Tuesday, August 25  7:30PM
Spectacle Theater
124 South 3rd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11249

In Sisworo Gautama Putra’s THE WARRIOR, Jaka Sembung is the champion of the province of Kandanghaur against the colonial oppression of the Dutch imperial machine in the Indonesian archipelago. Played with swagger and conviction by Barry Prima, after the title character Jaka Sembung leads a small uprising against a forced labor edict by the Dutch imperial forces, a local Dutch commander seeks to quell the rebellion through challenging Jaka Sembung to a contest of strength. Jaka Sembung overcomes this and a great many other challenges through the aid of traditional folk magic and his will to resist, including treacherous villagers, spies and the soldiers of the Dutch imperial army. After facing brutal torture and near defeat Jaka Sembung is transformed by his master into a boar to escape his captors and so he may hide before he leads his final assault against their imperial overlords.

Sisworo Gautama Putra’s THE WARRIOR is a notable masterpiece of Indonesian exploitation cinema particularly in that it is one of only a few films to address the brutality and trauma of Dutch occupation, albeit with a light heart and a great deal of homage in equal measure both to Indonesian folk tradition and to the martial arts films of Bruce Lee.

Tickets and info at: http://www.spectacletheater.com/