Ali Baba Bujang Lapok

Ali Baba Bujang Lapok
The one-sheet for Ali Baba Bujang Lapok.
Directed by	P. Ramlee
Written by	P. Ramlee
Starring	P. Ramlee Aziz Sattar S. Shamsuddin Zaiton
Music by	Kassim Masdor P. Ramlee
Cinematography	Abu Bakar Ali Mustafa Yassin
Editing by	H. R. Narayanan
Distributed by	Shaw Organisation
Release date(s)	1960
Country	Singapore Malaysia
Language	Malay

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.

Plot

Ali Baba (Aziz Sattar) 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.

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 bicycles, motorcycles, trucks, 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).

Cast

• P. Ramlee as Ketua Penyamun (Leader of the Thieves)
• Aziz Sattar as Ali Baba
• S. Shamsuddin 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

External links

• Ali Baba Bujang Lapok at the Internet Movie Database
• Ali Baba Bujang Lapok at FilemKita.com

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