The controversial movie Tanda Putera which opened just two days before the National Day last week did not show respect to Tunku Abdul Rahman and has done a disservice and injustice to the legacy of the Bapa Malaysia.
Reviewing the movie on their website, umaandjoe.com, the famous duo movie critics, Umapagan Ampikaipakan and Johanan Sen felt that Tunku had been greatly undermined in Tanda Putera.
Umapagan said that the movie is a propaganda because it glorified the second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak and his deputy Tun Dr. Ismail at the expense of Tunku.
"The movie made Tunku look like a blithering fool. It made him look toothless. Two days before Merdeka you want to undermine everything that Tunku fought for? I think that is ridiculous.
“Yes, Tun Ismail and Tun Razak were great statesmen but when you tell the story, you don’t undermine another leader. You don’t say Bill Clinton was great but JFK was a loser,” said Umapagan, referring to the two American presidents.
Tanda Putera is set during the last days of Tunku and explores the rise of the young Turks in Umno amid the May 13 1969 riot.
Tanda Putera, directed by Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba, was produced at a cost of almost RM5 million partly with a grant provided by FINAS and the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDEC).
It was slated for release in September last year but the screenings were postponed following complaints that it fictionalised the May 13 riot.
Shuhaimi defended the film for its historical accuracy but later admitted that it was her interpretation of the historical events.
She had also repeatedly explained that Tanda Putera is a story about the friendship of Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Dr. Ismail during the testing times.
Among those who questioned the film’s historical accuracy is Johanan.
“It makes a mockery of our history and also of us because if this movie can get away with the liberties that it has taken, then, we obviously don’t know our history and our heritage as well as we should.
“At a time when patriotism is very low and maybe with good reason, she (Suhaimi) has taken a head at it in a way that is just unforgivable,” he said.
While the duo agreed that discourse over Tanda Putera is a necessity, they exchanged heated debates on how the discourse could be done and whether people would believe the history of May 13 as portrayed in the movie.
“There is still a large section of the community which will believe this to be a factual representation," said Johanan before Umapagan replied: "And therein comes the debate."
The latter also believes that "the movie will be a catalyst for that discussion”.
The duo however did not mince their words when criticizing the movie as a work of arts including its technical aspects.
Umapagan said that movie was so badly written and edited, that it looked like it was edited by a five-year-old while Johanan said it looked like it was edited by a first year associate producer.
“The first half of the movie looks like an unfinished History Channel special without voiceovers done or without any proper historians being interviewed. It is just a re-enactment footage arranged together without proper narrative,” said Johanan.
For Umapagan, the entire movie has no narrative at all.
“It is very rare I watch a movie without any redeeming qualities but this is one of them. The storytelling is so bad. There is barely any dialogue. The movie is so badly written that it is only filled with punch line after punch line like ‘Oh, Cina potong’, ‘Oh Melayu mengamuk’. That is what really bothered me,” he said.
UmaandJoe.com hosted the podcast movie review of the duo, who started the program on BFM radio under the name of ‘What The Flick’ before moving exclusively to the web.
T K Letchumy Tamboo
Mon Sep 02 2013
Kestabilan sosiopolitik Sabah bolehkan agihan ekonomi saksama - Tun Juhar
Keadaan sosiopolitik Sabah yang stabil akan membolehkan pengagihan ekonomi, pendapatan dan kekayaan negeri dilakukan secara adil dan saksama kepada semua rakyat, kata Yang Dipertua Negeri Sabah Tun Ju
Kenanga jangka OPR stabil 3.0 peratus pada 2025
Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd menjangka Kadar Dasar Semalaman (OPR) kekal stabil pada 3.0 peratus sepanjang 2025.
Johor sasar jumlah ternakan cecah 200,000 ekor pada 2027
Johor menyasarkan jumlah ternakan di negeri ini mencapai hingga 200,000 ekor pada 2027 setelah berjaya mencapai jumlah pengeluaran ternakan sebanyak 152,000 ekor hingga bulan lepas.
Hargai warga emas melalui penjagaan, hormat dan penglibatan - Lee Lam Thye
Lee Lam Thye menekankan keperluan mendesak untuk menghargai warga emas melalui penjagaan, hormat, dan penglibatan yang lebih baik.
Malaysia perlu bersedia penuhi keperluan TBB yang semakin meningkat - Fadillah
Keperluan tenaga boleh baharu (TBB) di negara ini semakin meningkat seiring dengan keyakinan pelabur asing khususnya untuk mewujudkan pusat-pusat data.
Belanjawan 2025: Kesalinghubungan internet di sekolah, kampus jadi keutamaan - Fahmi
Fahmi berkata ia termasuk isu Internet di kawasan terpencil, pedalaman dan pulau-pulau dalam memastikan akses Internet berkelajuan tinggi lebih meluas.
Pelajar tahfiz perlu teroka bidang teknologi
Kira-kira 200,000 pelajar tahfiz di negara ini, perlu dipastikan untuk mempunyai kemampuan dan peluang menjadi tenaga penggerak kepada umat Islam Malaysia dalam meneroka bidang yang dahulu dilihat sebagai asing., tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Perpaduan rakyat prasyarat ekonomi mampan
Tidak semua negara Islam mempunyai ruang dan kesempatan untuk terus aman dan damai, dan mempunyai peluang untuk menikmati ekonomi yang kukuh dan berkembang seperti Malaysia, tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia perlu mempunyai tekad untuk memahami maksud dan keperluan perpaduan di kalangan mereka, serta kekuatan dalaman yang seterusnya dapat dijadikan tonggak untuk negara membuat langkah seterusnya.
Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia perlu mempunyai tekad untuk memahami maksud dan keperluan perpaduan di kalangan mereka, serta kekuatan dalaman yang seterusnya dapat dijadikan tonggak untuk negara membuat langkah seterusnya.
Tidak perlu tergesa-gesa tukar ke lesen B - JPJ
Pemegang Lesen Memandu Malaysia (LMM) Kelas B2 dan B1 tidak perlu tergesa-gesa mendaftar Program Khas Peralihan LLM Kelas B2/B1 Kepada LMM Kelas B kerana tiada had masa ditetapkan untuk permohonan.
KPWKM teruskan lapan inisiatif bantu warga emas
Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM) akan terus menggerakkan lapan inisiatif utama dalam memenuhi keperluan jagaan dan sistem sokongan terhadap warga emas.
5 filem patriotik adaptasi kisah benar... wajib tonton!
Pengisian filem patriotik tidak hanya berkisarkan tentang perperangan, malah semangat juang juga turut diangkat menjadi tema sesebuah filem.
5 filem patriotik adaptasi kisah benar wajib tonton Hari Kebangsaan ini
Sempena dengan sambutan Hari Kemerdekaan yang ke-59, Astro Gempak menyenaraikan lima filem patriotik wajib tonton!
Tanda Putera antara empat filem M'sia ditayang di Berlin
'Tanda Putera', sebuah filem keluaran Pesona Pictures adalah antara empat filem cereka yang bakal membuat penampilan sulung di Pasaran Filem Eropah Berlin, Jerman minggu depan.
'Tanda Putera' bukanlah filem kontroversi - Perwakilan UMNO
Tayangan percuma filem kontroversi 'Tanda Putera' disiarkan di Dewan Merdeka, Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) sempena Perhimpunan Agung UMNO 2013.
Tanda Putera ditayang kepada perwakilan UMNO
Filem Tanda Putera akan ditayangkan secara percuma kepada perwakilan Perhimpunan Agung UMNO 2013 di Dewan Merdeka malam ini.
Kutipan filem 'Tanda Putera' disalur semula ke dalam dana program
Kutipan tayangan filem patriotik kontroversi Tanda Putera akan disalurkan semula ke dalam dana program bagi membangun dan memberi peluang kepada lebih banyak filem-filem kenegaraan dihasilkan.
'Tanda Putera' wajar jadi bahan kajian ilmiah di IPT - Razali Ibrahim
Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Razali Ibrahim berkata filem itu boleh dikaji dari sudut latar, karya dan jalan ceritanya.
Hayati mesej filem Tanda Putera dan jadikan ia satu iktibar - Shafie Apdal
Ambil sebagai iktibar agar tidak berulang, bukan mengambil sikap negatif lantas terus menolaknya begitu sahaja.
Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang akan minta semua pawagam tidak tayang filem 'Tanda Putera'
Dakwa ia mengandungi unsur-unsur sensitif dan fitnah yang tidak sesuai untuk tontonan umum.
Shuhaimi Baba lega dengan pengumuman penayangan Tanda Putera
Pengarah filem kontroversi Tanda Putera, Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba lega dengan pengumuman Kementerian Komunikasi dan Multimedia untuk menayangkan filemnya.