De Stille Kracht

De Stille Kracht is a television series from 1974, based on the book of the same name by Louis Couperus. The main roles are played by Pleuni Touw, Bob de Lange, Hans Dagelet and Willem Nijholt. The story is set at the end of the 19th century and revolves around the cultural gap between East and West, in this case: Java and the Netherlands. The Dutch colonials are becoming aware that although they are the name rulers of Java, the island also maintains its own natural order. That order is maintained by "the silent force" (the Goena Goena) - a term that refers to both the inscrutable aspects of Eastern culture and to some form of sorcery. Well known is the scene in which naked Leonie (played by Pleuni Touw) is spit on with betel juice by invisible perpetrators after she is guilty of adultery.