Leftenan Adnan is a 2000

2000 in film

The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....

 Malaysian film directed by Aziz M. Osman

Aziz M. Osman

Aziz M. Osman is a Malaysian actor and director. He has been involved in a number of other areas of the Malaysian film industry as well, having been a producer, screenwriter and editor. He is currently the director general of AceMotion Pictures Sdn Bhd...

 and produced by the Malaysian Army

Malaysian Army

The Malaysian Army is the land component of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Steeped in British Army traditions, the Malaysian Army does not carry the title ‘royal’ as do the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Navy...

 and Grand Brilliance Sdn Bhd.

Plot

The movie is about one Adnan bin Saidi

Adnan Bin Saidi

Adnan bin Saidi, , was a Malayan soldier of the 1st Infantry Brigade which fought the Japanese in the Battle of Singapore. He is regarded by Malaysians and Singaporeans today as a hero for his actions on Bukit Chandu.-Personal life:...

, a young Malay from Sungai Ramal in Kajang

Kajang

Kajang, is a town in the eastern part of Selangor, Malaysia. Kajang is the district capital of Hulu Langat. It is located from of Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur.The current locational gravity of growth in Kajang would be Sungai Chua...

, Selangor

Selangor

Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...

 who had joined the Malay Regiment of the British Colonial Forces just before the Second World War broke out in Asia. By the time the war broke out, he had been promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant, and was in command of Company C, 1st Battalion, Malay Regiment after the death of the British company commander, Captain H R Rix. His exploits and bravery in combat while leading his men against the Japanese Imperial Army became legendary. The two known engagements he was involved in are:

• The Battle of Pasir Panjang
  Battle of Pasir Panjang
  The Battle of Pasir Panjang, which took place between 13 and 14 February 1942, was part of the final stage of the Empire of Japan's invasion of Singapore during World War II...
  
  , and
• The Battle of Bukit Chandu or Opium Hill.

Both battles occurred during the final phase of the Japanese Imperial Army's assault on the city of Singapore during the Battle of Singapore

Battle of Singapore

The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...

. He later was executed after the battle. Three versions of his death are recorded. However, the official version will record that he was executed by Japanese troops in anger for his stubbornness in holding his position and inflicting large casualties on Japanese troops. In the film, General Tomoyuki Yamashita

Tomoyuki Yamashita

General was a general of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. He was most famous for conquering the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, earning the nickname "The Tiger of Malaya".- Biography :...

commented on the leftenant's bravery and valour before Adnan's execution possibly as a lesson for the Japanese troops and said that if there were ten more soldiers like Adnan in the British Colonial Forces in Malaya at that time, he would have needed ten more divisions to conquer Malaya.

Alexandra Hospital Massacre

Although not referred to in the film, there is a current theory that the subsequent Alexandra Hospital massacre was directly related to the great frustration felt by the Japanese soldiers due to the heavy losses suffered in overcoming the stout resistance put up by Lt Adnan's Company C on Opium Hill. With the loss of Company C, the remnants of the 1st Battalion withdrew leaving the way clear to the British military hospital at Alexandra and the subsequent massacre of the patients, doctors and nurses within. Therefore Adnan, according to this theory, could have been the motivating reason for the massacre.

Versions of Lt Adnan's death

• Version 1 - Official version: The official version as recorded by Japanese Imperial Army indicated that he was executed and then hung upside down from a cherry tree. British accounts have confirmed that his corpse was found hung upside down after the surrender and this has been repeated in a number of authoritative texts on the Malayan campaign. The actual mode of execution was never officially recorded.
• Version 2 - Film version: His death was not shown, but it was indicated in the closing credits that he and the surviving wounded in his company were tied to trees and bayonetted to death. This is probably the more correct version and in keeping with similar Japanese practice elsewhere.
• Version 3 - A version which was shown on a local tabloid magazine, purportedly revealed by Lt Adnan's former aide, just before his death. This version could not be verified.

Criticism

The film received criticism for using Malay actors to portray Japanese and English soldiers throughout the film. Further, the original English dialogue as spoken by the actors was voiced over by Malays speaking in halting and strongly accented English suggesting that there was an awkward attempt to alter the dialogue to give a different slant to the situations depicted and to portray the British in an unfavourable light.

External links

• Leftenan Adanan at FilemKita.com