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Oriental Film
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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 company's films were screened into the mid-1940s but may now be lost. They were directed by two men, Njoo Cheong Seng and Sutan Usman Karim, and launched the careers of actors such as Dhalia and Soerip.
Established during the revival of the Indies film industry, Oriental released its first film, Kris Mataram, in July 1940. It starred Njoo's wife Fifi Young, and relied on her fame as a stage actress to draw audiences. This was followed by a further three films, which were targeted at low-income audiences and extensively used kroncong music. Their final production was Panggilan Darah in 1941, which was completed after Njoo and Young had migrated to Majestic Film. Oriental was unable to recoup its expenses of renting a Dutch-owned studio, and in 1941 the company was shut down.
Filmography of Oriental Film (3 films)
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Panggilan Darah (1941)
Actors Dhalia, Anastasya Soerip
Orphaned sisters Dhalia and Soerip (themselves) leave their village in an attempt to make a living in the colonial capital of Batavia (now Jakarta). After a long period of misery, they are accepted as housemaids at the home of Hajji Ishak (Mochtar Widjaja). Although initially elated, they find that Iskak's wife (Wolly Sutinah) is a cruel mistress who often beats them. Meanwhile, Ishak's would-be-son-in-law is constantly flirting with Dhalia, much to his fiancée's dismay.
Kris Mataram (1940)
Directed by Njoo Cheong Seng
Actors Fifi Young
A young noblewoman from Kartasura, R. A. Roosmini (Fifi Young), falls in love with a commoner named Bachtiar (Omar Rodriga). She wants to be with him, but her father R. M. Hadikusumo insists that she marry a man from a similar background. The two run away together, but Bachtiar is recalled by his family and forced to marry a woman he does not love. Roosmini, rather than marry a man she does not love or live alone, stabs herself with her sacred kris and dies.
Zoebaida (1940)
Directed by Njoo Cheong Seng
Actors Fifi Young
A love story set in Timor, in which Zoebaida and her lover are forbidden from marrying by those in power. They can eventually unite as husband and wife.