Plot
During a storm, the young man Andri (Sandro Tobing) is separated from his grandfather, Prof. Hasnan Rasyid (Abdi Wiyono), and ultimately drifts onto a deserted beach. After wandering he meets Emi (Meriam Bellina) and her father Bram (Darussalam), who take him in.
Years later, when Andri and Emi have grown up, they are captured by a group of islanders, who assume they are gods. The two tease the islanders, whom they find filthy and smelly, but soon learn that they are to provide god-children for the villagers. They try and escape but are followed, ultimately being rescued by Bram, who dies in the attempt.
On their own and hiding from the restless natives, the two begin to fall in love and eventually have a son, whom they name Ami. They are eventually found by the natives, who chase them. When it seems all hope is lost, Andri's grandfather arrives and rescues them.
Production
Pengantin Pantai Biru was directed by Wim Umboh - also known as Achmad Salim - and produced by Ferry Angriawan of Virgo Putra Film. Filming saw Herman Susilo as cinematographer and Nazar Ali as artistic director. Umboh handled editing himself during post-production, while music and sound were provided by Billy J. Budiardjo and Zakaria Rasyid, respectively.
The story for Pengantin Pantai Biru was adapted from Henry De Vere Stacpoole's 1908 novel The Blue Lagoon through the 1980 adaptation, which starred Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. The adaptation was completed by a team led by Umboh and Abdi Wiyono.Pengantin Pantai Biru starred Meriam Bellina as Emi (analogous to the novel's Emmeline) and Sandro Tobing as Andri (analogous to Richard), with Abdi Wiyono and Darussalam in supporting roles. Other cast members included HIM Damsyik and Rasyid Subadi.
The American visual anthropologist Karl G. Heider wrote that the Indonesian adaptation followed the Hollywood version closely, with some shots the same. He noted several differences, however. The man cast ashore with the children is not a cook, like in the American film, but Emi's father; the children meet and are ultimately deified by the natives of the island, rather than avoid them; the castaways learn of sex from watching a rape and not through experimentation; and ultimately the children return home of their own volition, rather than by accident.
Terang Boelan is a 1937 film from the Dutch East Indies. Written by Saeroen, directed by Albert Balink, and starring Rd Mochtar, Roekiah and Eddie T. Effendi, Terang Boelan follows two lovers who elope after one is almost forced to marry an opium smuggler. The film was shot in the Indies and Singapore, and was partially inspired by the 1936 Hollywood film The Jungle Princess. It was aimed at native audiences and included keroncong music, which was popular at the time, and several actors from Balink's previous work Pareh (1936).
Fifi Young was an Indonesian actress of mixed French and Chinese descent who acted in at least 86 films over her 34-year career.
Rentjong Atjeh is a 1940 action film from the Dutch East Indies directed by The Teng Chun. Telling of a group who take revenge against pirates in the Strait of Malacca, it starred Ferry Kock, Dewi Mada, Bissoe, Mohammad Mochtar, and Hadidjah. It was filmed near the shore in Batavia and reused footage from The's earlier work Alang-Alang (1939). Rentjong Atjeh, inspired in part by the Tarzan films, was a commercial success, although it may now be lost.
Lewat Tengah Malam is a 1971 Indonesian film and the first feature-length production by director Sjumandjaja. Starring Rachmat Hidayat, Rima Melati, and Soekarno M. Noer, it follows a thief named Lono who steals from the corrupt to give to the poor. The film, which may have been influenced by The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), was reportedly very tiring for the director, who briefly considered never directing again. The social realist elements led to Suharto's New Order government keeping Sjumandjaja under surveillance.
Budak Nafsu is a 1983 Indonesian film directed by Sjumandjaja and adapted from the 1981 novel Fatima by Titie Said. Starring Jenny Rachman and El Manik, it follows a mother who is forced to serve as a comfort woman for Japanese men stationed in British Malaya in an effort to save her daughter. The film was a commercial success, although critics have emphasised its sexual aspects.
Salah Asuhan is a 1972 film directed by Asrul Sani, produced by Andy Azhar, and starring Dicky Zulkarnaen, Ruth Pelupessy, and Rima Melati. Adapted from Abdoel Moeis' 1928 novel of the same name, it tells of a man who betrays his upbringing for the metropolitan life, while at the same time marrying an Indo woman instead of the one chosen by his mother.
Gadis Desa is a 1949 comedy from what is now Indonesia written and directed by Andjar Asmara. Starring Basuki Djaelani, Ratna Ruthinah, Ali Joego, and Djauhari Effendi, it follows the romantic hijinks of a village girl who is taken to be a rich man's second wife. The film, produced by a Dutch-run company, is recognised as the first in which future "father of Indonesian film" Usmar Ismail was involved.
Sam Pek Eng Tay is a 1931 film directed and produced by The Teng Chun and released in the Dutch East Indies. It is based on the Chinese legend The Butterfly Lovers, which follows the doomed love between a rich girl and a commoner boy. The film was a commercial success, inspiring The Teng Chun to direct several further films based on Chinese mythology. The name derives from the given names of the legend's two main characters, Liang Shanbo (梁山伯) and Zhu Yingtai (祝英台).
Janur Kuning is a 1980 Indonesian war film directed by Alam Surawidjaja and produced by Abbas Wiranatakusuma. Starring Kaharuddin Syah, Deddy Sutomo, and Dicky Zulkarnaen, it follows the Indonesian revolutionaries six-hour assault on Yogyakarta, under Suharto, in a show of force against the Dutch army. At the time the most expensive domestic production ever, the film's title is meant to symbolise the Indonesian people's struggle. A critical success, Janur Kuning received a nomination and two special awards at the 1980 Indonesian Film Festival. It was screened annually on 1 March between 1980 and 1998, but has since been criticised as an attempt to manipulate history and create a cult with President Suharto in the centre.
Serangan Fajar is a 1982 Indonesian war film directed by Arifin C. Noer and produced by G. Dwipayana. Telling the lives of several persons during the Indonesian National Revolution, the film used wayang imagery to show heroism. The critically acclaimed film has been read as emphasising then-President Suharto's role in the revolution, especially the General Offensive of 1 March.
Enam Djam di Jogja is a 1951 Indonesian film directed by Usmar Ismail. It was the second film to be produced under the PERFINI banner. Detailing the show of force in which the Indonesian republican army retook the capital at Yogyakarta for six hours, the film utilised much of the cast and crew from Ismail's previous work Darah dan Doa (1950). The film was a success in Indonesia and continued to be screened on the state television channel into the 1980s, even after two further films about the event were released.
Fatima is a 1938 film from the Dutch East Indies directed by Othniel and Joshua Wong. Written by Saeroen, it starred Roekiah, Rd Mochtar, and ET Effendi and followed two lovers who are disturbed by a rich youth. The film followed the same formula as the earlier hit Terang Boelan, and saw commercial success domestically. It is one of three films which Misbach Yusa Biran credits with reviving the domestic film industry, which had been faltering.
Ellisa Meriam Bellina Maria Bamboe, or better known by her stage name as Meriam Bellina, is an Indonesian actress who has won three Citra Awards and acted in more than 50 films. Born and raised in Bandung, she dropped out of senior high school to begin a career as a model and actress. By the mid-1980s she was recognised as a "sex bomb" and "fantasy girl". During the 1990s she focused mostly on television series, but she has produced several feature films since 2007.
Air Mata Iboe is a 1941 drama film from the Dutch East Indies directed and written by Njoo Cheong Seng. Starring Fifi Young, Rd Ismail, Ali Sarosa, and Ali Joego, it followed a mother who raises her children lovingly but is ultimately betrayed by her eldest sons when she falls upon hard times. The film, billed as a "musical extravaganza," featured a soundtrack by R. Koesbini, and an eponymous title song written by Njoo.
Noesa Penida is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies which was directed by Andjar Asmara and produced by The Teng Chun of Java Industrial Film. It tells of a love triangle between two brothers, born to a commoner, and a noble woman.
Poetri Rimba is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies which was directed by Inoe Perbatasari and produced by The Teng Chun for Jacatra Film. A love story, it tells of a man who rescues a woman from a gang of thieves and escapes through the jungle.
Djaoeh Dimata is a 1948 film from what is now Indonesia written and directed by Andjar Asmara for the South Pacific Film Corporation (SPFC). Starring Ratna Asmara and Ali Joego, it follows a woman who moves to Jakarta to find work after her husband is blinded in an accident. SPFC's first production, Djaoeh Dimata took two to three months to film and cost almost 130,000 gulden.
Air Mata Mengalir di Tjitarum is a 1948 film from what is now Indonesia, written and directed by Roestam Sutan Palindih for the Tan & Wong Bros Film Company.
Darussalam was an Indonesian actor who appeared in more than seventy films in his forty-year career. Born in Bengkulu, he studied to be nurse before migrating to theatre during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, marrying Netty Herawaty while with the troupe Irama Masa. The couple spent the remainder of the occupation and the ensuing revolution touring the archipelago with a number of troupes. In 1949, Darussalam and Herawaty made their feature film debut in Fred Young's Saputangan, appearing in seven further Young productions before migrating to Djamaluddin Malik's Persari. During their eight years with the company, Darussalam and Herawaty travelled to the Philippines and Singapore and found popularity among audiences, though Darussalam remained in his wife's shadow.
Marjolein Tambayong, better known by her stage name Rima Melati or by her nickname Lientje, was an Indonesian actress, model, and singer. She appeared in close to one hundred feature films, including works by Wim Umboh, Sjumandjaja, and Teguh Karya. She received multiple awards, including a PWI Award for Best Actress for Noda Tak Berampun, a Citra Award for Best Leading Actress for Intan Berduri, and five nominations for the Citra Award for Best Supporting Actress.
