A STUDY GUIDE by Robert Lewis http://www.metromagazine.com.au http://www.theeducationshop.com.au
No arms for the Dutch
OVERVIEW
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ndonesia Calling: Joris Ivens in Australia (John Hughes, 2009) is a ninety-minute documentary about the making and significance of an earlier film – the 22-minute, 1946 documentary Indonesia Calling that Dutch filmmaker Joris Ivens made secretly in Australia. This short film, Indonesia Calling, is one that was historically important in Australia’s post-war relations with Indonesia, and with the development of the post-war Australian documentary film industry. Indonesia Calling: Joris Ivens in Australia explores the making of that film, and the national and international political context in which it was made. Many people are not aware that Australia’s support for the Indonesian Republic at its origins was crucial to Indonesian independence (1945–1949). Australia was instrumental in having the conflict between the Dutch and the Indonesians referred to the UN. Australian troops in Indonesia were the first ever UN peacekeepers. But this support was not automatic or clear-cut.
The Dutch had planned to very gradually implement transi-
Western governments, including Australia, at first supported their wartime allies, despite commitments to a new post-colonial world. In protest against his government’s actions, and, with a diverse team of creative collaborators, Ivens resigned his official Dutch appointment and secretly began to make what became the independent documentary Indonesia Calling. The events shown in Indonesia Calling – wharf and maritime trade union boycott of the shipment of military supplies to the Dutch government in Indonesia – helped the Indonesian nationalists maintain their struggle for independence. The film itself helped by providing an alternative view to the official Dutch information and propaganda about the supposed lack of support in the outside world for the Indonesian nationalist struggle. The film also provoked a covert response from the state – suspicious, authoritarian and disciplinary. An independent film made with limited resources but with passion and commitment, Indonesia Calling not only enunciated a new possibility in Australia’s dialogue with Indonesia, but also announced a new mode of collaboration in an emerging Australian documentary practice.
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Early in 1945, shortly before the end of the Pacific War, internationally renowned left-wing Dutch filmmaker Joris Ivens came to Australia as the Netherlands East Indies Film Commissioner. The Netherlands East Indies – now Indonesia – had been a Dutch colony and was occupied during the war by the Japanese. A Republic of Indonesia was proclaimed by independence leaders Sukarno and Hatta on 17 August 1945, two days after the Japanese surrender.
tion to Indonesian independence, but when the Indonesians quickly declared their independence, the Dutch saw it as an insurrection and moved to reoccupy and control their former colony by force. Indonesians in Australia under their command went on strike, and Australian, Indian and Chinese workers supported them.
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left: Jan Malaka provided live translation. below: ‘Merdeka’ (Freedom)
CURRICULUM APPLICABILITY Indonesia Calling: Joris Ivens in Australia is a resource that can be used by senior secondary classes in Australian History, Asian History, International Relations and Media Studies. It can help us understand: · ·
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the relationship between Australia and Asia (and especially Indonesia) in this period, the role of the Australian government and national security intelligence services in national and international politics at the time, the attitudes and values towards White Australia and communism that were a key part of Australian beliefs at the time, and early social activism within the Australian post-war film industry.
EXPLORING IDEAS AND ISSUES IN THE FILM What does Indonesia Calling: Joris Ivens in Australia tell us about our history in this period? Australia and Indonesia in World War Two and After
Japan presented itself as a crusading anti-colonialist power in Asia. Its military forces quickly gained control of these areas, and in the Netherlands East Indies displaced the existing Dutch colonial rulers. The Japanese depended on the
Summary: A documentary from 1946, set on the wharves of Sydney, about the refusal of seamen and waterside workers to man Dutch ships containing arms and ammunition for attacks on the Indonesia Republic. Members of the Indonesian independence movement in Australia work with members of Australian waterside unions in order to block supplies heading to Indonesia to be used by the Dutch against the independence movement. Australian seamen and others call for the Atlantic Charter to be upheld. Demonstrations in the street and a rally in the Domain are shown, as a variety of speakers, such as the General Secretary of the Waterside Federation, Jim Healy and members of various associations encourage onlookers to support the moves for independence in Indonesia from Dutch imperialism. At a social occasion there is both Balinese traditional dancing and ballroom dancing. In a dramatic scene, one ship carrying arms to be used by the Dutch is stopped, as the Indian seamen convinced by the argument presented to them by the Indonesian activists and Australian unionists, return to port. Cataloguer note: This film is a unique glimpse of the post World War Two South-East Asian independence movements. The focus on Australia’s involvement in the issues of South-East Asian politics demonstrates the gradual shift in emphasis away from Europe, to the local region. It also presents a valuable example in the history of multiculturalism in Australia, as regards the Asian community. This film employs strong, emotive images and montage reminiscent of Russian propaganda classics and despite attempts at suppression it was screened the world over. From <http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/ display.w3p;query=Id%3A”9016”;rec=0>.
support of Indonesian officials to help govern the colony, and promised national independence. In 1945, the Japanese were defeated. The Dutch now sought to return to control of Indonesia, but the Indonesians chose to affirm Indonesian nationalism and independence. Two days after the Japanese announced their surrender – a little over a week after the US atom bombs
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In December 1941, Japanese forces invaded what were then Malaya (now Malaysia), Singapore, the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) and the Pacific area.
Here is how Indonesia Calling is described and summarised on the National Film and Sound Archive website:
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above: Waterfront Unions support the Republic. Right: Catherine Duncan ‘no place for the half truth’
destroyed Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945) – Indonesia declared its independence (17 August 1945). The Australian Government now had to decide what to do: would it support the Dutch in their claim to control the colony, or would it support the Indonesians who had declared Indonesia to be a new and independent nation? The Australian decision was also complicated by the presence of many Indonesian nationalists who were war refugees and the presence of the Dutch authorities using Australia as a base for its Netherlands East Indies government in exile, and as a supply point for them to restore their rule. Australian, Chinese, and Indian unionists, Australian human rights organizations, concerned citizens and a number of influential Australian government policy advisors also supported Indonesian independence.
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What would Australia do?
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What does the film tell you about Australian Government attitudes towards Indonesian independence and Dutch colonialism? What does it tell you about Government attitudes towards communism? How do we see Government policy changing between
The events depicted in Indonesia Calling This film is about the making and significance of the 1946 film Indonesia Calling. We do not get to see much of this earlier film, but its con-
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1945 and 1949? Australia had a White Australia policy, yet it supported Indonesian independence. How does the film help you explain this apparent contradiction? Overall, what does the film help you understand about Australian society and politics in the period 1945–1949? Is this an aspect of its history that Australians can be proud of? Explain your views. Many documentaries have a message. What is the main message of this film?
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Above: John Flaus LEft top: Keith Gow (interview 1985). LEft top: Dutch wanted Above: Joris Ivens Left bottom: workers art. the film banned. Left bottom: Hawes ‘cleared immediately’. below: Hawes & Heyer ‘associated with the film’
text and nature become clear during the film. Between 1945 and 1948 the Australian Waterside Workers’ Federation prevented 559 ships from leaving Australian ports. These ships were laden with troops, military equipment, supplies and weapons intended for use by the Dutch colonial government against the Indonesian nationalists led by Sukarno. The Australian government sympathised with the anticolonial movement, but were aware that the nationalists included a strong communist element that, if it gained power, could create military and commercial problems for Australia. The Australian government repatriated Indonesians in Australia to Republican held territory in Java, despite pressure from the Dutch and the British Government to deport them to Dutch authority. The move for independence involved both diplomatic negotiation and armed conflict. In 1947, the Netherlands government broke off negotiations with the Indonesian nationalists and returned to military operations against them.
The achievement of independence established complex political alignments, some of which continue to influence Indonesian society today. During the Sukarno period (1949 – 1966) an influential Communist Party (PKI) was balanced with the power of the Indonesian military, and Islamic political organizations. Under the pro-American ‘New Order’ regime of Soeharto (1965 – 1998) hundreds of thousands of men women and children, accused of being communists, were murdered and imprisoned, Islamic political movements were suppressed. Since 1998 Indonesian democracy
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The Australian Government referred the conflict to a United Nations dispute resolution process, and finally Great Britain and the United States also supported it. The Indonesians supported Australia’s involvement in a UN negotiating forum, which led to the Dutch agreeing to concede Indonesian independence in 1949, though not before launching a second military attack in December 1948.
Fighting between Dutch forces, pro-Dutch Indonesians and Indonesian Independence forces and was often bitter and bloody. During the course of the three-year war for independence, British forces also carried out bombing raids on towns under the control of the Indonesian Republic. Some estimates of casualties speculate that between 45,000 – 100,000 Indonesian fighters were killed, 25,000 – 100,000 Indonesian civilians lost their lives, as did 1200 British soldiers (mainly Indian troops), 5000 Dutch soldiers, with tens of thousands of Chinese and Eurasians killed or left homeless. It is said 7 million people were displaced on Java and Sumatra.
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above: Iven’s WWF. left: Catherine Duncan Joris Ivens
has continued to seek to unify its hugely diverse archipelago as one nation, sometimes at enormous costs to human rights and freedom of its citizens.
What does Indonesia Calling: Joris Ivens in Australia tell us about our film industry in this period? 14 How does the film show Indonesia Calling and Joris Ivens contributing to the development of an Australian filmmaking industry in the period?
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What aspects of the events does Indonesia Calling show? 9 Who are the heroes of Indonesia Calling? Explain your view. 10 Why was the film made in secrecy? 11 Many documentaries can be described as ‘activist’ – that is, they provide a ‘committed’ presentation of an issue. Indonesia Calling does this. Can it be accurately and adequately explained as a propaganda film? What is propaganda? Does the film conceal or declare its point of view? Explain your views. 12 One man who saw the film as a young teenager in Garut in West Java in 1947, linguist Rabin Hardjadibrata, remembers seeing Indonesia Calling on a couple of oc8
casions: They showed it preceding Gone With The Wind [Victor Fleming, 1939] … it was indeed a surprise to see that here is a country well known for being ‘white Australia’, and yet they are supporting us! And of course a second time I went to make sure whether it was the same thing that I saw, and it was, of course. We always have a soft heart for the Australians because of that, of the support for Indonesian independence. How can a film be a significant and influential element in political life? 13 The Dutch authorities wanted the Australian Government to ban the film, and then to ban its export. Consider the case for and against a government banning a political film. For example, is it OK for people to show films that oppose government policy? Urge the use of protest? Urge the use of violence? Show violence without actually urging it? Explain your answer. (You can see reference to a more recent attempt by a foreign government to impose censorship in Australia in 2009 in the case of the film The 10 Conditions of Love [Jeff Daniels, 2009]. See <http://www.metromagazine.com.au> for a study guide on this film that discusses this issue.)
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above: ‘Free Indonesia calling’. insets left from top: We have our own Republic (stamps); ‘Indonesian Independence proclaimed’; ‘Indian Seamen ‘turn the ship back’.
15 What significant difficulties existed for these emerging filmmakers? 16 What does the film tell us about the role of the secret, security intelligence services in Australia and their involvement in Australian political life? Do you think the activities of these agencies were reasonable and defensible in this case? Which activities contribute more to Australian democracy, the actions of the filmmakers, or the actions of the secret state actors? Which do more damage? Explain your views.
What does Indonesia Calling: Joris Ivens in Australia help us understand about documentary filmmaking?
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17 The film utilises a number of stylistic elements to create interest and effects. List and describe those that you have noticed. You might divide the class into groups, with each group taking a part of the film (e.g. five groups covering eighteen minutes each) and analysing its style. Each group then reports back on its findings. 18 The image of the young Indonesian boy with the baskets is used several times. Describe what this image symbolises in the film. 19 You have made a judgement about the nature of Indonesia Calling as a politically activist film. Is Indonesia Calling: Joris Ivens in Australia also an activist film in any way? Explain your answer. 20 What do you think are the main messages of this film? 21 Do you think it is an effective film? Explain your answer.
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FURTHER INFORMATION Joris Ivens and Indonesia Calling
Australia and the Indonesian Revolution
Drew Cottle and Angela Keys, ‘From Colonial Film Commissioner to Political Pariah: Joris Ivens and the Making of Indonesia Calling’, Senses of Cinema online, <http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/ contents/06/41/ivens-indonesia-calling.html>. Graham Cutts, ‘Indonesia Calling and Joris Ivens’ in Albert Moran and Tom O’Regan (eds), An Australian Film Reader, Sydney, 1985. Hans Schoots, Living Dangerously: A Biography of Joris Ivens, Amsterdam, 2000. John Hughes, Indonesia Calling: Joris Ivens in Australia, Senses of Cinema online, <http://archive.sensesof cinema.com/contents/09/51/indonesia-calling.html>. Early Works, <http://earlyworks.com.au/films/project/ indonesia-calling-joris-ivens-in-australia/>
Frank C. Bennett, The Return of the Exiles: Australia’s Repatriation of the Indonesians, 1945–7, Monash Asia Institute, 2003. Margaret George, Australia and the Indonesian Revolution, M.U.P., 1980. Jan Lingard, Refugees and Rebels: Indonesian Exiles in Wartime Australia, Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2008. Rupert Lockwood, Black Armada, Australasian Book Society, 1975. University of New South Wales at Australian Defence Force Academy, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Australia and Indonesia’s Independence, <http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/hass/Timor/1/ independence/index.html>. Teman-teman from the Start: <http://www.teman-teman.com>
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SCREEN EDUCATION
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