Ali Baba Bujang Lapok
Encyclopedia
Ali Baba Bujang Lapok is a 1960 Malaysia/Singapore
comedy film directed by, written by and starring Malaysian silver-screen legend P. Ramlee
and produced in Singapore by Malay Film Productions Ltd. Based loosely on the story of Ali Baba
from 1001 Arabian Nights
, the film is occasionally self-referential and contains elements of anarchic comedy
, burlesque comedy
and farce
. The title includes the suffix Bujang Lapok because it is the third installment in the Bujang Lapok series of comedy films that star the trio of P. Ramlee, S. Shamsuddin
and Aziz Sattar
. This film marked the feature film debut of Sarimah
, who would go on to a long movie career, and is also notable as one of the few P. Ramlee films where he plays the villain.
) is a poor man who cannot succeed in life. He constantly sends his wife to his brother Kassim Baba's house to borrow flour so they can eat, but the stingy Kassim Baba (S. Shamsuddin
) is frustrated at his brother and constantly reminds his wife, Alojah, of Ali Baba's uselessness. One day, when Ali Baba is out gathering firewood, he sees a group of 40 thieves marching through the woods carrying loot and treasures. He hides in a tree and watches their leader (P. Ramlee
) stand in front of a cave and sings a verse of seemingly nonsensical words (in actuality a Javanese language
poem) which causes an entrance to the cave to open. Ali Baba waits until the thieves have all left the cave before coming out of the tree and used the magic words to open the cave. Inside, he discovers a variety of riches and wealth, but he only takes a box of gold coins.
With the gold coins, Ali Baba is able to pay Kassim back everything he owes and lives in relative comfort. Kassim Baba is overcomed with curiosity and pesters Ali Baba to tell him how he suddenly came into wealth. Ali Baba eventually relents and tells Kassim about the cave and the magical verse to open it, but before he can tell him the verse to close the cave, or about the thieves who use it, Kassim Baba rushes off to find the cave.
Kassim Baba, in his greed, tries to steal everything in the cave. He is caught when the thieves return while he is still there and he forgets the chants to open the cave door. After trying repeatedly to stall, they eventually kill him. When Kassim does not return, Ali Baba sneaks out to the cave, where he finds his brothers' remains. He collects Kassim and has him sewn together by bribing the town cobbler, Apek, to do it. The thieves soon know that the invader was Kassim Baba and plan to rob him. In order to do so, the leader instruct one of his henchmen, Sarjan, to draw an X mark on Kassim Baba's house door. Marjina finds out, removes the X mark on the front door and then draws an X mark on the town's toilet door. The thieves soon assault the toilet, foolishly believing it to be Kassim Baba's house and sure enough, stinking them. The enraged leader then punishes the henchman that he instructed earlier. The next two henchmen, under their leader's instructions, go in search of Kassim Baba's house. He then threaten the city undertaker to tell them the whereabouts of Kassim Baba's house since he refuses earlier (the undertaker suspects them to have evil intentions). The undertaker then informs Marjina, whom the latter marks X on all over the houses and buildings in the city. Finally, the leader decides he himself must look for the house of Ali Baba and instructed for mobile hiding places to be readied to hide his thieves.
The leader pose as an oil merchant visiting Ali Baba's house, while his thieves hide in oil jars that are kept in the courtyard. When the leader playing a ghazal and singing a song praising Ali Baba, the 40 thieves are excited and they suddenly come out of their hiding places and start singing and dancing as well! This attracts the attentions of Marjina, Ali Baba's wife and sister-in-law. Marjina, comes up with a plan to stop the thieves, in which actual boiling oil is poured into all the individual jars. After all are defeated, she attacks and kills the leader himself. Ali Baba, grateful for her loyalty, gives her her independence.
s, motorcycle
s, truck
s, a Vespa
scooter, telephones and guns. When on leave, the 40 thieves also dress as various anachronistic characters, among them a cowboy
, wig-wearing judge
and a World War 2-era Japanese soldier.
In addition, the 40 thieves seem to function as a proper business, offering members health benefits, performance-based bonuses and overtime pay. Like the above anachronistic items, these are played for humorous effect (e.g. the leader of the thieves turns down a job because Sunday is a public holiday, and when the irate requester threatens to find other thieves the leader warns that if he does so the Thieves Union will take action).
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
comedy film directed by, written by and starring Malaysian silver-screen legend P. Ramlee
P. Ramlee
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. P. Ramlee, was a Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. Due to his contributions to the movie and music industry and his literary work, he is often considered the icon of Malay entertainment in Malaysia, Singapore, and Sumatra .-Biography:P...
and produced in Singapore by Malay Film Productions Ltd. Based loosely on the story of Ali Baba
Ali Baba
Ali Baba is a fictional character from medieval Arabic literature. He is described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves...
from 1001 Arabian Nights
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights
One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age...
, the film is occasionally self-referential and contains elements of anarchic comedy
Anarchic comedy film
Anarchic comedy is a genre of cinema using nonsensical, stream-of-consciousness humor. Films of this nature stem from a theatrical history of anarchic comedy on the stage. Jokes and visual gags are utilized, usually in a non sequitur manner that eschews narrative for sheer absurdity...
, burlesque comedy
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
and farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
. The title includes the suffix Bujang Lapok because it is the third installment in the Bujang Lapok series of comedy films that star the trio of P. Ramlee, S. Shamsuddin
S. Shamsuddin
Shamsuddin bin Dali or better known as S. Shamsuddin is a Singaporean well-known actor & comedian in the Malayan films during the 1950s & 1960s.- Early life :...
and Aziz Sattar
Aziz Sattar
Datuk Aziz Sattar is a Malaysian actor, comedian, singer and director who is mostly known for his roles in the black and white Malayan films of the 1950s and 1960s.- Early life :...
. This film marked the feature film debut of Sarimah
Sarimah
Sarimah Ahmad , better known as Sarimah is a Malaysian actress most famously known for her work in various black-and-white Malay films of the 1960s and 1970s including Ibu Mertuaku and Madu Tiga.-Filmography:...
, who would go on to a long movie career, and is also notable as one of the few P. Ramlee films where he plays the villain.
Plot
Ali Baba (Aziz SattarAziz Sattar
Datuk Aziz Sattar is a Malaysian actor, comedian, singer and director who is mostly known for his roles in the black and white Malayan films of the 1950s and 1960s.- Early life :...
) is a poor man who cannot succeed in life. He constantly sends his wife to his brother Kassim Baba's house to borrow flour so they can eat, but the stingy Kassim Baba (S. Shamsuddin
S. Shamsuddin
Shamsuddin bin Dali or better known as S. Shamsuddin is a Singaporean well-known actor & comedian in the Malayan films during the 1950s & 1960s.- Early life :...
) is frustrated at his brother and constantly reminds his wife, Alojah, of Ali Baba's uselessness. One day, when Ali Baba is out gathering firewood, he sees a group of 40 thieves marching through the woods carrying loot and treasures. He hides in a tree and watches their leader (P. Ramlee
P. Ramlee
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. P. Ramlee, was a Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. Due to his contributions to the movie and music industry and his literary work, he is often considered the icon of Malay entertainment in Malaysia, Singapore, and Sumatra .-Biography:P...
) stand in front of a cave and sings a verse of seemingly nonsensical words (in actuality a Javanese language
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
poem) which causes an entrance to the cave to open. Ali Baba waits until the thieves have all left the cave before coming out of the tree and used the magic words to open the cave. Inside, he discovers a variety of riches and wealth, but he only takes a box of gold coins.
With the gold coins, Ali Baba is able to pay Kassim back everything he owes and lives in relative comfort. Kassim Baba is overcomed with curiosity and pesters Ali Baba to tell him how he suddenly came into wealth. Ali Baba eventually relents and tells Kassim about the cave and the magical verse to open it, but before he can tell him the verse to close the cave, or about the thieves who use it, Kassim Baba rushes off to find the cave.
Kassim Baba, in his greed, tries to steal everything in the cave. He is caught when the thieves return while he is still there and he forgets the chants to open the cave door. After trying repeatedly to stall, they eventually kill him. When Kassim does not return, Ali Baba sneaks out to the cave, where he finds his brothers' remains. He collects Kassim and has him sewn together by bribing the town cobbler, Apek, to do it. The thieves soon know that the invader was Kassim Baba and plan to rob him. In order to do so, the leader instruct one of his henchmen, Sarjan, to draw an X mark on Kassim Baba's house door. Marjina finds out, removes the X mark on the front door and then draws an X mark on the town's toilet door. The thieves soon assault the toilet, foolishly believing it to be Kassim Baba's house and sure enough, stinking them. The enraged leader then punishes the henchman that he instructed earlier. The next two henchmen, under their leader's instructions, go in search of Kassim Baba's house. He then threaten the city undertaker to tell them the whereabouts of Kassim Baba's house since he refuses earlier (the undertaker suspects them to have evil intentions). The undertaker then informs Marjina, whom the latter marks X on all over the houses and buildings in the city. Finally, the leader decides he himself must look for the house of Ali Baba and instructed for mobile hiding places to be readied to hide his thieves.
The leader pose as an oil merchant visiting Ali Baba's house, while his thieves hide in oil jars that are kept in the courtyard. When the leader playing a ghazal and singing a song praising Ali Baba, the 40 thieves are excited and they suddenly come out of their hiding places and start singing and dancing as well! This attracts the attentions of Marjina, Ali Baba's wife and sister-in-law. Marjina, comes up with a plan to stop the thieves, in which actual boiling oil is poured into all the individual jars. After all are defeated, she attacks and kills the leader himself. Ali Baba, grateful for her loyalty, gives her her independence.
Anachronisms
Although Ali Baba Bujang Lapok is filmed as a period piece set in an unidentified country with a Middle-Eastern look, it is filled with deliberate anachronisms which are used for humour. Among them are the appearances of bicycleBicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s, motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s, truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s, a Vespa
Vespa
Vespa is an Italian brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian.The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A...
scooter, telephones and guns. When on leave, the 40 thieves also dress as various anachronistic characters, among them a cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
, wig-wearing judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and a World War 2-era Japanese soldier.
In addition, the 40 thieves seem to function as a proper business, offering members health benefits, performance-based bonuses and overtime pay. Like the above anachronistic items, these are played for humorous effect (e.g. the leader of the thieves turns down a job because Sunday is a public holiday, and when the irate requester threatens to find other thieves the leader warns that if he does so the Thieves Union will take action).
Cast
- P. RamleeP. RamleeTan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. P. Ramlee, was a Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. Due to his contributions to the movie and music industry and his literary work, he is often considered the icon of Malay entertainment in Malaysia, Singapore, and Sumatra .-Biography:P...
as Ketua Penyamun (Leader of the Thieves) - Aziz SattarAziz SattarDatuk Aziz Sattar is a Malaysian actor, comedian, singer and director who is mostly known for his roles in the black and white Malayan films of the 1950s and 1960s.- Early life :...
as Ali BabaAli BabaAli Baba is a fictional character from medieval Arabic literature. He is described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves... - S. ShamsuddinS. ShamsuddinShamsuddin bin Dali or better known as S. Shamsuddin is a Singaporean well-known actor & comedian in the Malayan films during the 1950s & 1960s.- Early life :...
as Kassim Baba - Normadiah as Aloyah
- Sarimah as Marjina
- K. Fatimah as Norsiah
- Ibrahim Pendek as Sarjan (Sergeant; Thief Second-in-Command)
- Leng Hussain as Apek Tukang Kasut (Chinese Shoe Repairman)
- Shariff Dol as Orang Kaya Muflis (The Bankrupt Rich Man)
- M. Rafee as Penyamun Bin Rafee (Thief, son of Rafee)
- Ali Fiji as Penyamun Bin Fiji (Thief, son of Fiji)
- A. Rahim as Penyamun Bin Matarosan (Thief, son of Matarosan)
- H.M. Busra as Penyamun Gemuk (Fat Thief)
- Nyong Ismail as Tuan Tabib (Medicine Man)
- Zaiton as Penghibur Gundik (Harem Dancer)
- S. Kadarisman as Tukang cuci mayat (Corpse washer)
- Mustarjo as Hamba kedi (Servant)
Songs
- Alhamdulillah Syukur Nikmat (Praise the Lord)
- Beginilah Nasib Diriku Yang Malang
- Hoi Hoi Yahoi! Lagu Penyamun (Hoi Hoi Yahoi! The Thieves' Song)
- Aiya! Cik Siti (Oh My! Miss Siti)
- Ya Habi Bi Ali Baba (Ali Baba, my dear)
- Alangkah Indah di Waktu Pagi (A Beautiful Morning) originally tuned from Turkish ("Üsküdar'a Gider İken / Kâtibim") folk song