November 1828
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''November 1828'' is a 1979
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n
historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
directed by
Teguh Karya Teguh Karya (born Steve Liem Tjoan Hok; ; 22 September 1937 – 11 December 2001) was an Indonesian film director. Starting his entertainment career in theatre, he made his directorial debut with '' Wadjah Seorang Laki-Laki'', released thr ...
. Production cost an estimated Rp 240 million, making it the most expensive Indonesian movie up to that point. It tells the story of a village struggling against the Dutch colonial military during the
Java War The Java War ( jv, ꦥꦼꦫꦁꦗꦮ) or Diponegoro War () was fought in central Java from 1825 to 1830, between the colonial Dutch Empire and native Javanese rebels. The war started as a rebellion led by Prince Diponegoro, a leading member ...
, and touches on the themes of
nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
and cultural identity. The movie won 6
Citra Award 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 ...
s.


Production

''November 1828'' was directed by Teguh Karya, who drew heavily on his theatre troupe Teater Popular Workshop for cast members. ''November 1828'' uses contrasting shooting styles for each side of the struggle. When depicting the Dutch colonial army, it uses Western-influenced techniques, including Dutch group paintings and the conventions of Western drama. However, when the Javanese revolutionaries are depicted, the filming draws on Javanese traditions or uses techniques "especially developed for the film". Production cost an estimated Rp 240 million, most of which was spent on producing historically accurate settings and props. At the time, it was the most expensive Indonesian film ever made and twice the cost of a regular production.


Plot

During the
Java War The Java War ( jv, ꦥꦼꦫꦁꦗꦮ) or Diponegoro War () was fought in central Java from 1825 to 1830, between the colonial Dutch Empire and native Javanese rebels. The war started as a rebellion led by Prince Diponegoro, a leading member ...
, when Prince
Diponegoro Prince Diponegoro ( jv, ꦢꦶꦥꦤꦼꦒꦫ; born Bendara Raden Mas Mustahar, ; later Bendara Raden Mas Antawirya ; 11 November 1785 – 8 January 1855), also known as Dipanegara, was a Javanese prince who opposed the Dutch colonial rule. The e ...
led a general uprising against the Dutch colonial government, the Dutch military occupy a small town in
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
owing to concerns that they have been collaborating with Sentot Prawirodjo, one of the leaders of the Javanese forces. The village chief, Jayengnegoro, accuses elder Kromoludiro of aiding Diponegoro's forces; Kromoludiro is arrested and tortured by Dutch leader Captain de Borst. In response, village ''
kyai A kyai ( ) is an expert in Islam, usually used among the ethnic Javanese people. Origins The word is of Javanese origin. Sometimes it is spelled kiai. Traditionally, students of Islam in Indonesia would study in a boarding school known as a pe ...
'' Karto Sarjan sends one of his students to find Sentot. During Kromoludiro's torture, de Borst's second-in-command Lieutenant van Aaken admits that it was he who had informed Diponegoro's forces of the Dutch movements. Enraged, de Borst kills Kromoludiro and arrests van Aaken. Not long afterwards, Sentot's forces enter under the guise of dancers and attack the village from within, confusing the Dutch forces; Sentot himself arrives not long afterwards, defeating the Dutch forces before they can respond effectively. De Borst is slowly killed, while van Aaken dies in the crossfire.


Themes and symbolism

''November 1828'' has been seen as a "challenging account of cultural differences." Wanning Sun notes that, seeing as Teguh Karya himself was of mixed foreign (
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
) and local descent, ''November 1828'' draws numerous parallels with his life, emphasizing the backgrounds of the
mixed-race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...
de Borst and van Aaken. He writes that ''November 1828'' is an "indictment of a system that refused full citizenship to those of Chinese descent and simultaneously denied them a place to explore their Chineseness". Sun also draws on similarities between the liberation of the village and the
Indonesian 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 postwar and postcoloni ...
, with representation by the
Indonesian military , founded = as the ('People's Security Forces') , current_form = , disbanded = , branches = , headquarters = Cilangkap, Jakarta , website = , commander-in-chief = Joko Widodo ...
and
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic figures; both groups played a key role in the revolution.


Release and reception

''November 1828'' was released in 1979 and advertised as Karya's most patriotic work. It soon became known as a classic. It was also the first Indonesian film to become well known outside of Indonesia, drawing some critical attention. It won 6
Citra Award 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 ...
s, including Best Picture and
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...
. Deanne Schultz considers ''November 1828'' "a valuable interpretation" of Indonesian colonial history, providing enough background for people with little knowledge of
Indonesian history The history of Indonesia has been shaped by geographic position, its natural resources, a series of human migrations and contacts, wars of conquest, the spread of Islam from the island of Sumatra in the 7th century AD and the establishment of ...
to understand the storyline. She writes that it "embodies the best of popular Indonesian cinema." Ade Irwansyah of ''Tabloid Bintang'' listed ''November 1828'' as the 7th best Indonesian film of all time.


References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * *


External links

* {{Citra Award for Best Picture 1979 films Films directed by Teguh Karya Indonesian war films Indonesian-language films 1970s Dutch-language films Citra Award winners Films set in 1828 Fiction set in 1828 1970s war films