Birth of Gatotkaca - Indonesian film (English subtitles) 102 min, B&W

11160 Veirs Mill Rd,Wheaton MD 20902

25 February, 2023

Description

Wheaton Arts Parade will host a screening of Lahirnja Gatotkaca (Birth of Gatotkaca) a film in black and white (1960) in the Indonesian language with English subtitles. 1 hour 42 minutes. Video showing with introductory notes from Marc Hoffman. This is a full-length film of the well-known story from the Mahabharata, often portrayed in Javanese classical arts, including puppetry and dance. Marc Hoffman will comment on the story and iconography. From the Wikipedia entry for the director, Djadoeg Djajakusuma: In 1960, Djajakusuma released his first film based on traditional wayang stories, Lahirnja Gatotkaca. Traditional puppetry had fascinated him as a child, and he greatly enjoyed the character Gatotkaca. Shot in Yogyakarta, the film features a cast of stars from Jakarta and local talent in backing roles. It was, however, controversial: and others versed in wayang argued that the director had ignored too many traditional aspects of the puppetry. The film showing will be paused from time to time for discussion and explanation.