''Cinta Pertama'' () is a 1973 Indonesian

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by

Teguh Karya Teguh Karya (born Steve Liem Tjoan Hok; ; 22 September 1937 – 11 December 2001) was an Indonesian film director. Starting his entertainment career in theatre, he made his directorial debut with '' Wadjah Seorang Laki-Laki'', released thr ...

. Starring

Christine Hakim Herlina Christine Natalia Hakim (born 25 December 1956) is an Indonesian actress, film producer, and activist. Born to a devout Muslim family of a mixed-race background in Jambi, she grew up in Yogyakarta, aspiring to be an architect or psyc ...

Slamet Rahardjo Slamet Rahardjo Djarot or better known as Slamet Rahardjo (born 21 January 1949) is an Indonesian actor, director, and screenwriter of Javanese descent. He is the elder brother of director, songwriter, and politician, Eros Djarot. Since his d ...

, and N. Riantiarno, it tells the story of Ade, a young woman who falls in love with Bastian, an ex-convict, yet is engaged to Johny, who raped Bastian's wife and caused her to be killed in the resulting fight. It was well-received both critically and commercially, garnering five

Citra Awards The Indonesian Film Festival ( Indonesian: Festival Film Indonesia, 'FFI') is an annual awards ceremony organised by the Indonesian Film Board and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology to celebrate cinematic achievements in ...

and launching Christine Hakim's career. ''Tabloid Bintang'' has listed it as the 19th best Indonesian film of all time.

Plot

Ade (

) and Bastian (

) meet on a train bringing them to Jakarta. Bastian is on his way to a job interview, while Ade and her friends have just returned from a trip out of town. As they talk, they realize that Bastian's interview is at Ade's father's company. They soon develop romantic feelings for each other. However, Ade has unwillingly been promised in marriage to Johny ( N. Riantiarno), the son of her father's business partner. Bastian is hired, but soon afterwards someone claiming to be his father-in-law comes and says that Bastian had killed his child. Then soon after that Bastian disappears, leaving behind a letter for Ade saying that he has returned to his hometown to help his stepparents with their

flower garden A flower garden or floral garden is any garden or part of a garden where plants that flower are grown and displayed. This normally refers mostly to herbaceous plants, rather than flowering woody plants, which dominate in the shrubbery and w ...

. One day, Ade is out with Johny when she meets Bastian, who is delivering flowers. Bastian and Johny fight, with Bastian claiming that Johny had raped his wife; when Bastian tried to stop him, he accidentally killed her. Ade returns to Bastian and they are married. Johny later attempts to kill Bastian, only to be foiled and killed himself.

Production

''Cinta Pertama'' was directed by Teguh Karya. He chose then 16-year-old

for the lead role of Ade after he spotted her modeling in a

teen magazine Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts. The teen magazine industry is ...

. Despite not wanting to act, Hakim was afraid to be impolite to the endearing Karya and did not refuse. She later described it as being "reeled in, slowly, slowly, like ya fisherman". The casting of Hakim did not sit well with the producer, who considered her too thin and her chest too small. Karya defended his choice, replying "Are we selling a film or are we selling breasts?"

Release and reception

''Cinta Pertama'' was released in 1973 to critical and commercial success. Christine Hakim won a

Citra Award for Best Leading Actress The Citra Award for Best Actress ( id, Piala Citra untuk Pemeran Wanita Utama) is an award given at the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) to Indonesian actresses for their achievements in leading roles. The Citra Awards, described by '' Screen In ...

, while Karya won one for directing. It also went second place for

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

and won Best Cinematography and Best Music. The awards convinced Hakim to stay in acting, eventually making it her primary profession. In 2010, Ade Irwansyah of ''Tabloid Bintang'' listed ''Cinta Pertama'' as the 19th best

Indonesian film Cinema of Indonesia is film that is produced domestically in Indonesia. The Indonesian Film Agency or BPI defines Indonesian film as "movies that are made with Indonesian resources, and wholly or partly Intellectual Property is owned by Indones ...

of all time, while another writer, El Masrur Sahlan, noted that Hakim and Rahardjo's on-screen chemistry was some of the best in the business, contributing to their future appearances together. The following year, Irwansyah wrote that ''Cinta Pertama'' had the 12th best Indonesian

film poster A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...

of all time.

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * *

External links

* {{Teguh Karya 1973 films Films directed by Teguh Karya 1970s romance films Indonesian-language films Indonesian romance films