Tun Fatimah

Between the end of the Second World War and the early 1960s, the Cathay Organization and Shaw Brothers produced a string of films in Singapore, that were made for the Malay-speaking audience in what was then called Malaya. Both companies are today better know for their Cantonese Kung Fu flicks and other genre movies, that they started to produce when they moved to Hong Kong after Singapore separated from the Malay federation and became an independent, Chinese-dominated city state in 1963. This was the end of this "Golden Age of Malay cinema", since it became difficult to distribute Singapore-made films in Malaysia due to political pressure. However, the films they produced during this period were colorful, oriental affairs, that were often based on Malay folklore and folk tales and the Malay Bangsawan opera and often feature the traditional Malay martial art of silat. Since there were not enough movie workers available in Singapore, the companies often imported directors from India and the Philippines. Therefore, it produced the unique situation that Chinese, Indians and Filipinos produced meandering, "One Thousand and One Nights"-style spectacles, often in a language they did not even understand. These films are not very well known internationally. This one is not even in the IMDB. I will upload two of these films for now. If people are interested, there is more. Dont complain about the quality, these movies are ripped from VCDs, and there are no better versions available. Rather count yourself lucky that you get to see some of these films with subtitles. Plot Outline (from the VCD box): Based on a historical figure recorded in the 17th century Malay Annals, Tun Fatimah is a high-spirited female warrior actively engaged in defending the kingdom of Malacca against the Portuguese despite her contempt for the weak, incompetent and scandalous king, Sultan Mahmud.