The film, based on the 19th century novel by Multatui (a pseudonym for Eduard Douwes Dekker, original an offical in Java during the time of the Dutch East Indies) continues to be a source of controversy in the Netherlands today as its attack on Dutch colonialist attitudes and practices reveals the general indifference and the power of the Dutch behind a system of rule and management based on an unmitigated exploitaion of the native populace.