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Five classic and memorable Indonesian movies to watch
Five classic movies not to be missed to get that the nostalgic feeling from Indonesians films of the old days.
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These classic movies are great examples of Indonesia's most memorable films. (-/-)
Back in the 1950s and 1980s, great and memorable movies were released in Indonesia and are still relevant today.
These are five classic movies that you should watch to get that the nostalgic feeling of Indonesian film in the old days.
Darah dan Doa (1950)
Darah dan Doa (The Long March) is perceived as Indonesia’s first national movie.
Directed and written by Usmar Ismail, it is set after Indonesia’s declaration of independence and tells the story of Sudarto (Del Juzar), a teacher who becomes the leader of the Siliwangi Division, a unit of the Indonesian Army. In 1948, the troops return from Yogyakarta to its base in West Java. Along the journey, a conflict is added to the story as the married Sudarto falls in love with another woman.
(Read also: 5 local TV series that we miss)
Tiga Dara (1956)
Tiga Dara is a drama, comedy and musical also directed by Usmar Ismail.
The film focuses on the lives of three sisters with very different personalities: Nunung (Chitra Dewi), Nana (Mieke Wijaya) and Nenny (Indriaty Iskak). As the first daughter, the quiet Nunung is often pushed by her grandmother to marry as soon as possible. The story becomes more complicated when two men, Herman (Bambang Irawan) and Toto (Raden Sukarno), enter the girls’ lives.
In 2016, one of Indonesia's renowned director, Nia Dinata, announced plans to remake Tiga Dara. The movie is slated to cast Shanty, Tara Basro and Tatyana Akman.
Catatan Si Boy (1987)
Directed by Nasri Cheppy, the iconic Catatan Si Boy (Boy’s Diary) is one of the local movies that portrays young Indonesians living in the 1980s, especially wealthy ones.
The main character, Boy (Onky Alexander), is likely the most perfect man that every girl wants as a boyfriend: charming, religious and sociable. Also, he comes from a rich family. However, Boy’s life is turned upside down when his girlfriend, Nuke (Ayu Azhari), decides to move to London. While Boy struggles to get over Nuke, a new girl, Vera (Meriam Bellina), enters the picture.
Prior to the movie, Catatan Si Boy was a radio drama aired on Prambors radio in the 1980s. Following the film's success, five sequels were made.
(Read also: 10 classic TV shows to watch on Netflix)
Ratu Ilmu Hitam (1981)
Ratu Ilmu Hitam (The Queen of Black Magic) is a horror movie starring the legendary Suzanna.
Directed by Imam Tantowi, Ratu Ilmu Hitam follows Murni (Suzanna), who is accused of practicing black magic. Following an incident, a stranger saves Murni and suggests she take vengeance against her tormentors by casting black magic spells on them.
Gengsi Dong (1980)
Warkop DKI (an abbreviation of its members’ names: Dono, Kasino, Indro) was arguably the most memorable and legendary comedy group in Indonesia.
In Gengsi Dong, which was directed by Nawi Ismail, Slamet (Dono) is portrayed as a rich yet innocent young village man, Sanwani (Kasino) as a man who tries to appear rich and Paijo (Indro) who is arrogant yet very funny. The three men later compete against each other to win the affections of Rita (Camelia Malik), their lecturer’s daughter.
