| Sorga Ka Toedjoe | |
|---|---|
 Newspaper advertisement | |
| Directed by | |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Kartolo |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
| Country | Dutch East Indies |
| Language | Indonesian |
Sorga Ka Toedjoe[a] ([ˈsɔrɡakəˈtudʒu];vernacular Malay forSeventh Heaven; also advertised under the Dutch titleIn Den Zevenden Hemel) is a 1940 film from theDutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) directed byJoshua and Othniel Wong forTan's Film. It follows an older couple (Kartolo andAnnie Landouw) who are reunited by another, younger couple (Roekiah andDjoemala) after years of separation. Theblack-and-white film, the first production by Tan's Film after the departure ofRd Mochtar, featuredkroncong music and was targeted at lower-classnative audiences. It was a commercial and critical success. Roekiah and Djoemala took leading roles in three more films before Tan's closed in 1942.Sorga Ka Toedjoe is now thoughtlost.
Rasminah (Roekiah) is living with her blind aunt Hadidjah (Annie Landouw) inPuncak, a village south-east ofBuitenzorg (now Bogor). Hadidjah has been separated from her husband, Kasimin, for several years, ever since she accused him ofadultery. Although she regretted the incident almost immediately, it was too late; a corpse resembling Kasimin was found floating in a river, and in her hurry to see the body Hadidjah was struck by a car, blinding her. Now she sings thekroncong song "Sorga Ka Toedjoe", which Kasimin declared to be a symbol of his love, at 5 p.m. every day. Unknown to Hadidjah, Kasimin (Kartolo) is alive and well; he also sings "Sorga Ka Toedjoe" every day at the same time.
Following an encounter with the rich and detestable Parta, who intends to take her as hissecond wife, Rasminah goes to the nearby city of Batavia (nowJakarta) to find a job. Several days later, having found work, she returns to Puncak to pick up Hadidjah and take her to Batavia. Parta and his cohort Doel are waiting in ambush, and when Rasminah's carriage is stuck in a rut, the two begin to chase after her. Rasminah runs into the woods and, after several close calls, finds shelter in a small house. There she rests the night, without seeing the owner.
The following morning, Rasminah is awakened by the sound of a guitar, played by the house's owner, Hoesin (Djoemala). Afraid that he is collaborating with her pursuer, she sneaks outside, only to be confronted by Parta and Doel. Retreating, she is chased by the pair. Hoesin intervenes and, after a fierce fight, defeats the two and chases them away. He then reassures Rasminah and escorts her home.
Over the following days, Hoesin repeatedly visits Rasminah, and slowly the two begin to fall in love. When Rasminah takes her aunt to Batavia to live, Hoesin follows. They begin discussing their future together, but Rasminah insists that she will only marry when her aunt is reunited with Kasimin. After a lengthy search, in which he almost gives up hope, Hoesin finds Kasimin at a small plantation in the hills outside of the city – Hadidjah's long-lost husband previously operated his own orchard, but had been evicted by a conniving and greedy landlord only days before. Kasimin and Hadidjah are reunited, allowing Hoesin and Rasminah to begin their own preparations.[b]
Sorga Ka Toedjoe was directed by brothersJoshua and Othniel Wong forTan's Film, a company owned by theethnic Chinese brothers Khoen Yauw and Khoen Hian.[1] The Tan brothers, who owned a pair of cinemas, had been active in the industry sinceNjai Dasima in 1929.[2] The Wongs had worked for Tan's since 1938, when they directed the hit filmFatima, helping to reestablish the company after it had been dissolved in 1932.[3]Sorga Ka Toedjoe was shot inblack-and-white, with some scenes filmed at Telaga Warna, near Buitenzorg.[4]
The film starred Roekiah, Rd Djoemala, Kartolo, and Annie Landouw and featured Titing, Ismail, and Ramli.[1] Roekiah had regularly been paired on-screen withRd. Mochtar – despite being married to Kartolo – beginning withTerang Boelan. In 1938 the three had come to Tan's, where they acted together in three films beginning withFatima. However, after a wage dispute followingSiti Akbari (1940), Mochtar left the company. To replace him, Tan's hired the tailor Djoemala as Roekiah's romantic foil.[5]Sorga Ka Toedjoe was their first film together.[1]
Kartolo handled the film's music, and many of the cast had experience singingkroncong (traditional music withPortuguese influences).[6] Before making their feature film debut inAlbert Balink'sTerang Boelan (Full Moon; 1937), Roekiah and Kartolo had found popularity with the stage musical troupe Palestina.[7] Landouw had been akroncong singer with Hugo Dumas'Lief Java orchestra,[8] and Titing was likewise an established singer.[9]
Sorga Ka Toedjoe had itsSurabaya premiere on 30 October 1940,[10] one of fourteendomestic productions released that year.[11] By March 1941 it had reachedSingapore, then part of theStraits Settlements.[12] As with all of Tan's productions, the film was targeted at lower-classnative audiences of all ages.[13] It was advertised, sometimes under the Dutch titleIn Den Zevenden Hemel, as a "simple yet compelling film"[c] which featured "good music, catchy songs, and beautiful scenery".[d][10] A novelisation of the film was released by theYogyakarta-based publisher Kolff-Buning and included severalproduction stills.[14]
The film was a commercial success.[15] Reviews were likewise positive. TheSoerabaijasch Handelsblad gave the film high praise, stating that it had good dialogue and music as well as a "well chosen, romantic and not exaggerated"[e] theme.[6] According to the reviewer,Sorga Ka Toedjoe seemed to have been inspired by American films but still showed its Indies character. The reviewer also opined that Djoemala was as good as, if not better, than Mochtar.[6]De Indische Courant praised the scenery and noted that the film criticised rich landlords who abused their power,[16] while theSingapore Free Press praised Roekiah's acting.[12]
AfterSorga Ka Toedjoe, Tan's Film produced a further four films, a much lower number than its competitors such asThe Teng Chun's Java Industrial Film and its subsidiaries. Three of these productions starred Roekiah and Djoemala in the leading roles, and featured Kartolo.[f][15] Landouw, according to JB Kristanto'sKatalog Film Indonesia (Indonesian Film Catalogue), did not make another film.[17] Tan's was ultimately shut down in 1942, following theJapanese occupation of the Indies.[18]
The film is likelylost. Movies were then shot on flammablenitrate film, and after a fire destroyed much ofProduksi Film Negara's warehouse in 1952, old films shot on nitrate were deliberately destroyed.[19] The American visual anthropologistKarl G. Heider writes that all Indonesian films from before 1950 are lost;[20] Kristanto records several as having survived atSinematek Indonesia's archives, and film historianMisbach Yusa Biran writes that several Japanese propaganda films have survived at theNetherlands Government Information Service.[21]
