 Logo, 1941 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | Batavia,Dutch East Indies (1940 (1940)) |
| Defunct | 1942 (1942) |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | Batavia,Dutch East Indies |
Area served | Dutch East Indies |
Key people |
|
| Products | Motion pictures |
Star Film was a film production company in theDutch East Indies. Established byChinese-Indonesian businessman Jo Eng Sek and Chinese cameraman Cho' Chin Hsin in 1940, it produced fiveblack-and-white films in 1940 and 1941; two of these were directed by Jo, and the remainder were directed by Wu Tsun. Another film was under production when the studio was closed following theJapanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. Star helped establish the careers of actors such asS Waldy andElly Joenara, and produced screenplays written byRd Ariffien andSaeroen; its output, however, is probablylost.
Star Film was established by Jo Eng Sek, who had previous film experience as co-producer ofSi Tjonat (1929), andShanghai-based cameraman Cho' Chin Hsin; for much of the life of the company, Jo would take the role of producer while Cho' would be on camera. The company's headquarters were located at Prinsenlaan, Batavia (now Mangga Besar,Jakarta).[1] The company released its first film,Pah Wongso Pendekar Boediman, in April 1941. For this detective film, Star signedL. V. Wijnhamer Jr., anIndo social worker popular with theethnic Chinese community.[2] The film was a commercial success, allowing the company to expand.[3]
Later Jo signedRd Ariffien as a screenwriter;[3] the studio touted this as a victory, owing to Ariffien's widenetwork as a journalist.[4] He wrote a single work for the company,Tjioeng Wanara, based on theSundanese legend as retold by M. A. Salmoen in a 1938Balai Pustaka-published edition; this was directed and produced by Jo.[5][6] Several actors cast for the film continued with Star for the remainder of its existence, including comedianS Waldy and future film producerElly Joenara. However, Ariffien left Star owing to dissatisfaction overTjioeng Wanara.[3]
Star continued expanding, and Jo brought aboard Chinese director Wu Tsun, whose first film for the company wasLintah Darat.[5] It had begun production before the release ofTjioeng Wanara and dealt with a family torn apart by dealings with aloan shark.[7] This production received positive reviews.[8][9] Star then produced a sequel toPah Wongso Pendekar Boediman, again with Wu at the helm, and drew the journalistSaeroen as writer.[10][11] In this film, titledPah Wongso Tersangka, Star emphasised comedy, relying on the interactions between Waldy, Pah Wongso, and the comedian Sarip.[12]
Saeroen wrote one more film for Star in 1941,Ajah Berdosa, before leaving the company.[13] This film, which follows a villager named Mardiman over a period of several years in which he loses everything owing to his infatuation with a "modern" woman,[14] was advertised as "an extremely simple and touching story"[a][15] and received positive reviews.[14] By late 1941, Star was producing an adaptation of theOne Thousand and One Nights, titled1001 Malam.[5] At the time several contemporary works were being adapted fromNights, includingTan's Film'sAladin andKoeda Sembrani, Populair's Film'sMoestika dari Djemar, and Java Industrial Film'sRatna Moetoe Manikam.[16]
By early 1942, the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies had become concerned with the possibility of an invasion by theEmpire of Japan.[17] This fear reached the general populace, and the February 1942 edition of film magazinePertjatoeran Doenia dan Film reported that several studios would move away from the colonial capital of Batavia or go on a production hiatus. Star, though production of1001 Malam was incomplete, was reported to be preparing to move.[18] When theJapanese occupied the Indies in March 1942,[5] Star was closed, never to reopen.[19]
Star Film produced six films in two years.[5] All were feature length,black-and-white works, receiving wide releases in theDutch East Indies. Some, such asPah Wongso Pendekar Boediman, were reportedly screened as far away asBritish Malaya, China, andSingapore.[20] Though its films were screened at least into the late 1940s,[b] the company's output is likely lost.[c]
