Harta Berdarah ([harˈta bərˈdarah]; Indonesian for Bloody Treasure) is a 1940 action film from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).
Released during Eid al-Fitr, Harta Berdarah was advertised as a "magnificent Indonesian action hit"[1] and used Zonder's silat skills and Soelastri's fame as a keroncong singer to draw audiences.
In the village of Soekasari, Mardjan (Oedjang) is forcefully evicting people who are unable to pay their taxes to his boss, the landlord Hadji Doerachman (Moesa).
Doerachman, however, disapproves of their relationship, and refuses to fund their work; as a result, Atikah takes her deceased mother's jewellery and some money to pay for village development.
Learning of this betrothal, Rachmat goes to Doerachman and, after fighting Mardjan and his men, takes the hadji to the village where he and Atikah had initiated development programs.
The two, accompanied by Asmadi, hurry back to Doerachman's home, only to find Mardjan and his men sitting relaxedly on the front porch.
[a] Union Films was established in 1940 by ethnic Chinese businessmen, Ang Hock Liem and Tjoa Ma Tjoen.
After the success of its first production, Kedok Ketawa (The Laughing Mask), the director Jo An Djan left for Populair's Film.
[2] All three were instrumental in the production of Harta Berdarah; Hu and Ariffien served as co-directors, both in their debuts, and Saeroen—who had written the commercial successes Terang Boelan (Full Moon; 1937) and Fatima (1938) for other companies—wrote the story.
[5] Many of these actors, including Soelastri and Fatimah, had had roles in Kedok Ketawa,[6] and Moesa, though only recently signed, had previously acted for another company.
An anonymous review in De Indische Courant concluded that the film was simple yet well produced, with strong dialogue and humour.
[9] Another review, in the Soerabaijasch Handelsblad, was likewise positive; it found the film dissimilar to earlier domestic productions, in which "a group of stiff people moved woodenly and expelled inarticulate sounds",[c] becoming something which could be enjoyed by anyone, "Indonesian or European alike".