Opera Jawa (2006)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Garin Nugroho

Writers:

Aramantono (writer)
Garin Nugroho (writer)

Release Date:

16 January 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Plot:

This is the story about Setyo, Siti and Ludiro, who were the performer of Javanese Ramayana's Wayang Wong...

Plot Keywords:

Ramayana | Indonesia | Java | Traditional Music

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Martinus Miroto	...	Setio
Artika Sari Devi	...	Siti
Eko Supriyanto	...	Ludiro
Retno Maruti
Jecko Siompo Pui
Slamet Gundono
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
I. Nyoman Sura

Also Known As:

Requiem from Java (International: English title)

Runtime:

Indonesia:120 min | USA:120 min

Country:

Indonesia | Austria

Language:

Indonesian

Color:

Color

Certification:

Netherlands:12

Company:

New Crowned Hope

Amazingly rich work of art

First, I want to gently contradict one statement, often made of this film and repeated here. There ARE other movies like this. If you want to see a reasonable model of what Garin Nugroho has done, I would direct you to the work of Carlos Saura, especially "El Amor Brujo." But that being said, the stunning richness of this movie far eclipses Saura at his best. There are visuals both large and small, dances both grand and intimate, songs both poetic and profane, and story-telling elements both epic and contemporary. The frame shifts rapidly between modern and ancient, between emotional and refined, and on and on.

Now, permit me to ask a question of any Indonesian readers. Who was the intended audience for this film? I ask because I am far more familiar with Javanese culture than most Americans, but found the cultural references and symbolism far deeper than I could catch. It made me think that this was created for a strictly Indonesian and a predominantly artistic/intellectual audience. But with its extensive European connections, is that right? Did he create it for people like me, educated artsy types the world over?