Rubber

Summary

Based on Madelon Székely - Lulofs' controversial book about the lives of planters in the Dutch East Indies.

Rubber is Gerard Rutten's second important feature film after the moving Zuiderzee tale of Dood water. The portrayal of life in the colonies took Rutten and his co-director Johan de Meester into the jungle of Sumatra where they shot a number of scenes. The story is based on the controversial novel by Madelon Székely - Lulofs whose frank tale about the lives, loves and adultery of the Dutch planters caused a national uproar. Rutten turned it into a fascinating story, a social satire on a colonial community in the Sumatra of the roaring twenties.

The location shots were all filmed in the Dutch East Indies, something that had never been done before. Earlier productions like De Jantjes and Op stap were also set there but made do with a couple of master shots showing the characters in an exotic setting.

On the film's first showing in 1936, the audience was bowled over by the images of the lush jungle scenery and the Sumatran villages. The crew had spent over two months filming in the Dutch East Indies; the studio shots were done in the more familiar surroundings of the Cinetone Studios in Duivendrecht.

The critics liked Rubber. They apreciated the fact that the directors had chosen a substantial theme over the maudlin cheer of the Jordaan films which were all the rage at the time. Jules Verstraete's portrayal of a rough planter also drew praise from the critics. Another remarkable presence in the film is that of Frits van Dongen (1901-1975) who went on to become the first successful Dutch actor in Hollywood.

https://player.eyefilm.nl/en/films/rubber