The full list of the 120 MALAY MOVIES

These 120 represent about a third of all the Malay-language films made in Singapore and then Kuala Lumpur from 1948 (the date of the oldest surviving Malay movie) to 1972 (the year I was born, for isn't an 'old movie' something made before one's birth?)

I couldn't possibly watch all the films made then for the simple reason that a few dozen are lost. Among the surviving ones, some are in such bad condition that the actors sound like they are speaking in tongues. Besides, my aim was never to be comprehensive or exhaustive but to follow ... a train of thought. 

It's not meant to be a Best Of as not all these films are, by objective standards, the greatest. There are also quite a few prominent titles not on the list. So how did I choose the 120? Simply by picking what I, as a viewer, felt like watching (or re-watching). I watched in chronological order; so if, for example, I'd already seen two movies with the same lead couple, I would sometimes want to skip the third. It was a matter of instinct, but sometimes I'd follow a certain genre (such as the pontianak one) or director because they interested me.

I also chose to have as complete a list as I could of the three most interesting directors whose careers ended by 1972: K.M. Basker, P. Ramlee and Hussain Haniff. 

As for the question of why 120 instead of 100 or 150 or even 200, the answer is quite naughty. And it will be explained in the rather long Introduction in the book :-)

So! How many of these have you seen, and which did you like?

1. CINTA (Directed by BS Rajhans, released on 31 October 1948)
2. NASIB (BS Rajhans, 25 July 1949)
3. NILAM (BS Rajhans, 28 Sep 1949)
4. RACUN DUNIA (BS Rajhans, 16 February 1950)
5. ALOHA (BS Rajhans, 1950)
6. PEMBALASAN (L Krishnan, 1950)
7. DEWI MURNI (BS Rajhans, 1950)
8. PERKAHWINAN RAHSIA (AR Tompel, 1951)
9. ANTARA SENYUM DAN TANGIS (L. Krishnan, 27 February 1952)
10. PERMATA DI PERLIMBAHAN (Haji Mahadi, 1952)
11. PATAH HATI (KM Basker, 2 August 1952)
12. MISKIN (KM Basker, 1 December 1952)
13. TAS TANGAN WANITA (L. Krishnan, 1952)
14. YATIM PIATU (BS Rajhans, 1952)
15. HATI IBLIS (KM Basker, 1953)
16. PUTUS HARAPAN (BN Rao, 2 March 1953)
17. HUJAN PANAS (BN Rao, 15 August 1953)
18. IMAN (KRS Sastry, 1954)
19. PANGGILAN PULAU (S. Ramanathan, 4 July 1954)
20. MENYERAH (KM Basker, 1955)
21. PENARIK BECA (P. Ramlee, 30 October 1955)
22. RIBUT (KM Basker, 1955)
23. HANG TUAH (Phani Majumdar, 28 Januari 1956)
24. SEMERAH PADI (P. Ramlee, 14 July 1956)
25. ANAKKU SAZALI (Phani Majumdar, 27 October 1956)
26. PENCURI (KM Basker, 1956)
27. HANTU JERANGKUNG (K.M. Basker, 1957)
28. MOGOK (KM Basker, 1957)
29. PANCA DELIMA (P Ramlee, 7 July 1957)
30. BUJANG LAPUK (P Ramlee, 30 November 1957)
31. SUMPAH PONTIANAK (BN Rao, 1958)
32. ANAK PONTIANAK (Ramon A. Estella, 1958)
33. SERANGAN ORANG MINYAK (L Krishnan, 1958)
34. SUMPAH ORANG MINYAK (P. Ramlee, 20 Apr 1958)
35. KAKI KUDA (Kadir Sharma, 1958)
36. MATAHARI (Ramon A. Estella, 1958)
37. SERGEANT HASSAN (Lamberto Avellana, 26 Aug 1958)
38. KORBAN FITNAH (PL Kapur, 1959)
39. MAHSURI (BN Rao, 1959)
40. RADEN MAS (L Krishnan, 1959)
41. PENDEKAR BUKANG LAPOK (P. Ramlee, 1959)
42. MUSANG BERJANGGUT (P. Ramlee, 1 August 1959)
43. NUJUM PAK BELALANG (P. Ramlee, 26 December 1959)
44. ANTARA DUA DARJAT (P. Ramlee, 1958)
45. HANRU RIMAU (L. Krishnan/B.N. Rao/S. Roomai Noor, 1960)
46. ISI NERAKA (Jamil Sulong, 1960)
47. NOOR ISLAM (KM Basker, 1960)
48. SUMPAH WANITA (Omar Rojik, 1960)
49. ALI BABA BUJANG LAPOK (P Ramlee, 31 Jan 1961)
50. SULTAN MAHMUD MANGKAT DIJULANG (KM Basker, 1961)
51. HANG JEBAT (Hussain Haniff, 1961)
52. SRI MERSING (Salleh Ghani, 1961)
53. JALAK LENTENG (Salleh Ghani, 1961)
54. PANJI SEMERANG (Omar Rojik, 1961)
55. SENIMAN BUJANG LAPOK (P Ramlee, 6 Jul 1961)
56. SUMPITAN RACUN (S. Roomai Noor, 1961)
57. BADANG (S Roomai Noor, 1962)
58. DANG ANOM (Hussain Haniff, 1962)
59. IBU MERTUAKU (P. Ramlee, 7 March 1962)
60. MATA SYAITAN (Hussain Haniff, 1962)
61. KORBAN KASIH (Hussain Haniff, 1962)
62. LABU & LABI (P. Ramlee, 29 August 1962)
63. LAILA MAJNUN (BN Rao, 1962)
64. LANCANG KUNING (M. Amin, 1962)
65. MABUK KEPAYANG (Hussain Haniff, 1962)
66. BAYANGAN DI WAKTU FAJAR (Usmar Ismail, 1963)
67. CUCU DATUK MERAH (M. Amin, 1963)
68. RAJA BERSIONG (Ramon Estella, 1963)
69. NASIB SI LABU LABI (P. Ramlee, 26 Apr 1963)
70. IBU AYAM (Salleh Ghani, 1963)
71. KASIH TANPA SAYANG (Omar Rojik, 1963)
72. MASUK ANGIN KELUAR ASAP (Hussain Haniff, 1963)
73. GILA TALAK (Hussain Haniff, 1963)
74. TAJUL ASHIKIN (M. Amin, 1961)
75. RUMAH ITU DUNIA AKU (M. Amin, 1963)
76. AIR MATA DUYUNG (M. Amin, 1964)
77. DUA PENDEKAR (Hussain Haniff, 1964)
78. MADU TIGA (P. Ramlee, 12 Feb 1964)
79. KALUNG KENANGAN (Hussain Haniff, 1964)
80. 3 ABDUL (P. Ramlee, 22 Apr 1964)
81. PANGLIMA BESI (M. Amin, 1964)
82. PONTIANAK GUA MUSANG (BN Rao, 1964)
83. MAT 3/4 (Mat Sentul, 1964)
84. CINTA KASIH SAYANG (Hussain Haniff, 1965)
85. MUDA MUDI (M. Amin, 1965)
86. IKAN EMAS (M. Amin, 1965)
87. JIRAN SEKAMPUNG (Hussain Haniff, 1965)
88. RAGAM P. RAMLEE (P. Ramlee, 1965)
89. PUSAKA PONTIANAK (Ramon A. Estella, 1965)
90. SAYANG SI BUTA (Omar Rojik, 1965)
91. MASAM-MASAM MANIS (P. Ramlee, 21 August 1965)
92. SABARUDDIN TUKANG KASUT (P. Ramlee, 1966)
93. ANAK BULUH BETONG (S Kadarisman, 1966)
94. DUA KALI LIMA (M. Amin, 1966)
95. DO RE MI (P Ramlee, 1966)
96. GERAK KILAT [JEFRI ZAIN - GERAK KILAT) (Jamil Sulong, 1966)
97. NASIB DO RE MI (P. Ramlee, 1966)
98. NAGA TASIK CINI (Nordin Ahmad, 1966)
99. DAHAGA (Omar Rojik 1966)
100. UDANG DI SEBALIK BATU (Hussain Haniff, 1966)
101. NORA ZAIN - AGEN WANITA 001 (Low Wai, 1967)
102. DOSA WANITA (M. Amin, 1967)
103. SESUDAH SUBUH (P. Ramlee, 1967)
104. KELUARGA 69 (P. Ramlee, 1967)
105. MAT BOND (Mat Sentul & M. Amin, 1967)
106. ANAK BAPAK (P. Ramlee, 1968)
107. GERIMIS (P. Ramlee, 1968)
108. RAJA BERSIONG (Jamil Sulong, 1968)
109. AHMAD ALBAB (P. Ramlee, 1968)
110. KANCAN TIRANA (P. Ramlee, 1969)
111. BUKAN SALAH IBU MENGANDUNG (Jins Shamsuddin, 1969)
112. 6 JAHANAM (P. Ramlee, 1969)
113. SIAL WANITA (M. Amin, 1969)
114. DR RUSHDI (P Ramlee, 1970)
115. GELORA (P Ramlee, 1970)
116. AKU MAHU HIDUP (M. Amin, 1970)
117. PUAKA (M. Amin, 1970)
118. PUTUS SUDAH KASIH SAYANG (P. Ramlee, 1971)
119. JANGAN TINGGAL DAKU (P. Ramlee, 1971)
120. LAKSAMANA DO RE MI (P. Ramlee, 1972)