Acclaimed as a brilliant political comedy, Tamu Agung's satire is directed at the increasing role of charismatic political leadership in the newly created Republic of Indonesia. Tamu Agung was not liked by the Sukarno Govern­ment but they did not try to ban it. Of central importance is the quack modelled on Sukarno but also of interest are scenes showing the deliberations of the local assembly of village heads. Here traditional village lava is represent­ed as a highly consultative society at the level of the district councils but bewildered by goings on in the national parliament of Jakarta. These scenes brilliantly interweave modern political discourse (including a militant feminism) with archaic Javanese rhetoric taken from traditional shadow-plays. The scene of welcome presents us with the most stirring mass scene of Reog Ponorogo (a spectacular tiger and peacock dance) ever filmed.