Thursday, November 22, 2007

1957 Hati Malaya

Being a history buff , it will be a sin for me not to watch this movie. What prevented me from doing so was my preparation for the exam I have just taken. I was tempted then to just go and watch it but i promised myself it will be the first thing I do after I'm done with the cruncher.
As expected , I was lucky that it was still being shown in GSC MidValley - the nearest for me to go. IN One Utama , the show was scheduled for 645pm screening ; which i felt very unappropriate.
As how our previous historical movies , Hati Malaya was a failure in box office. So far , they've just managed to collect RM400 K after 3 weeks screening. This has always been the trend for such genre ; where attracting the mass is a huge challenge ; an almost impossible one . Zombi Kampung Pisang grossed more than a million after 2 weeks ! And I guess , most Malaysian movie goers are more interested in seeing Nana Tanjung or Orang Minyak rather than appreciating our past.
The movie was good ; full of facts which makes it cool as we appreciate the historical characters in action. The potrayal of Onn and Tunku was excellent , considering their amateur status. I certainly enjoyed Tunku's laid back personality with his Kedah accent ; and the actor really played him as how we read him in his biographies. Shuhaimi was certainly careful with details ; from Tunku's "boy" serving his favourite roti bakar to H.S. Lees trademark mufflers . A memorable scene from the movie for me was when the UMNO leaders post Dato Onn's resignation , attending Tunku's bbq ; Tunku wearing baju melayu with an apron on as the chief cook !

It had its sentimental value and one could not hide the chills and passion when they shouted Hidup Melayu , Daulat Tuanku and Merdeka !

p/s However , I cannot deny the fact that Maya Karin was sooooooooo attractive in the movie !! hahahahaha

4 comments:

razman said...

Don't get me wrong, the whole film was good, but it did had some weaknesses- as do many malay films.

In this film, I thought, the film mcm keliru...it wanted to be a historical film- which I thought was fine, but it also wanted to be a 'flashback' film and also a "love story" film.

So, the end product, to be honest, was really confusing. I know all 3 stories have a connection, but the connection is too weak to be interesting. So i thought the idea of intertwining 3 stories is very very very redundant.

I'm a history buff as much as the next guy, so I was looking forward for a straight up historical film. It was clear the film was not what I expected and I was somewhat dissappointed la jugak.

From a commercial aspect, I know they wanted to bring in the present post merdeka generation, and they thought it would be a much more commercially viable film to put in a love story somewhere in the middle. Ok, I see the point, but for me, part of the post-post merdeka generation- I thought it was poorly done, and the love story- come onlah.

On the other hand, it was not all that bad. It had its moments, which made the hair on my back stood still.

I don't want to discourage ppl from making this kind of film or watching it. I thought it was a good effort, but could be done better.

Just my 5 sen thoughts.

mafeitz said...

Cheers Razman for the review !!!

Well , Its Shuhaimi Baba's movie with all her trademark in it! The "keliru" feel is as clear as how it was in Selubung , Layar Lara and both the Pontianak movies.Certainly mind boggling and I wonder if she purposely did it or is it just cramping every idea she had into (the 2-3 hour slot !
The attempt Shuhaimi made to transform our own history into the silver screen was the best she could make of it.In knowing how our country reach its independence ; it was boring in a way and not as exciting as India or Indonesia road to liberty! Cakap banyak action takde !! hahahaha
Love story ? That i have to agree with you ! it'll never be cornier than the benchmark : Sembilu !!
But compared to Paloh and Embun , this movie was much-much better in terms of quality and flow.
I am also waiting for a ground-shaking epic like Gandhi to be delivered by our malay film industry in the future !!
Don't think David Teo would be keen to take up this challenge !!

Anonymous said...

hi, im one of a silent reader of your blog. The view of Hati Malaya captured my attention.
Good effort but there are things that can be improved, there were small things that have been overlooked. Eg, did you guys saw there was a price-tag code bar at the back of one file hold by that English lady secretary ? heheheh

hahaha..scene bertumbuk berbalah pendapat at the warung...hahah...all based on jealousy nak pikat hati perempuan..
tambi betul la...

but the picture at the dataran merdeka and Bangunan sultan abdul samad, when the Sultans stand at the balcony..hmmm...nampak macam cut and paste.( pardon me i dont know what is the right term, superimposed ? )

nothing beats Bukit Kepong so far.
and we are still have lots more to do to catch up with Indian and Indonesian patriotic movies, memberi kesan patriotisme.

just sharing a thought here

ms-herbs

mafeitz said...

concur with bukit kepong. Still brings shivers to my spine..

"Kami..orang-orang polis tidak akan menyerah!! "