First off, let’s lay the facts on the table lest the usual suspects (them sneaky bastard stalkers) maliciously twist my writings to smear me as disrespecting the national squad.
(a) True. The 1980 football team was captained by a Chinese.
(b) The team was indeed fantastically multiracial.
(c) The players were our sporting legends regardless of race.
(d) It was the heyday of Malaysian football when even members of the public who were not soccer fans could recognize the first eleven because their faces were often in the newspaper sports pages and on TV.
(e) The squad made the Olympics. That was a real achievement, and all kudos to our football greats.
So that’s the ‘historical’ details dispensed with above.
Okay, now fast forward to our real-life present day.
James Wong, the striker who donned national jersey No.9 and Hassan Sani, No.10, today gave interviews to the press in Kota Kinabalu. Both are Sabahans.
Malaysiakini reported James as saying that Ola Bola should have stuck to facts.
Fact: Player No.9 – Chinese guy – scored the winning goal. Fiction: In the movie, No.10 – Malay guy – scored.
Speaking to Bernama, Datuk Hassan Sani noted that some of the facts had been changed by the film producer.
“He [Hassan] said the player who scored the goal then had worn the jersey bearing the number 9 and not 10 as in the film.”
Some Chinese were disgruntled by this distortion of historical fact. Malaysiakini refers to the Chinese disgruntlement as “controversy” — see tweet below.
https://twitter.com/Malaysia_Latest/status/695230732478894081
If however the factual distortion went the other way around, i.e. suppose it was Hassan Sani who scored the winning goal in Malaysia’s 1980 qualifying match against South Korea but Ola Bola chose instead to depict Eric (the movie character based on James Wong) as the final goal scorer, then the public outcry would have been even louder.
The film director would surely have been accused of falsifying history to promote Chinese supremacy.
As it is, there have been some allegations that director Chiu Keng Guan distorted a fact in order to pander to Ketuanan Melayu and curry favour with the Umno government.
But the dissatisfaction and condemnation have been muted while by and large, the Chinese community has raved about the film and praising its multiracial nostalgia sky high.
Would the Malay community overlook a converse factual distortion – i.e. movie taking away rightful glory from real-life Malay striker – and still lavish a mountain of praise on Ola Bola?
As a side note, we should bear in mind that many movies do apply artistic license to liberally dramatize or make a melodrama out of real events. And secondly, Ola Bola is a movie conceived to earn its filmmaker oodles of profit in box office takings. It is not a documentary where a more exacting standard of accuracy is mandated.
In terms of production value, Ola Bola is pedestrian, predictable, strained and contrived. It even had a stereotypical buck-toothed character to provide comic relief.
So why the delirious ecstasy shown by the Chinese who are going in droves to watch the movie?
Ticket sales has been phenomenal and Ola Bola looks on course to surpass Polis Evo as the highest-grossing local film.
Malays are watching it because orang Melayu memang gila bola. Indians viewers may have been enticed by Muthu (based on goalie Arumugam) – who has a significant role – and his wise-cracking, cutesy younger sibling(s).
And the Chinese? Well, Ola Bola has taken on the mantle of a trendy social event, much like Chinese selfie attendance at Bersih 4.0.
The ‘moderation’ vehicle of the evangeliSTAR even appeared in the closing credits as one of Ola Bola‘s media sponsors. Other pro-Christian, English-language news portals have been promoting Ola Bola to the hilt as well.
The lead is played by a leng chai actor and his onscreen girlfriend is very pretty. Would Chinese have flocked to the cinema if the hero had not been not a fellow Chinese?
Would the producers have made this film if the captain of the squad were not a Chinese?
But the more interesting point to ponder is why the Chinese have been willing to close one eye to the factual distortion of Ola Bola when they had dissed Tanda Putera, which they claimed distorted a historical event.
Remember, there was a major move by the Chinese to boycott and badmouth Tanda Putera.
[Note: Dyana Sofya was so incompetent that Kit Siang snatched the microphone away from her to take a reporter’s question, and on another occasion, Tony Pua interrupted to speak on Dyana’s behalf at a press conference during the Teluk Intan by-election campaign.)
My theory of the Chinese reaction is that their response has been along the lines of embracing Hannah Yeoh’s tudung wearing. If it was a Wanita MCA leader who had done the same, she would have been mocked, vilified and cursed seven generations.
Another parallel is the Chinese embrace of Dyana Sofya Samad as the DAP candidate in the Teluk Intan by-election. If it was MCA that made way for a Malay candidate (from Umno) – as happened in Wangsa Maju – then the Chinese would have kicked up a ruckus on how our ethnic minority is being made to kowtow and give way to Big Brother.
Underscoring the central theme running through the events listed above is the element of Chinese acceptance of the unpalatable.
(i) Wearing tudung is unacceptable if any of the Chinese-based BN components had done it but endorsed when DAP does it because the bigger agenda – fishing Malay votes – is kept in focus.
(ii) Ceding a Parliament seat where the incumbency is traditionally Chinese is unacceptable if MCA relinquished it to Umno. However, it is acceptable when the unqualified Dyana Sofya leapfrogs over Hew Kuan Yau (the DAP hopeful).
Again, this capitulation is in view of the bigger agenda, which is that DAP needs to display a Malay window-dressing among the ranks of its YBs.
[Note: Out of the DAP’s 143 Yang Berhormats elected to the DUNs and Dewan Rakyat 2013, only two are Malay — Ariff Sabri YB Raub and Tengku Zulpuri YB Mentakab. This works out to a mere 1.4 percent of the DAP’s elected reps being Malay.]
ABOVE: Papa Dapster, Grandpapa Dapster and Baby Dapster
(iii) Chinese are disinterested in the current Harimau ‘Malaysia’ national football squad and very few today play football. But they wax lyrical over a team that was fielded 36 years ago.
As in scenarios (i) and (ii), the Chinese have a bigger agenda of supporting and pushing the DAP political narrative.
And just like the anomalous and artificial situations manufactured in (i) and (ii), the Chinese are tripping over themselves with regard to Ola Bola for the same ulterior motive.
Helen Ang 
“In terms of production value, Ola Bola is pedestrian, predictable, strained and contrived.”
I guess you didn’t have watery eyes when watching it. You probably rolled your eyes more often than not due to annoyance. I heard some dudes are watching it more than once in cinema.
Chiu should make a movie about badminton instead – more Chinese in the badminton squad.
Ya, JC Chee is very hensem. I’m told he actually has a twin brother in real life.
PS: I didn’t watch this movie since I prefer HK nonsensical comedies .
It was not so much eye-rolling but neck contortion.
The tickets were sold out out at each of the successive screening times and I had to detour to a faraway, more remote cinema (hoping for lesser crowd).
And even then, the only seats left were third row from the screen. I really had to crane my neck :(
But the movie producers are making a mint alright.
basketball better, no malay n indian at all. n what is sensical comedies? hollywood one?
Don’t worry Puan Ang, I won’t vote DAP.
But neither will I vote UMNGOK/BN………………..HEHEHE.
We are going for BEBAS candidate – really bebas. Not a proxy to
DAPigs/PKR or umngok/BN. Tapi kalau PAS go sendirian.Bhd, than
PAS will be an alternative.
Might as well you stay at home. You didn’t making a point & you didn’t change anything. Must be really desperate that you didn’t support your boss DAP, RBA.
Everybody can vote anybody approved by the Election Commission. But throughout the short democratic history of this country – indeed of all countries in the world – there have been nincompoop election candidates.
No doubt, voting is exercising one’s democratic right. But consider the purpose of voting.
Ideally, it’s to get a representative who can get things done for you. But what can a solitary independent candidate get for you? He or she may shout on the top of his voice everyday, he can’t get anything done for you.
Similarly, voting for a party or a coalition that’s not likely to win and form the government. They do shout a lot but often only of nuisance value.
Have not watch the movie. Is there a disclaimer in the movie stating that the movie is fictional? Any similarities is coincidence?
From the producer’s point of view, movie cannot be 100% similar to history. It has to be adjusted to cater to audience taste and to avoid or minimise and royalty/copy right claim. Hit movies like Journey, Evo Polis and Ola Bola are all produced by Astro Shaw. The main motive of Ola Bola is money making. Not whether it reflects the history or otherwise.
“A fictional story based on a monumental true event,” according to the director.
http://www.star2.com/entertainment/movies/movie-news/2015/10/24/5-things-to-know-about-ola-bola/
The event is true but the story line is fictional. Director/producer didn’t claim to make a movie in verbatim or 100% accuracy based on the history.
I think the director is just after profits (money).
Making the Malay guy the goalscorer is feel-good factor for Malay audience. More Malays buy movie tickets. Ka-ching, ka-chingg.
Taking away rightful credit from the Chinese striker will not dent ticket sales by much because the Chinese have this hardcore DAP attitude – like willing to pangkah tunggul kayu as long as it wears Rocket symbol.
So the swap between jersey No.9 and No.10 in the story is a calculated move to maximize ticket sales.
re: Ka-ching, ka-chingg.
Of course. Ola Bola is produced by Astro Shaw i.e. Astro. Main objective is to make money. Make movie is just one of the way to meet the objective.
re: So the swap between jersey No.9 and No.10 in the story is a calculated move to maximize ticket sales.
Capitalist will not care about historical accuracy.
Normally, a movie narration goes with the flow, e.g. if it was Brutus who historically stuck a knife into Caesar, then Brutus it is when the plot is translated onto the silver screen.
Wrt Ola Bola, to make the swap between the goalscorers was a conscious and calculated decision. I understand that Chinese businessmen make this kind of weighted decisions on profits all the time.
So this Chinese film producer did the same. As do the Chinese politicians.
Only the sheeple are gullible.
How you deduce that the current high box office receipts of Ola Bola is due to “the swap between the goalscorers” and not other factors?
Is there any stats to show that the majority of the movie goer of Ola Bola is of certain race?
Do you believe the swap was a deliberate and calculated decision?
Why do you think the director did that?
I have not watched the movie. For a movie-goer, usually we don’t want people to spoil the fun for us by telling us the story line, climax, ending etc. So, I don’t think the main motivation of people watching Ola Bola is due to the ‘swap’.
The audience wouldn’t have known about the swap until it became a controversial news item in the media. After all, many viewers were not even born yet in 1980.
Nonetheless, it is more natural for a storyteller to go with the flow of what actually happened. Like I said, it was Brutus who stabbed Caesar, why deliberately change this detail and portray someone else as stabbing Caesar. Same with the goal.
It was scored by James Wong. Why depict the goal as being scored by Ali?
The factual distortion was deliberate. It was calculatedly done for a purpose. Which leaves us to wonder at the motive. I say its profit.
The Dapsters say it was either for “political correctness” or to kowtow to Ketuanan Melayu. Among the more outlandish conspiracy theories is that the film would not have gotten a permit to screen from the Umno government otherwise … which is rubbish.
re: The factual distortion was deliberate. It was calculatedly done for a purpose. Which leaves us to wonder at the motive. I say its profit.
Hmmm…. Still you have not conclusively establish the correlation between ‘high box office receipts’ vs ‘deliberate factual distortion’. More of your personal opinion.
Just because both elements occur, you cannot ‘tangkap-muat’ and claim that both are related. Very hard to hold water.
Can you suggest a reason why the director deliberately distorted a fact?
“Can you suggest a reason why the director deliberately distorted a fact?”
most probably the director is a mca member.
re: Can you suggest a reason why the director deliberately distorted a fact?
I can suggest anything. But it cannot be verified.
Anyway, director and producer have never claimed that the movie is a 100% documentary of an actual event. The movie was inspired by an actual event but the story line was fictional.
re: “I can suggest anything. But it cannot be verified.”
That doesn’t stop the 1MDB accusers one iota, does it?
re: That doesn’t stop the 1MDB accusers one iota, does it?
In relation to the 2.6 bil donation? So many version of stories. AG said came from Saudi royals. One Saudi Minister said not donation but investment purpose. WSJ continues to insist the money came from 1MDB.
How to expect the detractors to believe AG if until today no legal action is taken by Najib and 1MDB against WSJ? Lack of legal action allow rooms for speculation. Stop this once and for all. Sue WSJ in US. Najib should produce evidence to show donation came from Saudi royal and WSJ to produce proof that donation came from 1MDB. Let the court decide. There can only be one version of story.
None of the accusers have ‘proven’ anything against Najib.
re: “One Saudi Minister said not donation but investment purpose.”
He did not say ‘WHO’ invested ‘WHAT’ (amount) WHERE (in what company) WHEN.
re: “WSJ continues to insist the money came from 1MDB.”
Insistence is not proof. Annie Anakin is very insistent that he is petite girl. Tak pernah tunjuk gambar pun.
re: Insistence is not proof.
Agreed. But Najib should not allow WSJ to be so cocky either. How can the same matter (2.6 bil donation) can have 2 versions of story lines? It is either donation from Saudi royal or from 1MDB. Najib must sue to set the record straight. If he can sue Tun Ling, what is stopping him? Even Muhyiddin is asking.
A PM of a sovereign nation cannot allow a media company to continuously publish false news. Ask any law student. Kalau tak salah, mengapa takut mahu saman?
re: “A PM of a sovereign nation cannot allow a media company to continuously publish false news.”
I’m still waiting for the gomen to take action against TMI as, after all, sampai the Penyimpan Mohor Besar di-Raja already made police report.
This is our RULER’S COUNCIL who complained to the police!
re: He did not say ‘WHO’ invested ‘WHAT’ (amount) WHERE (in what company) WHEN.
He need not be that specific. He already cast doubt on the findings of AG/Najib by saying “It is a private Saudi citizen, I believe, and the funds went to an investment in Malaysia,”.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/saudi-minister-says-funds-in-account-of-malaysia-pm-najib-were-investment-not-donation
I didn’t read any denial from the AG or Najib wrt to the statement made by Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. I could have missed it. Is there any?
re: ” “It is a private Saudi citizen, I believe, and the funds went to an investment in Malaysia”
Since he did not specify amount (RM2.6b?) and did not say in which company (investment) was parked in Malaysia, then it sounds like the source quoted by WSJ was only speculating too.
re: This is our RULER’S COUNCIL who complained to the police!
Are you using the above to justify Najib’s inaction against WSJ?
Already so many months. Despite no legal action against TMI, Malaysians are well aware that the Ruler’s Council did not reject hudud or any legal amendment to implement hudud. Despite the lack of legal action against TMI, the truth is well known nationally. TMI has also retracted the news and issued apology. What remaining now is the legal action by AG.
Compare the above with Najib’s inaction against WSJ. Truth of the donation is unknown (2 versions of story). WSJ didn’t retract the earlier article and continue to insist that the donation came from 1MDB. WSJ even claim that it has evidence to support its claim.
See the difference?
re: “TMI has also retracted the news and issued apology.”
That is TMI‘s typical modus operandi.
Fabricate or spin a story to cause maximum damage, then when confronted backpedal and issue a half-hearted apology hidden in a small space for a short period when the fake news they carried was splashed in banner headlines.
The dajjal portal even goes to the extent of doctoring pictures – like the protesters carrying banner (photoshopped by TMI to saying ‘Undur Hadi’) during a demo.
TMI also permitted an imposter to use the moniker ‘helenang.wordpress.com’ and did nothing to retract all the impersonater’s comments until Disqus (the forum where the imposter was registered) took action to terminate the a/c.
TMI are scum.
I’m malay guy. Has watched the movie and I didn’t even notice that the final scorer is malay. What the matter with all of you. sigh
The problem is not us who are alert and notice insidious details.
The problem is you Malay guys being so leka that the ruling coalition – led by parti Melayu – lost 2/3 majority in 2008 and lost the popular vote in 2013 to the oppo coalition led by evangelical party.
Your problem is selamba dan terlalu bersangka baik.
Agree with you to a certain extent, Helen.
But the Chinese have also been the problem. While the MCA have been thankful for their citizenship right and supportive of BN, many – DAP members and supporters especially – have not, and got easily persuaded by the cakap tak serupa bikin wild and unjustified accusations until becoming the Chinese tsunami.
Would the two third majority have been lost if the MCA and Gerakan had retained their seats from 2008 onwards?
re: “While the MCA have been thankful for their citizenship right and supportive of BN, many – DAP members and supporters especially – have not”
BELOW: MCA members …
First of all, I never in my life voted for bn. Never had, never will. Secondly, you automatically assume the type of person I am just based on my race. That in my book is rascist.
re: “That in my book is racist.”
Such auto reflex comes only from the Firsters.
Slap the label of ‘racist’ (or ‘extremist’ or ‘bigot’) on the other person, and with a single stroke obviate the need to make any further reasoned counter argument.
jeesh,
Read carefully as many definitions of racism as possible. Racism is where there is antagonism towards another race. Adolf Hitler of World War II definitely was. George W Bush of Iraq War may not – only stupid.
DAP campaigning on the so-called Malaysian Malaysia slogan at PRU 1969, wanting equality without acknowledging the Special Position of the Malays and the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak, were racist.
So are the DAP members and supporters who want to question that Special Position which was enshrined in the Constitution as the quid pro quo (the consideration, the balasan) for he Malays agreeing to the citizenship right of the non-Malays at Merdeka.
Does that means if the provisionfor malays and bumis is revoked so is the citizenship to the non malays or bumis. I surely vote this if there is a referendum hehehe
No one can ask for the revocation of the Special Position of the Malays and the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak. Also for the revocation of the citizenship right of the non-Malays. It’s against the Sedition Act.
Now, where is the stupid bloke what’sthename who says I often mention sedition as if it’s not relevant every time I do so.
While I’m not a DAP supporter myself, may I ask you Akim, how can we achieve equality and also acknowledge the Bumis special position? I’m just intrigued.
For Malaysians, equality must be based on acceptance of the Special Position of the Malays and the Bumis of Sabah & Sarawak. We are built that way at independence in 1957. The Malays agreed to the non Malays’ citizenship right, the non-Malays must agree to the Special Position. Questioning one will lead to questioning the other and that’s not good for anybody.
But then for Americans, too, equality means the Blacks, Latinos, Red Indians etc are being unequal in so many respects. See the 1% of the US population who are extremely rich – how many are Blacks, Latinos etc? Worse still, racial profiling is very rampant – when a crime occurs, “round up the usual suspects” and that sort of attitude.
In communist China since the days of Mao Zedong who loudly proclaimed “equality of the masses” of all citizenry, those who rode cars in he towns and bicycles in the villages have, for many decades, been only the CCP members and cadres. Until now, the cadres and members are unequal to the rest of the population in many respects.
Actually Helen, i cant believe you are linking Ola Bola to politics. but to each their own. I think the movie is just ok but probably because im not a (melayu) football fan and have no interest at all in football.
And i say your assessment of very few Chinese interested in football is untrue. Local football maybe , but def not the EPL…itu belum kira yg duk main futsal lagi ( face it….we have very few padangs these days). Before the whole Harimau Malaya “branding” siapa pun yg jadi die hard local football fan ( we are talking 2000 onwards ) here?
re: “Actually Helen, i cant believe you are linking Ola Bola to politics. but to each their own.”
Ola Bola can be looked at through three components:
(i) the ‘historical’ event of Malaysia qualifying for the Olympics, which served as a backdrop for the story
(ii) the semi-fictionalized melodrama of the trials and tribulations of the players in the team
(iii) the modern-day flashback, i.e. the TV producer Marianne interviewing the now 66-year-old Soh Chin Aun (who appears inn a cameo).
Marianne wants to migrate out of Malaysia but she changed her mind after soaking in the muhibbah of the 1980 national squad.
I consider (iii) of Ola Bola to be political DAP and their bangsa Anak Malaysia feel-good propaganda.
re: “I think the movie is just ok but probably because im not a (melayu) football fan and have no interest at all in football.”
It is formulaic, and the captain’s recalcitrance and temper tantrums are over the top. Just listen to the coach lah!
re: “And i say your assessment of very few Chinese interested in football is untrue.”
Very few Chinese are interested in the local football league and even fewer support our national team.
re: “Local football maybe , but def not the EPL…”
I know Malaysian Chinese watch EPL. They bet like crazy. How much money the bookies are earning is in direct correlation to how many Malaysian Chinese watch international football.
re: “itu belum kira yg duk main futsal lagi ( face it….we have very few padangs these days).”
True. Chinese schools are over-populated and tight for space. Every inch has to be utilized for building classrooms.
re: “Before the whole Harimau Malaya ‘branding’ siapa pun yg jadi die hard local football fan ( we are talking 2000 onwards ) here?”
We did know the names of the players during Mokhtar Dahari’s era, and we could recognize their faces like Soh Chin Aun, Arumugam, Santokh Singh and the frizzy-haired (but now balding) Zainal Abidin.
I just Wiki-ed the current Harimau ‘Malaysia’. There are 23 players called up and seven more on the stanby list. Out of the 30 in national squad and reserves, not a single Chinese.
I don’t know why the in-denial when it is said that Chinese don’t play football. Except for a very, very small handful, the Chinese are not in the army either.
Malaysian Chinese have become too self centred. In sports, better to go for individual type of sports then all the glory is yours. Team spirit and sacrifice for the community has eroded greatly.
re: the Chinese are not in the army either.
Risk and reward. Why go for high risk job that pay low? Might as well join the private sector that rewards better especially if you have the rights skills and qualification.
Spoken like a true patriot drinho. ;). Very, very, very deserving of citizenship of any country (pls note the sarcastic undertone). Is selling pirated dvd and being a “massage parlor” look out for triads better than being in the army? But it does pays better, no doubt.
re: selling pirated dvd and being a “massage parlor” look out for triads
I am talking on legit industries. If these illegal industries thrive, we can partly blame the so-called patriotic citizens working in the police force and SPRM.
Blame the police and SPRM? Why do they have to share the blame with ghee hin/hai san descendants? Are you trying to refer to bribery? In any case the giver is always twice guilty than the taker. The taker is guilty of accepting the bribe while the giver is guilty offering bribe AND the original crime they have committed and are trying to cover up. So stop the “partly to blame” nonsense . “illegal industries” is thriving due to the participation of unpatriotic citizen which is predominantly chinese.
A rhetorical question to end my comment. If an enemy invades malaysia who would be the first to sell out? The patriotic police/sprm/army with low pay and high risk job or those with the right skill and qualification who joins the private sector for the higher reward?
re: In any case the giver is always twice guilty than the taker. The taker is guilty of accepting the bribe while the giver is guilty offering bribe AND the original crime they have committed and are trying to cover up.
I agree with your proposition. Giver committed 2 crimes whereas taker committed one. That is why I used the term “partly blame”. I didn’t use “substantially blame”.
However, the taker by accepting the bribe has allowed the giver to continuously commit crime. Hence, action must be taken on proportionate basis. Heavier punishment to giver for 2 crimes and lighter punishment for taker for 1 crime. Problem is we don’t see such enforcement. Even if enforced, the courts have ruled unfairly. Consider the jail term of Khir Toyo against a sardine thief. 1 year vs 10 year.
re: “illegal industries” is thriving due to the participation of unpatriotic citizen which is predominantly chinese.
I can similarly allege it was due to lack of enforcement by the authorities. Chicken and egg situation. Which one comes first?
As long as money can be made, people will do illegal business in any part of the world (pirated DVD, drug, arms dealing, human trafficking etc). If the authorities is incorruptible, they can wipe out these illegal industries. These illegal businessman will then do their business in other countries with weak enforcement.
Crime always comes first hence the need for law enforcement. Not very chicken and egg. Get your head on straight.
Re:As long as money can be made, …
Thank you for confirming my first comment in this thread. Your “private sector” kind will sell out as long as there is money to be made.
re: sell out as long as there is money to be made.
Of yes. Already we have a prime example. Taking donation in order to win election. Selling national assets to foreign corporation to repay debts. Signing trade agreement to allow foreign MNCs to enter our markets with less restriction. All these happen during peaceful times. No need to wait for actual war.
The chicken and egg situation. Solution can be find through language factor if malay telur first ie telur ayam in english chicken first ie chicken egg dont know in mandarin and tamil maybe helen can help. I hope this is helpful
However much you point out the sarcasm in your comment, this kind of daredevil, hardly Constitution-respecting DAP or DAP-like fellows will just disregard your sarcasm.
The risk then is that the casual readers here may get the wrong message and take what you said to mean a compliment.
The DAP kind of blokes have no sense of loyalty to country and patriotism is just not in their vocabulary. They just take, take, take, never thankful for the citizenship right the Malays agreed for them at Merdeka, and hate, hate, hate.
Gosh, they caused the race riots of 1969.
I implore you to avoid that kind of approach on this kind of characters. Just hit them right on the face with the degree of severity of your choice.
Have a good day, AE.
Just putting my ducks in a row bro ;)
Quote: But the more interesting point to ponder is why the Chinese have been willing to close one eye to the factual distortion of Ola Bola …
You came up with a politically seasoned reasoning, minus the ajinomoto, perhaps the reason could be the message the whole movie was trying to drive home.. football is a team sport and has no place for individual glory. The striker, god forbid what color or religion, may be the one who put the ball behind the net, but let’s not forget the defenders and mid-fielders who helped put the ball under his feet.
Look, it’s OK for anyone to love or loathe a movie. Ola Bola is not a political movie but like any feel-good movies, it does attempt to be politically correct.
I don’t find that offensive.
re: “football is a team sport”
Agree.
re: “and has no place for individual glory”
Disagree. There are Man of the Match accolades, and the Golden Boot given to the best goalscorer, and for individual exceptional goals – like how they’re saying the Penang striker who scored that amazing curved goal deserves to be nominated for the Fifa award.
re: “The striker, god forbid what color or religion”
Religion is not completely discounted. For example, some Israeli footballers refuse to play on Sabbath, http://www.insideworldfootball.com/world-football/europe/17793-sabbath-row-could-see-football-close-down-in-israel
Then during Ramadan, a coach may decide to field a player who is not fasting — talking about mixed teams like France and Germany.
re: “Ola Bola is not a political movie but like any feel-good movies, it does attempt to be politically correct.
I don’t find that offensive.”
So you’re saying it is politically correct for the Malay to score the winning goal?
Although football is a team sport, the names of goalscorers are etched in the records.
World Cup
As a matter of record keeping, facts are facts. Both Hassan Sani and James Wong are agreed on that.
Quote:
Religion is not completely discounted. For example, some Israeli footballers refuse to play on Sabbath,
And your point is? My contention is the players’ religion have not worked against them. Coaches and clubs are not discriminating good players just because they cannot fullfill their obligations as players during certain months. Ozil (a Muslim) is the most expensive German player of all time and Arsenal is happy to have him despite fasting month.
Quote:
Are you saying it’s politcally correct for the Malay to score the winning goal?
We watched the same movie but obviously we interpret differently. You see a a Malay scoring the final goal, I see a striker trying to live up to his no.10 jersey and having much to proof got to overcome his self-doubt.
**SPOILER ALERT**
As I’ve said, this is a feel good movie and true to its tradition, everyone gets to overcome their own devil. Apparent in having a substitute who was benched 8 years to finally get his only chance to pass the ball to the striker for the winning goal.
The political correctness here is the message every underdog gets their redemption and hardwork meant your dreams will be within reach.
We know it’s not always true. But heck, a little optimism in this economy won’t hurt.
What if the deliberate and calculated switch was made the other way around?
Hypothetically, let’s say that Hassan Sani in fact scored that goal in 1980. Then the Ola Bola version has Eric scoring the goal instead.
How do you think Malay audiences or Perkasa or some hotheadds in Umno Youth would react to that?
Quote: How do you think Malay audiences or Perkasa or some hotheadds in Umno Youth would react to that?
Hahaha make a semi-historical inspired movie where Bruce Lee was defeated by a silat sifu?
Interesting question you might want to ask your Malay readers.
Example
umno malay is kind. 2 mil citizenship oso no problem what. they would again n again remind the chinese how kind they r. u expect something else helen?
most other malay would just point out this is distortion of fact if truly base on historical event. but the director already many time said tis movie is about football.
re: “but the director already many time said tis movie is about football
Also about the DAP’s bangsa Anak Malaysia politics.
The TV producer Marianne wanted to emigrate. She changed her mind after soaking in the 1980 flashback.
Malaysia qualified in football for the Munich Olympics in 1972. The captain of the multiracial team was M. Chandran. The Chinese Ola Bola director not interested in making a “fictional story based on monumental true event” here despite that this team actually played in the Olympic tournament.
“The TV producer Marianne wanted to emigrate. She changed her mind after soaking in the 1980 flashback. ”
ng yen yen?
:D
Not sure if there’s any legal compulsion but Cabinet member ‘cannot’ hold foreign PR.
Then there’s the matter of Zaid Ibrahim selling off his Zico law firm when he was appointed Minister. It appears as if there is a prohibition against Cabinet members being in law (or other professional) practice. Same case with Waytha if I’m not mistaken, i.e. he had to relinquish his law partnership.
re: The Chinese Ola Bola director not interested in making a “fictional story based on monumental true event” here despite that this team actually played in the Olympic tournament.
Who are we to dictate what movie to be made?
Ola Bola was never marketed as a historical documentary movie. Disclaimer in 3 languages appeared at the beginning and end of the movie stating that the movie is a fiction (i.e. not based on real life event or character). The scorer, the score point, backdrop, character names etc are fictional. Ever wonder why despite the ‘historical inaccuracies’, no one is able to sue Ola Bola till now? Just some bising-bising noise by detractors.
Just like smut content on the Internet You detest it. But you cannot stop the producer from producing it nor preventing other Internet users from surfing it. Even if you happen to accidentally entered the site, you can’t take action against the website owner due to the disclaimer in the beginning.
if u wanna talk politics, the movie reflect mca more.
I am curious. How many non Malays especially the Chinese have gone to see Astro Shaw’s other products? I wonder how many Chinese have seen Polis Evo, their other popular product.
Why?
Was Polis Evo ever marketed to the Chinese demographic?
Neither was Cicak man3. (another Astro Shaw production)
Cicakman was marketed to the French.
Oh sorry. Chinese schools don’t teach French.
Audio : Malais (DTS-HD 5.1)
Sous-titres : Français
Région : Toutes les régions
Rapport de forme : 1.78:1
Nombre de disques : 2
Studio : Emylia
Cicakman is in Malais langue.