Tuesday, February 8, 2011

MFP'S RAJA BERSIONG (1967) DIRECTED BY DATUK JAMIL SULONG

My father's last movie for Malay Film Productions was Raja Bersiong based on our first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman's original story. It was also the first widescreen color movie to have come out of Jalan Ampas, but not the first color movie - Ribut and Hang Tuah having been released in color a few years before.
Unfortunately it was also claimed to have been the movie the broke Jalan Ampas's back - having been the studio's most expensive movie to date and it wasn't a box office hit.
I have watched the movie many times but of recent the copy has been missing. No DVD copies around. So it was heartening to find out that someone had actually posted the movie on Youtube.
Do view it. Most people are put off with the dialogue which was unique - it was presented in pantun form, one of the few Malay movies to do so. Another movie directed by my father done in this manner was Bidasari.

Here it is: Jamil Sulong's Raja Bersiong based on Tunku's story and produced by MFP in 1967.























Hope you enjoyed this movie. One of my dreams is to actually take this legend onto stage and present it at Istana Budaya. It has all the elements - conflict, tragedy, horror, history, music and an epic feel.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

x silap saya, dalam filem Raja Bersiung, Tunku nak babak 'perompak' dilakonkan semula... buat lebih ganas lagi... dan pertemuan diatara Datuk Jamil dan Tunku diatur untuk menukar babak tersebut, walaupun cerita Raja Bersiung tu telah pun ditayangkan.