Samiun dan Dasima

Plot

Dasima (Chitra Dewi) is the njai (concubine) of the Englishman Edward William (A. Hamid Arief). With him she has a daughter, Nancy, (Astri Ivo). One day, after seeing Edward participate in an orgy, she leaves him and moves in with the maid Mak Buyung (Fifi Young). While there, she meets Samiun (W.D Mochtar), a smuggler and black market goods vendor, and his wife Hayati (Sofia W.D.), a gambling addict. Aware that Dasima has held onto a portion of Edward's wealth, Samiun attempts to win her heart and take her as his second wife.

Samiun succeeds, and Dasima moves in with him and Hayati. The couple make short work of Dasima's wealth, and Samiun is soon in debt. Hoping to take her remaining funds, Samiun calls the thug Puasa (Wahid Chan) and asks him to pretend to mug Dasima when she is out with him. This mugging, however, goes awry, and Dasima is killed. After her body is found in a river, Samiun and Puasa are arrested. In the epilogue, Nancy is taken back to Europe by Edward.

Production

Production for Samiun dan Dasima began in 1970. The film was directed by Hasmanan and produced by LJN Hoffman and Chitra Dewi for the latter's production company Chitra Dewi Film Productions. Music was provided by Idris Sardi, and sound was managed by Suparman, Mudjiono, and Tabrani. Cinematography for this colour film was handled by Leo Fioole, and editing by Janis Badar. The film starred Chitra Dewi and W.D Mochtar in the title roles, with other major roles held by Sofia W.D., A. Hamid Arief, Wahid Chan, Astrie Ivo, and Fifi Young. Samiun dan Dasima also featured Nico Pelamonia as Banteng, Mansjur Sjah as A. Tong, Mohamad Mochtar, Wolly Sutinah, Dicky Zulkarnaen, Jopi Burnama, Rina Hassim, and Sulastri.

Samiun dan Dasima was based on the story of Njai Dasima, first penned as a novel by G. Francis in 1896 and later popularised through the traditional lenong theatre. It was the fifth film to be inspired by this novel, following Njai Dasima (1929), Njai Dasima (1929), and Dasima (1940), and Saodah (1956). Several changes were made to the story. Samiun, a delman driver in the novel, was made a black market goods vendor; less emphasis was placed on guna-guna (magic); and a scene of a man raping a woman was added. This version of the story was penned by Misbach Yusa Biran, based on retelling by SM Ardan. After changes were made to the story without his permission, Biran insisted that his name be removed; ultimately, however, the screened film still included him.

A reviewer in Tempo wrote in 1971 that, if it were not for the censors, Samiun dan Dasima would be the most sexual domestic production to date, as it included several topless scenes as well as a scene of a man kissing a woman's exposed breasts. Hasmanan defended the inclusion of the latter scene, arguing that it served to show Edward's true nature to Dasima. These sex scenes, according to Kompas, were not in Biran's original script.

Release and reception

Samiun dan Dasima was released by March 1971 and distributed by Bola Dunia Film. According to Jean Gelman Taylor, this release title signaled the "primacy of the Indonesian world", as emphasis was given to Dasima's Indonesian husband rather than her European keeper. The film was also advertised as Njai Dasima. According to a flyer for a later screening of the film, Samiun dan Dasima played to full houses at eight first-class cinemas in Jakarta for four weeks.

Reviews of Samiun dan Dasima were mixed. The Tempo reviewer praised Young's acting as Mak Buyung, as well as Sofia's as Hayati. The reviewer was critical of Chan's performance, however, considering the actor to have shown no personality in his role. The plot, meanwhile, was criticised as plodding, allowing viewers to feel the film's two-hour run time. A reviewer in Kompas, meanwhile, considered Hasmanan to have failed in both presenting the story as a tragedy and in building up to a climax. The reviewer was also critical of the camerawork, considering it uncreative.

Samiun dan Dasima was screened in competition at the 17th Asian Film Festival in Taiwan, where Astri Ivo received the Golden Harvest Award Best Child Actor.