The film was unable to recoup its 75,000 gulden production costs and the producers were left financially devastated after its 1936 release. However, it resulted in a shift towards higher production values in the country's film industry.
Within a year the Wongs had rejoined Balink, this time at the (Dutch Indies Film Syndicate, or ANIF); Balink had found several international backers to fund the studio and promised to work on documentaries, with the Wongs on camera. However, in early 1937 Balink and the Wongs began working on a new film, hiring the journalist
Saeroen to write the script. The Wongs handled cinematography for the film, which starred Rd. Mochtar and
Roekiah.
The resulting work, which told of a woman who elopes with her lover, was released under the title ''
Terang Boelan
''Terang Boelan'' (; Indonesian for "Full Moon", ''Terang Bulan'' in the Perfected Spelling System) is a 1937 film from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Written by Saeroen, directed by Albert Balink, and starring Rd Mochtar, Roekiah an ...
'' (''Full Moon'') in 1937 or 1938. It was a commercial success, earning 200,000
Straits dollars in
British Malaya and reviving the country's faltering film industry. It proved to be the most successful production in the area until 1953's ''Krisis'' (''Crisis''), released after Indonesia had become independent. Despite this success, ANIF began focusing on documentary films, causing Balink to leave the country and the Wongs – newly rich because of their share of ''Terang Boelan'' profits – to open a new studio before ultimately being signed to
Tan's Film
Tan's Film was a film production house in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia). Established by the brothers Tan Khoen Yauw and Tan Khoen Hian on September 1, 1929, its films were mostly targeted at native ethnic groups. Starting with '' Njai ...
.
Tan's Film
![A Wong Brother KR 30 April 1947](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/A_Wong_Brother_KR_30_April_1947.jpg)
The Wongs were not the only persons from ''Terang Boelan'' to join Tan's. Much of the film's main cast returned for Tan's 1938 film ''
Fatima'', which featured the Wongs as directors and Saeroen as screenwriter; the film followed a woman who is wooed by a gangster whilst she is in love with another man. The following year the brothers directed another work for Tan's, the
Zorro
Zorro ( Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilante w ...
-inspired ''
Gagak Item
''Gagak Item'' (; Vernacular Malay for ''Black Raven'', also known by the Dutch title ''De Zwarte Raaf'') is a 1939 bandit film from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) directed by Joshua and Othniel Wong for Tan's Film. Starring Rd Mochta ...
'' (''The Black Crow'').
The brothers remained with Tan's through early 1940, directing the dramas ''
Sorga Ka Toedjoe'' (''Seventh Heaven'') ''
Siti Akbari
''Siti Akbari'' is a 1940 film from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) directed by Joshua and Othniel Wong and produced by Tan Khoen Yauw. Starring Roekiah and Rd Mochtar, it follows a couple while the husband commits adultery.
Plot
Siti Akba ...
'', and ''
Roekihati''. However, in late 1940 Joshua, upset over what he perceived as an unfair division of the profits, left Tan's and worked on ''
Kris Mataram
''Kris Mataram'' is a 1940 film from the Dutch East Indies that was directed by Njoo Cheong Seng and starred Fifi Young and Omar Rodriga as two lovers divided by class. Young's feature film debut, the film was the first produced by Oriental Film a ...
'' (''Kris of Mataram'') for the rival studio
Oriental Film
Oriental Film was a film production company in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia). Established by ethnic Chinese businessman Tjo Seng Han in 1940, it completed four black-and-white films before it was closed in 1941. All the ...
. The film, a love story between a
noblewoman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteri ...
and
commoner, proved to be the Wongs' last production for eight years, in part owing to the
Japanese invasion which led to almost all studios being closed.
Post-independence
During the occupation the Wongs became merchants, a business they continued after the country
proclaimed its independence in 1945. In 1948 they reunited with the Tan brothers to establish Tan & Wong Bros; the company's first production, ''
Air Mata Mengalir di Tjitarum'' (''Tears Flow in Tjitarum''), was released the same year.
After the death of Nelson in 1945, Joshua and Othniel remained active with Tan & Wong Bros throughout the 1950s, even after the company changed its name to Tjendrawasih Film; the company produced a total of 45 films, although not all were handled by the Wongs. Around this time they took the
Indonesianised family name Widjaja. Othniel had a daughter,
Mira
Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–400 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus.
ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a vari ...
, in 1951; after dabbling in film she became a writer. He and his wife had a total of five children.
Joshua and Othniel stayed active in the industry throughout the 1970s, serving as advisers and at times working on the production crew. They individually received awards for their contributions to the film industry from Governor of Jakarta
Ali Sadikin
Ali Sadikin (7 July 1926 – 20 May 2008), better known as Bang Ali, was an Indonesian politician who served as the fourth governor of Jakarta from 1966 until 1977. Prior to becoming governor, he served as Minister of Transportation from 1963 u ...
in 1973. Joshua died on 17 June 1981.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong brothers
Indonesian people of Chinese descent
Indonesian Cantonese people
Cinematographers of the Dutch East Indies
Film directors of the Dutch East Indies
Sibling filmmakers
Sibling trios
Brothers