Benutzer:Shi Annan/George Krugers
G. Kruger (before 1920 – 1937), also written G. Krugers, was an Indo cameraman and film director active in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia) during the early 20th century. He is recorded as having worked in film since the mid 1920s, and in 1927 he directed his directorial debut, Eulis Atjih. His film Karnadi Anemer Bangkong was the first talkie in the country's cinema, but was a commercial failure as the majority Sundanese audience considered it to be ridiculing them. After making two works for Tan's Film in the early 1930s, Kruger moved to Hong Kong, where he died in 1937.
Silent film
Kruger, a man of mixed European and Indonesian descentVorlage:Sfn who was reportedly born in Hong Kong, is recorded as having been active in film in the mid-1920s, leading the laboratory at N.V. Java Film;Vorlage:Sfn he may have been one of its founders, together with the Dutchman L. Heuveldorp.Vorlage:Sfn The company produced exclusively documentaries until 1926,Vorlage:Sfn when Heuveldorp directed the country's first feature film, Loetoeng Kasaroeng. Kruger served as a cameraman for the film, which was based on a Sundanese folktale, also processing the film in his laboratory in Bandung.Vorlage:Sfn
The following year, having left N.V. Java Film to form his own company, Krugers Filmbedrijf (Kruger Film Company),Vorlage:Sfn Kruger directed his own film.Vorlage:Sfn Entitled Eulis Atjih, it followed the beautiful Eulis Atjih as she falls into poverty after being left by her husband.Vorlage:Sfn For the international release Kruger emphasised the ethnographic aspects of the film. The film was a commercial failure,Vorlage:Sfn but Kruger told his backers that the film had recouped its expenses. By 1928 he was reportedly working on film adaptations of the folktales Roro Mendut and Prono Tjitro, although it is not known if he finished them.Vorlage:Sfn
Talkies
The first talkies shown in the Indies, Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 and The Rainbow Man (both 1929), came from the United States and were screened beginning in 1929.Vorlage:SfnVorlage:Sfn This encouraged Kruger to make Karnadi Anemer Bangkong (Karnadi the Frog Catcher), an adaptation of the book by Yuhana.Vorlage:Sfn The comedy, made with a single system camera that Kruger had obtained with the help of his Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers membership, was the first locally-produced talkie released in the country,Vorlage:Sfn but had poor technical quality.Vorlage:Sfn It was a critical failure; the majority Sundanese audience felt that they were being ridiculed.Vorlage:Sfn Following its failure, Kruger made the documentary Atma De Vischer (1931)Vorlage:Sfn before being signed to Tan's Film.Vorlage:Sfn
With Tan's, Kruger made two films. First he was asked to handle cinematography on Bachtiar Effendi's 1932 talkie Njai Dasima,Vorlage:Sfn an adaptation of G. Francis' 1896 novel Cerita Njai Dasima (Story of Njai Dasima).Vorlage:Sfn He then directed and produced Terpaksa Menikah (Forced to Marry; 1932), which was advertised as featuring songs and comedy. The film was a commercial failure, leading to all rights being acquired by Tan's.Vorlage:Sfn He is recorded as planning a further two films, De Nona (Of Ladies) and Raonah, but neither was made.Vorlage:Sfn
During 1934 and early 1935, all feature films released in the Dutch East Indies had been produced by The Teng Chun.Vorlage:Sfn This situation was created by the Great Depression, which had led to the Dutch East Indies government collecting higher taxes, advertisers asking for more money, and cinemas selling tickets at lower prices; this ensured that there was a very low profit margin for local films. During this period cinemas in the country mainly showed Hollywood productions.Vorlage:Sfn Against this background, Kruger – upset over his critical failures – left the Indies in 1936 and moved back to Hong Kong, where he suffered a mental breakdown and died in 1937.Vorlage:Sfn
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Loetoeng Kasaroeng | Cinematographer |
| 1927 | Eulis Atjih | Director |
| 1930 | Karnadi Anemer Bangkong (Karnadi the Frog Chaser) |
Director and producer |
| 1931 | Atma de Vischer | Producer, sound manager, and cinematographer |
| 1932 | Njai Dasima | Sound manager and cinematographer |
| 1932 | Terpaksa Menikah (Forced to Marry) |
Director, producer, sound manager, and cinematographer |
References
Footnotes Vorlage:Reflist
Bibliography Vorlage:Refbegin
- Misbach Yusa Biran: Sejarah Film 1900–1950: Bikin Film di Jawa. Komunitas Bamboo working with the Jakarta Art Council, Jakarta 2009, ISBN 978-979-3731-58-2 (indonesisch).
- Eulis Atjih. In: filmindonesia.or.id. National Library of Indonesia and Sinamatek, archiviert vom am 6. Juli 2012; abgerufen am 6. Juli 2012 (indonesisch).
- G. Krugers. In: filmindonesia.or.id. National Library of Indonesia and Sinamatek, archiviert vom am 17. August 2012; abgerufen am 17. August 2012 (indonesisch).
- A. Budi Susanto: Identitas Dan Postkolonialitas Di Indonesia. Kanisius, Yogyakarta 2003, ISBN 978-979-21-0851-4 (google.ca).