 A review by " Bandoenger " in Panorama magazine considered the film of poor technical quality compared to imported films , suggesting that the production was underfunded ; the review states that some actors were not paid for their work . The Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran wrote that Loetoeng Kasaroeng would have been poorly received outside of East Java , owing to Sundanese culture and dance not being considered interesting to other ethnic groups , particularly the Javanese . William van der Heide , a lecturer on film studies at the University of Newcastle in Australia , notes that the tendency of European filmmakers to depict natives as primitives may also have influenced the poor ticket sales . 
