Misplaced Pages

Ratna Asmara
Ratna in 1953
Born	Suratna 1913 (1913) Sawahlunto, Dutch East Indies
Died	10 August 1968(1968-08-10) (aged 54–55) Jakarta, Indonesia
Burial place	Blok P Cemetery
Nationality	Indonesian
Other names	Ratna Suska
Occupations	Actress film director
Years active	1928–1954
Spouses	Andjar Asmara ​ ​(m. 1931; div. 1952)​ Sutan Usman Karim ​(m. 1952)​
Children	3
Relatives	Bachtiar Effendi (brother-in-law)

Ratna Asmara (born Suratna; 1913 – 10 August 1968), also known as Ratna Suska, was an Indonesian actress and director. Originally active in theatre, she starred in the romance film Kartinah (1940), which her first husband Andjar directed.

After appearing in several further films, she made her directorial debut in 1950 with Sedap Malam (Sweetness of the Night), which made her the first female film director in Indonesian history. Although her work was generally ignored, later female Indonesian directors have found critical acclaim.

Life and career

Ratna Asmara was born Suratna in 1913 in Sawahlunto, Dutch East Indies. This ethnic Sundanese actress has two sister who worked as an actress, Lena and Suhara. Lena was a film actress who starred in Alang-Alang (1939) and Melati van Agam (1940), while Suhara was a stage actress who married to the director Bachtiar Effendi, and later made her film debut by starring in B. S. Rajhans's directed Singapura di Waktu Malam (1947).

On 7 April 1931, Ratna married Andjar Asmara, and joined the Dardanella touring troupe in the early 1930s; with the troupe she was known for the quality of her voice. In the late 1930s she joined Andjar with his Bolero troupe and became its star. She also acted for the Royal Balinese Dancers. Their daughter, Noer Asmara, was born in c. 1936.

In August 1937, Andjar signed a contract with Paramount Pictures and moved to Singapore after Bolero's last performance in Medan on 14 August. They later cast Ratna in Booloo (1938) as a native Sakai girl and already completed half of the filming production in Singapore and British Malaya as of 4 March 1938. When Booloo was released in July 1938, Ratna's role was replaced by Mamo Clark in the new version which was recorded in Hollywood. Even though her scene had been cut, she remained as the first Malay representation in Hollywood.

When Andjar was asked by The Teng Chun to direct a film for The's company Java Industrial Film (JIF), Ratna came with him. The couple earned 1,000 gulden each for their role in the resulting film, Kartinah (1940), Andjar as director and Ratna as its star. The film, a love story between the nurse Kartinah (played by Ratna) and her commander, was also the first war film in the country, taking place within the Air Raid Preparation teams (Luch Bischermen Diens).

Ratna also appeared in Andjar's later directorial work, Noesa Penida (a love story set in Bali) and in Ratna Moetoe Manikam, a story about a love triangle between two goddesses and a mortal man. During the National Revolution following Indonesia's independence, Ratna appeared in one further film: Andjar's 1948 Djaoeh Dimata (Out of Sight).

In 1950, Ratna was commissioned by Djamaluddin Malik to direct the film Sedap Malam (Sweetness of the Night) for Malik's company Persari; Malik produced. Andjar wrote the screenplay. This made her the first female film director in the country. This was followed by two further films for the ethnic Chinese-owned Djakarta Film, both of which Andjar wrote: Musim Bunga di Selabintana (Spring in Selabintana) in 1951 and Dr Samsi in 1952. In an interview with Minggu Pagi, she said that she was influenced by her favorite Hollywood stars such as Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck, Vivien Leigh, and Greer Garson. In 1952, Ratna divorced Andjar and married Suska, a former director and screenwriter turned diplomat. The couple had a two children and several grandchildren.

In 1953, Ratna established Ratna Films, which had a single production, Nelajan (The Fishermen), before being rebranded Asmara Films. This new company produced Dewi dan Pemilihan Umum (Dewi and the Election) in 1954, with Ratna as director; this coincided with the first legislative elections in 1955. Ratna left Indonesia for Italy to study film in 1954. In 1961, Suska became the Indonesian ambassador in Rangoon. He then transferred to India in 1964, where Ratna moved to New Delhi with him.

Death and legacy

Ratna suffered a heart attack while giving drinks to the demonstrators in New Delhi, India. She died at St. Carolus Hospital in Senen, Central Jakarta, on 10 August 1968, after suffered complication from a long period illness at the age of 55. Her funeral was held at Blok P Cemetery in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on the evening of 11 August, and was attended by Usmar Ismail.

After Ratna, only five female directors appeared in Indonesian cinema until near the end of the 20th century: Roostijati, Sofia W.D., Chitra Dewi, Ida Farida, and Rima Melati. These directors rarely, if ever, received the same recognition as their male counterparts; acting remained the only way for a woman in the industry to gain recognition. Indeed, during her directorial career Ratna received little support from male directors.

After the fall of Suharto in 1998, the number of women directors has increased dramatically, with several of them receiving national and international recognition. The earliest in this generation are Mira Lesmana and Nan Achnas, who collaborated with several other directors in Kuldesak (1999). Further examples include Nia Dinata, who has had two of her films, Ca-bau-kan (2002) and Berbagi Suami (2006) submitted for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film; Ucu Agustin has been described as "one of Indonesia’s top documentary filmmakers" and had her films screened internationally; while Djenar Maesa Ayu's Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet! (2008) was on several lists of the best films of the year.

Filmography

References

Footnotes

1. ^ Dunia Film 1954, Ratna Asmara.
2. Kuslum 1952.
3. JCG, Opera Bangsawan.
4. ^ Biran 2009, p. 25.
5. T.W.H. 1992, p. 152.
6. Erkelens 2022, p. 318.
7. ^ Erkelens 2022, p. 314.
8. Anisah 2022, p. 71.
9. Said 1982, pp. 136–137.
10. Prawirawinta c. 1950, p. 74.
11. Biran 2009, p. 213.
12. ^ Swestin 2009, p. 104.
13. Filmindonesia.or.id, Ratna Moetoe Manikam.
14. Biran 2009, p. 360.
15. Kaslum, Uma (1952). "Regisseur Wanita". Minggu Pagi.
16. ^ Anwar 1968, p. 3.
17. Yodaz 1981, Saya Tidak Tahu.
18. ^ Anwar 1968, p. 1.
19. Lent 1999, p. 105.
20. ^ Swestin 2009, p. 103.
21. ^ Chotimah 2011, Perempuan di Dalam.
22. GSCFFI, Nia Dinata – GSCFFI.
23. Krismantari 2010, Tackling the tough questions.
24. Tempo 2008, Di Layar Lebar.
25. Liem 2008, Top ten theatrical releases.

Bibliography

• Biran, Misbach Yusa (2009). Sejarah Film 1900–1950: Bikin Film di Jawa [History of Film 1900–1950: Making Films in Java] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Komunitas Bamboo working with the Jakarta Council. ISBN 978-979-3731-58-2.
• Chotimah, Fanny (11 February 2011). "Perempuan di Dalam dan di Belakang Layar" [Women on and Behind the Screen] (in Indonesian). Bentara Budaya. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
• "Di Layar Lebar, Djenar Berenang" [On the Wide-Screen, Djenar Swims]. Tempo (in Indonesian). 29 December 2008. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
• Krismantari, Ika (20 December 2010). "Tackling the tough questions". The Jakarta Post. Jakarta. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
• Lent, John A (1999). Women and Mass Communications in 1990s: An International, Annotated Bibliography. Westport: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30209-1.
• Liem, Iskandar (28 December 2008). "Top ten theatrical releases of 2008". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
• "Nia Dinata – GSCFFI Filmmaker Honoree". Social Change Film Festival and Institute. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
• "Opera Bangsawan". Encyclopedia of Jakarta. Jakarta City Government. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
• Prawirawinta, Susi S (c. 1950). Indonesia in Brief. Jakarta: Endang. OCLC 606488.
• "Ratna Asmara ke Italia" [Ratna Asmara is Going to Italy]. Dunia Film (in Indonesian). 3 (27): 4. 15 September 1954.
• "Ratna Moetoe Manikam (Djoela Djoeli Bintang Tiga)". filmindonesia.or.id. Jakarta: Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
• Said, Salim (1982). Profil Dunia Film Indonesia [Profile of Indonesian Cinema] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Grafiti Pers. OCLC 9507803.
• Swestin, Grace (July 2009). "In the Boys' Club: A Historical Perspective on the Roles of Women in the Indonesian Cinema 1926 – May 1998". Scriptura. 3 (2). Surabaya: Petra Christian University: 103–111. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014.
• T.W.H., Mohammad (1992). Sejarah Teater dan Film di Sumatera Utara [History of Theatre and Film in North Sumatra] (in Indonesian). Medan: Yayasan "Pelestarian Fakta Perjuangan Kemerdekaan R.I.". OCLC 31206120.
• Yodaz (15 August 1981). "Saya Tidak Tahu dimana Kuburan Bekas Suami Saya" [I Don't Know Where My Ex-Husband's Grave Is] (PDF). Suara Karya (in Indonesian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
• Kuslum, Umi (31 August 1952). "Ratna Asmara, sutradara film wanita pertama di Indonesia". Minggu Pagi. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
• Anwar, Rosihan (12 August 1968). "In Memoriam Ratna Suska". Kompas (in Indonesian). pp. 1–3. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
• Erkelens, Jaap (2022). Dardanella, perintis teater Indonesia modern: duta kesenian Indonesia melanglang buana (in Indonesian). Penerbit Buku Kompas. ISBN 978-623-346-197-9.
• Anisah, Umi Lestari, Julita Pratiwi, Efi Sri Handayani, Imelda Taurina Mandala, Lisabona Rahman, Siti (2022). Lusandiana, Lisistrata (ed.). Ratna Asmara Perempuan di Dua Sisi Kamera (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Indonesian Visual Art Archive. ISBN 978-602-51638-5-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

• Ratna Asmara at IMDb

• 1913 births
• 1968 deaths
• 20th-century Indonesian actresses
• Actors from West Sumatra
• Expatriate actresses in Italy
• Indonesian expatriates in Italy
• Indonesian film actresses
• Indonesian women film directors
• Indonesian film directors
• Minangkabau
• Indonesian stage actresses
• Sundanese people