Pengantin Pantai Biru
Pengantin Pantai Biru is a 1983 film directed by Achmad Salim, produced by Ferry Angriawan, and starring Meriam Bellina and Sandro Tobing. It follows two castaways, children who grow up with one of their fathers but must fend for themselves after they are captured and deified by natives. Adapted from Henry De Vere Stacpoole's novel The Blue Lagoon, via the film of the same name, Pengantin Pantai Biru introduces several differences to the story.
Plot
During a storm, the young man Andri is separated from his grandfather, Prof. Hasnan Rasyid, and ultimately drifts onto a deserted beach. After wandering he meets Emi and her father Bram, 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 and Sandro Tobing as Andri, 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.