Monday 29 October 2007

The lost communist

Later that night, after the wrap of Punggok Rindukan Bulan, the director and I celebrated by watching 1957 Hati Malaya.

There are some fascinating moments in there (especially a shot involving a book sponsor) but I couldn't help noticing that the Chin Peng scene had been deleted. I know such a scene existed because I know the actor who played him, and the line he had to say.

So as it is, this 2 hour-plus movie of events leading up to our proclamation of Independence has literally no mention of the Baling Talks. But it manages to include our current Prime Minister's father (played by Rahim Razali) and Kavita Kaur shouting "Hidup Melayu!"

Was the scene deleted by the filmmakers or the censors? I don't know if this counts as major news, but perhaps an intrepid journo from Malaysiakini can find out.

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