Kedok Ketawa

Kedok Ketawa ([kd ktawa]; Indonesian for The

Laughing Mask, also known by the Dutch title Het
Lachende Masker) is a 1940 action lm from the Dutch
East Indies (now Indonesia). Union Films' rst produc-
tion, it was directed by Jo An Djan. Starring Basoeki Re-
sobowo, Fatimah, and Oedjang, the lm follows a young
couple who ght o criminals with the help of a masked
man.
Advertised as an Indonesian cocktail of violent actions ...
and sweet romance,[1] Kedok Ketawa received positive
reviews, particularly for its cinematography. Following
the success of the lm, Union produced another six works
before being shut down in early 1942 during the Japanese
occupation. The lm, screened until at least August 1944,
may be lost.

1 Plot
In Cibodas, Banten, a young woman named Minarsih (Fa-
timah) is rescued from four thugs by the painter Basuki
(Basoeki Resobowo). They fall in love and begin plan-
ning their life together. However, a rich man interested
in taking Minarsih to be his wife sends a gang to kidnap
her. Basuki is unable to repel them, but is soon joined
by a masked vigilante known only as the The Laughing
Mask (Oedjang), who has almost supernatural ghting
abilities. After two battles with the gang, Basuki and The
Laughing Mask are victorious. Basuki and Minarsih can Basoeki Resobowo and Fatimah, two stars of Kedok Ketawa
live together in peace.[2]
lm, while Fatimah and Basoeki were nobles with a for-
mal education.[lower-alpha 1] The Indonesian lm historian
2 Production Misbach Yusa Biran writes that this is evidence the lm
was targeted at intellectual audiences, a manifestation of
Kedok Ketawa was the rst lm produced by Union Unions stated goal of improv[ing] the quality of Indone-
[lower-alpha 2][7]
[3]
Films, one of four new production houses established sian art.
after the success of Albert Balink's Terang Boelan re- Following the success of Terang Boelan (1937; based on
vived the ailing lm industry of the Dutch East Indies. The Jungle Princess), the domestic lm industry began
Union was headquartered in Prinsenlaan, Batavia (now to model their productions after Hollywood works, as
Mangga Besar, Jakarta) and funded by the ethnic Chinese this was expected to ensure nancial success. The In-
businessman Ang Hock Liem, although Tjoa Ma Tjoen donesian lm scholars Ekky Imanjaya and Said Salim
was in charge of day-to-day operations.[4] The lm was write that Kedok Ketawa was inuenced by Bram Stoker's
shot on-location in Cibodas, and featured ghting, com- 1897 novel Dracula through its Hollywood adapta-
edy, and singing.[5] tions. Neither writer gives comparisons to illustrate this
[8]
The lm was directed by Jo An Djan and starred Oed- inuence.
jang, Fatimah, and Basoeki Resobowo. Other mem- Kedok Ketawa was not the rst contemporary lm featur-
bers of the cast included S Poniman and Eddy Kock.[6] ing a masked hero. Tans Film had released Gagak Item
Oedjang had been a stage actor before appearing in the (The Black Crow), with Rd Mochtar as the masked Black

1
2 6 FOOTNOTES

Crow, in 1939,[9] and later productions, including Java Indonesia's archives, and Biran writes that some Japanese
Industrial Films Srigala Item (The Black Wolf; 1941), propaganda lms have survived at the Netherlands Gov-
continued the trend.[10] As was common for contempo- ernment Information Service.[20]
rary productions, the soundtrack for Kedok Ketawa per-
formed by Poniman consisted of kroncong songs.[3]
5 Explanatory notes
3 Release and reception [1] Biran (2009, p. 244) writes that Fatimah was educated
(terpelajar) without specifying the extent of her studies.
Basoeki had previously worked as a teacher.
Kedok Ketawa was released in Batavia in July 1940,[3]
with a press screening on 20 July.[11] By September it [2] Original: "... buat mengangkat derajatnya kesenian In-
was being shown in Surabaya.[1] In some newspaper ad- donesia."
vertisements, such as in Pemandangan, it was referred to
as Pendekar dari Preanger (Warrior from Preanger),[12] [3] This title also meant The Laughing Mask.
while in others it was advertised with the Dutch title [4] Original: "... een indonesische cocktail van heftige acties
Het Lachende Masker.[lower-alpha 3][1] It was marketed as ... zoete romantiek.
an Indonesian cocktail of violent actions ... and sweet
romance[lower-alpha 4] and rated for all ages.[1]
The critic and screenwriter Saeroen, writing for Peman- 6 Footnotes
dangan, praised Kedok Ketawa, especially its cinematog-
raphy and the beauty of its scenery; he compared the [1] Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1940, (untitled).
lm to imported Hollywood lms.[13] An anonymous re-
view in Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad found that the lm was [2] Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1940, Kedok Ketawa.
a mix of native and European sensibilities and lauded
[3] Biran 2009, p. 232.
its cinematography. According to the review, the lm
surpassed expectations, but it was evident that this was [4] Biran 2009, pp. 205, 23233.
a rst production.[11] Another review, in Soerabaijasch
Handelsblad, considered the lm among the best local [5] Pemandangan 1940, (untitled); Soerabaijasch Handels-
productions, emphasising the quality of its cinematogra- blad 1940, Kedok Ketawa.
phy and acting.[2]
[6] Soerabaijasch Handelsblad 1940, (untitled);
Filmindonesia.or.id, Kedok Ketawa.

[7] Biran 2009, pp. 23233, 244.

4 Legacy
[8] Imanjaya 2006, p. 38; Said 1992, p. 102.
Soon after the success of Kedok Ketawa, Saeroen joined
[9] Biran 2009, pp. 17576.
Union Films and wrote four lms for the company. These
were not directed by Jo An Djan, who left Union for the [10] Biran 2009, p. 274.
competitor Populairs Film, but by the newly hired R Hu
and Rd Arien.[14] Union Film ultimately produced a to- [11] Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad 1940, Filmaankondiging Cinema
tal of seven lms in 1940 and 1941 before being closed Palace.
following the Japanese invasion in early 1942.[14] Of the [12] Filmindonesia.or.id, Kedok Ketawa.
lms main cast, only Fatimah and Oedjang are recorded
as continuing their acting career, both appearing in sev- [13] Saeoren 1940, (untitled).
eral further Union productions.[15] However, in the 1950s
Resobowo continued his career behind the screen, serv- [14] Biran 2009, p. 233.
ing as art director of such lms as Darah dan Doa (The [15] Filmindonesia.or.id, Basuki Resobowo;
Long March; 1950).[16] Filmindonesia.or.id, Eddy Kock; Filmindonesia.or.id,
Kedok Ketawa was screened as late as August 1944,[17] Oedjang; Filmindonesia.or.id, RS Fatimah.
but may now be lost. Movies in the Indies were [16] Filmindonesia.or.id, Basuki Resobowo.
recorded on highly ammable nitrate lm, and after a
re destroyed much of Produksi Film Negara's ware- [17] Tjahaja 1944, (untitled).
house in 1952, old lms shot on nitrate were deliberately
destroyed.[18] While the American visual anthropologist [18] Biran 2012, p. 291.
Karl G. Heider suggests that all Indonesian lms from be- [19] Heider 1991, p. 14.
fore 1950 are lost,[19] J.B. Kristantos Katalog Film In-
donesia records several as having survived at Sinematek [20] Biran 2009, p. 351.
 3

7 Works cited "(Untitled)". Pemandangan (in Indonesian).

Jakarta. 7 August 1940. p. n.p. (clipping accessed
Basuki Resobowo. lmindonesia.or.id (in Indone- at Sinematek Indonesia)
sian). Jakarta: Konden Foundation. Archived
"(Untitled)". Soerabaijasch Handelsblad (in Dutch).
from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 21
Surabaya. 13 September 1940. p. 7. Retrieved 5
April 2014.
February 2013.
Biran, Misbach Yusa (2009). Sejarah Film 1900
"(Untitled)". Tjahaja (in Indonesian). Bandung. 8
1950: Bikin Film di Jawa [History of Film 1900
August 1944. p. 2. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
1950: Making Films in Java] (in Indonesian). Ko-
munitas Bamboo working with the Jakarta Art
Council. ISBN 978-979-3731-58-2.
8 External links
Biran, Misbach Yusa (2012). Film di Masa Kolo-
nial [Film in the Colonial Period]. Indonesia dalam Kedok Ketawa at the Internet Movie Database
Arus Sejarah: Masa Pergerakan Kebangsaan [In-
donesia in the Flow of Time: The Nationalist Move- Media related to Kedok Ketawa at Wikimedia Com-
ment] (in Indonesian). V. Ministry of Education and mons
Culture. pp. 26893. ISBN 978-979-9226-97-6.

Eddy Kock. lmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian).

Jakarta: Konden Foundation. Archived from the
original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.

Filmaankondiging Cinema Palace: Kedok Ketawa

[Film at Cinema Palace: Kedok Ketawa]. Batavi-
aasch Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Batavia. 20 July
1940. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2013.

Heider, Karl G (1991). Indonesian Cinema: Na-

tional Culture on Screen. Honolulu: University of
Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1367-3.

Imanjaya, Ekky (2006). A to Z about Indonesian

Film (in Indonesian). Bandung: Mizan. ISBN 978-
979-752-367-1.

Kedok Ketawa. Soerabaijasch Handelsblad (in

Dutch). Surabaya. 12 September 1940. p. 10. Re-
trieved 5 February 2013.

Kedok Ketawa. lmindonesia.or.id (in Indone-

sian). Jakarta: Konden Foundation. Archived
from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July
2012.

Oedjang. lmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian).

Jakarta: Konden Foundation. Archived from the
original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.

RS Fatimah. lmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian).

Jakarta: Konden Foundation. Archived from the
original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.

Saeroen (19 July 1940). Film 'Kedok Ketawa'"

[The Film 'Kedok Ketawa']. Pemandangan (in In-
donesian). Jakarta. p. n.p. (clipping accessed at
Sinematek Indonesia)

Said, Salim (July 1992). The Rise of the Indone-

sian Film Industry. East-West Film Journal. 6 (2):
99115. ISSN 0891-6780.
4 9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1 Text
Kedok Ketawa Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedok_Ketawa?oldid=764884070 Contributors: Bender235, Crisco 1492, Ian Rose,
Mirokado, Midnightblueowl, Randy Kryn, Dank, Yobot, Materialscientist, Ruby2010, EmausBot, Jarodalien, Michael Kevin Israeli, Schro-
Cat, Erik Fastman, MatthewHoobin, TFA Protector Bot, KH-1, My Chemistry romantic, LordSavage1997, Ankit kumar shukla and Anony-
mous: 5

9.2 Images
File:Basoeki_and_Fatima_in_Kedok_Ketawa.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Basoeki_and_
Fatima_in_Kedok_Ketawa.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Pemandangan. 7 August 1940. Jakarta. (clipping accessed at
Sinematek Indonesia) Original artist: Uncredited
File:Flag_of_Indonesia.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg License: Public do-
main Contributors: Law: s:id:Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 24 Tahun 2009 (http://badanbahasa.kemdiknas.go.id/
lamanbahasa/sites/default/files/UU_2009_24.pdf) Original artist: Drawn by User:SKopp, rewritten by User:Gabbe
File:Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg Li-
cense: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Zscout370
File:Kedok_Ketawa_ad.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Kedok_Ketawa_ad.jpg License: Public do-
main Contributors: Source: (13 September 1940). "(Untitled)". Soerabaijasch Handelsblad: 7. Surabaya: Kol & Co.. Retrieved on 5
February 2013. Original artist: Uncredited
File:Video-x-generic.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Video-x-generic.svg License: Public domain Contrib-
utors: ? Original artist: ?

9.3 Content license

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