WHEN HOLLYWOOD VISITED THE PHILIPPINES

MADE IN THE PHILIPPINES

One of my hobbies is collecting Hollywood movies made in or about the Philippines. Examples are: Back to Bataan, Too Late the Hero (Filmed in Laguna) No Man is an Island ( Jeffrey Hunter starred with a few excellent Filipino thespians like Bert Avellana, Ronald Remy and a very young Barbara Perez one time dubbed as the Audrey Hepburn of the Philippines )..My recent purchase is a John Wayne DVD called THEY WERE EXPENDABLE..The action took place in the Philippines during the war and the movie ended with the fall of Bataan. Although it was not mentioned in the final credits, I have a feeling the movie was shot in Guam in 1945.
The movie started a few days before the bombing of Pearl Harbour. The opening scene showed a dance attended by Navy officers. The band was playing a good rendition of the Filipino song called ZAMBOANGA, one of the songs taught to us during our elementary years.
The next scene however shocked me..There was this sing-along by some drunken sailors. It's the same song Zamboanga, but the opening words were "Oh the monkeys have no tails down in Zamboanga.." I read that the song is a deregatory tribute to the Filipinos during those days.True or not, there is nothing we can do about it now.
The film has its merits, in fact Leonard Maltin a noted movie critic gave it an excellent rating. The movie among other things, showed the excellence of the PT-Boats ( very fast, very hard to shoot and it can carry the lethal torpedo which could sink bigger and slower ships ). John F. Kennedy was one of the PT Boats skippers during his wartime service in the Pacific. The movie, as it went on to a stirring climax showed the group of Americans hiding from the ever nearing Japanese hordes in some of the Visayan Islands. Although the movie was filmed in black-and-white one would appreciate the scenery of coconut groves, nipa hut villages reminiscent of our country. Another Hollywood movie along this line is AN AMERICAN GUERILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES which unfortunately is not available in VHS or DVD presently. But this one is in color and it featured cameo roles of famous long gone movie stars like Cris de Vera playing a Japanese commander, Rosa del Rosario ( the original DARNA star ) plus several citizens of Leyte where the shoot took place. Its main star is that well known handsome movie idol Tyrone Power.
They don't make movies like theseabout the Philippines anymore. Sad!

a review of CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE

http://asingan-journal-part-3.blogspot.com/2008/07/movie-review-by-vic-costes.html

A brief story about FERNANDO POE SR.

Some stills from FJ Sr.'s promotional kit..Upper photo came from lobby cards of the movie, Palaris. He is with another Filipino movie icon, PARALUMAN. Incidentally, FPJ his son, tried to cash on the popularity of his dad's movie and he made ANAK NI PALARIS.

The Poe family are from San Carlos, Pangasinan....

Fernando Poe Sr. was a movie icon during the early 50's bearing the good, rugged looks of Leo de Caprio. He never dreamed that one day, his Junior almost became a President of the Philippines.

According to a book by Nick deOcampo ( CINE: SPANISH INFLUENCES ON EARLY CINEMA IN THE PHILIPPINES ) Poe Sr. wrote a story called PALARIS which he sold to X'Otic films. His choice of director according to the book was Antonio Garcia Verches a brilliant Spanish film director during that era( the '40s).A barrio in Asingan is named Palaris and a lawyer in town is said to be a descendant of the real Palaris who lived during the Spanish era. He was a revolutionary on whom FPS based his story.

Poe wrote the story which it is said to be based on legends from his province, Pangasinan. The film's overlying theme is the interracial conflict between Spain and the Filipino subjects. Bearing a strong resemblance to ZORRO, PALARIS is about a superhero skillful with the sword, the gun and the foil. He owned a horse that could jump over rooftops. In the film, the horse has no other supernatural powers.

The story line is very similar to the ZORRO movies: Palaris was a young man born of a Spanish gentleman and a Filipina. When Palaris was sent to Spain to study, his father was killed and his family fortune was divided beween Captain Eduardo and Don Lorenzo. When Palaris returns, he exacts revenge for his Father's death. He goes to the mountains and, with renegade friends, defends the townspeople from the evil ways of the two Spaniards.

Palaris falls in love with Carmen, daughter of the traitor Don Lorenzo. His closeness to Carmen leads to his capture. On the day of his hanging, a mother saves him from his death. The film, of course was said to be full of action, thrills the kind of entertainment early Filipino audiences loved.

I believe my dad and I saw one of Poe Sr.s movies at the Dagupan theatre. Do not ask me what year it was. I could not even remember the whole story except for the fact that most of the time, I was standing behind a crowd of movie fans packing the theatre and sometimes my dad would carry me so I can watch a bit of it.

The movie I believe was HAGIBIS. It is one of the Filipino versions of TARZAN. Other TARZAN clones here are :KULAFU ( also a brand of a Sioktong* ) and OG played by Jesus Ramos. OG is also the name of an Irish leprechaun and it is amazing how folklore writers plagiarize one another when it comes to writing their tales---#

* a kind of alcoholic drink popular in the Philippines at that time. It has Chinese herbs and the actual name is Seen-Ho-Tong....Correct me if I am wrong...

The book where I got this information about FPS contains also some stories about the other old time movie stars like Manuel Conde and Rogelio dela Rosa..

TRISTEZAS DEL ALMA: the conclusion...

Jennifer's Secret

last installment of the fictitious short story TRISTEZAS DEL ALMA
by Victorio Costes. Any resemblance to any person or event is purely coincidental.

After I stepped out of the Municipal building, I caught a tricycle who has just dropped off a fare.

"Where to, Sir?" he asked. I just repeated what the Municipio's Information Officer said.:"Take the road for Bantog, continue until you see the Crystal Glade resort located in Ariston. Then you will see a dirt road. Enter it and continue driving for about a kilometer until you see a concrete house with a red roof.

"I want you to wait for me outside, no matter how long it takes me to finish my business inside. .."

"Just give me a flat rate of 500 pesos sir, and you can have my ride for half a day.." the driver said.

"Thanks! That's okay! What's your name again?"

"I am called Pastor. But my real name is Mario. I am really a pastor of a small congregation here in Asingan. But the group is small, the collection is not enough to support me and my family. I drive this thing for my daily expenses..But I always give a very good sermon every Sunday."

Then he started his motorbike and I heard an audible beeping sound like that of a car alarm. He switches it on when he pulls out of a parking lot or when he is overtaking some pedestrians or another tricycle.

After we passed by Bantog, we saw the Crystal Glade resort which is quite a distance from the road. . We reached the boundary between Bantog and Ariston and the dirt road . Our destination is nigh .

My heart started to beat faster than normal. After what seems to be an endless stretch of rice fields bordered with acacia trees and bamboo clumps, we finally sighted the house with the red roof...

###

I knocked on the newly varnished wooden door, and after a few seconds, it opened revealing a man who is about 70 years old..He seemed happy when he saw me and he asked, "Florante?. Are you Florante?.." he asked. squinting at me with a pair of astigmatic eyes.

"Sorry sir, but my name is Alfred, or Fred.
He seemed to be taken aback.
"Would you like to come in?" anyway, he said.
"Thank you," I replied and I wiped my shoes before entering the living room.

The interior was nicely decorated very much like a North American home.I took a seat on a comfortable leather chair. On a wall near me was a big framed black and white photograph of Jenny, similar to the one I saw in the Municipio, but this one is 36 " by 48" and tinted by hand with a few colours, the way they did in the old
days before colour printing was prevalent.

"Sir, are you the father of Jenny?." "Yes, he answered nodding his head.

"Is she at home?..Can I see her?"

"She's not here right now."

"Where is she?. Did she go back to Sacramento?" My voice trembled a bit this time. He looked at me with inquiring eyes, but he hesitated to answer.

I spoke again. " I have to see her. It is very important that I talk with her."

"When did you see her?" he asked with an undescribable facial expression .

"Yesterday, I met her at the MJV resort. Then last night she attended the Balikbayan Dance with me and we danced just once. "

I noticed that his eyes widened a bit for a few seconds, then he glanced briefly at the her picture on the wall..

Then he fell again into a lapse of silence.

I started to feel uncomfortable. After two or three minutes of his defeaning silence, I stood up and announced:

"Sir, if you do not want me to see her, then I want to leave now. I am sorry for
what ever inconvenience I have caused.." My voice was louder than usual..
All of a sudden, he broke his silence by saying: "No, no, stay !..I believe
you. I believe you are her friend. If you have come this far, then you are entitled to know everything about Jenny..."

I sat down again.

He heaved a sigh and started his story.

"Jenny is our only child. She was born in a small house that stood in this same place many years ago. We were very poor then, I am just a farmer and my wife sells vegetables in the market. Like any parent, I wanted the best for Jenny because she was a loving daughter, very intelligent, very sensible and she was very beautiful..

"She attended the barrio high school here and she showed much promise in the classroom. She had also many friends because she was kind hearted and helpful to others. During her third year, she met Florante, a classmate and the son of my good friend living in the house over there. But even if they were just good friends at that time, I felt that someday, they might get married.

"One day, I received a letter from my brother in California. He made good in his business in Sacramento and he offered to adopt Jenny. Her Mother and I felt bad, but then I know my brother and his wife are good Christians but they were never endowed with a child of their own. So we agreed. Soon her papers came and we signed them with a heavy heart. We felt broken hearted when she left us at the Airport..."

He paused a bit as if to regroup his mind and clear his voice.

"But she made good there abroad. She finished high school and then Nursing in Sacramento after which she became a nurse in the same hospital where she did volunteer work as a candy striper. Her volunteer work allowed her to help the
nurses and to look after some patients. She held the same position for several years. But she remained faithful to Florante and they exchanged letters regularly. Hand written letters done in pink stationery. ..Flor visited us also regularly, and we treated him as if he were our own son. When I saw you, I was struck by your uncanny resemblance to him.He also finished Civil Engineering at the Mapua Institute in Manila.

"In 1995, she decided to come home for a visit. First time since her departure from Asingan. I have many relatives in the Municipal building and they decided to make her Ms. Balikbayan for that year. Florante , of course automatically became the escort. Later, she started sending us some money for building this house in place of the old one. She also asked us to buy some cel phones so we can talk more conveniently.

"In 1994, a year before her visit, she told Flor and Flor told us, that a young man who lives in a small town near San Diego, California, met her in a birthday party. He fell in love with her at once. She told him she is already engaged to her childhood sweetheart here in Asingan. But this guy, Marlon Bergonia, is persistent, telling her that he will not stop loving her until she is already married..She tells everything to
us through Flor..I do not know why she is not comfortable telling these things to us, but its okay..But she told us not to worry. The guy she said is good hearted, very kind and she tells him very often that she can not love him back each time he broached the subject.

"A few months before her holiday, she told us Marlon started to e-mail her love notes, leave emotional messages in her voice mail...One day, he e-mailed her that he will kill her boy friend so he can marry her. Jenny said if he won't stop his barrage of sick e-mails, she will go to the Police and ask for their protection. But the Police can not just arrest a man if he has not committed anything yet. But she threatened him to charge him with harassment. Then she told us he finally stopped..He just e-mail her once in a while with no more love elements, but she never answered any of them. She said, she just deleted immediately anything coming from him..

He stopped talking again..He stood up and said, "Can I get you anything to drink, Coke perhaps?.I need some water.."

"I am okay!" I said.He resumed his narration when he came back..

"It was a joyful celebration when she arrived. .She arrived 2 days before her coronation night..

" The auditorium was lavishly decorated by her friends and kinfolks, especially those from the Municipio. One time Florante and her went to there to visit her relatives and a clerk asked: ' Are you going to apply for a marriage license?' The big crowd following her around laughed..

"Then came the Coronation night.." At this point, I smelled a faint odor. It was Jenny's perfume.. I wondered if her father smelled it too.

"She was a vision of delight and happiness, " he continued.." She marched down towards the throne, then some dignitaries crowned her. She was smiling all the while..Then the emcee announced the Royal Dance. The orchestra played TRISTEZAS DEL ALMA..

Her perfume scent became stronger.." Florante took her to the dance hall, together with the other reigning beauties..I stood up too, looking at her all the time. A few photographers and one video cameraman were aiming their cameras at her..

"And then..I did not even notice it, a man coming out of nowhere, approached Jenny and Flor"..

At this point, I felt a draft of cold wind blowing on me and touching my hair softly.."From where I am I saw the man take something out. The man was talking to Florante. Jenny looked very agitated. I stood up, rushed towards them. But it happened so fast!. I saw Jenny step between the man and Flor. In a split second, I
heard a gunshot. Jenny took the bullet intended for Flor. It entered her heart and she fell on the auditorium floor.."

"There was screaming and the orchestra stopped the music.."

I felt tears rushing down my cheeks at this point. The images of the incident came vividly to my imagination..

"I knelt beside Jenny. She was whispering..' Dad, that was Marlon..I am sorry..He wanted to kill Flor. I did not know he would be coming here..' She started to cough blood.

I could hear several men shouting and footsteps were heard all over the place. I did not look behind me. Just focused my attention to Jenny..But I think I heard the sound of a body fall to the cement floor and some shouts and sickening sounds.There was a brief scuffle. Then silence...My ears wre listening to my daughter whispering over and over.." Dad, my soul won't rest until I will finish this dance with Flor.." She must have said this sentence three times, then she became very quiet..."

At this point, I felt dizzy, recollecting Jenny's countenance, her sweet smile after I ended the dance with her that night and we walked back to our seat.."I love you, Jenny, I am so sorry..!!!!" I said aloud. I remember the harsh hateful words I said about her. There was a soft sensation of a gentle cool air brushing by my ear, Then as sudden as it appeared, the smell of the perfume and the very cold draft dissapeared..

I brushed my eyes and cheeks with my hands.

"What happened to Marlon?.." I asked.

"The guy did not have any chance.Many of my relatives were at the Auditorium that night," he answered.."Two were policemen. One of them told me not to worry, just look after Jenny..They will take care of Marlon..And Florante, the shock was too much for him. He also collapsed a few minutes later. He went to a coma. He is still alive to this day, but he is immobile. He lives through a life support machine in a long term care hospital.His expenses are taken cared of by Jenny, posthumously. She had lots of investment bonds and her life insurance was quite substaantial . Her total assets came close to a million dollars..Her parents are the beneficiaries..."

I looked at the time, my watch and the grandfather clock in the corner....It was quarter to 12:00 noon.

"Who was the woman I danced with?..Was it Jenny's spirit ?.."

Jenny's dad answered.." Might be. My grandmother once told me, that if a person has left something urgent which is unfinished before she or he dies, then the spirit would come once a year, our earth year, until it is completed..My grandmother was a good spiritualist and a faith healer in Laoac, Manaoag Pangasinan.. She said, it is possible for a soul to become a "quasi human being", but only for 24 hours one day each year, Jenny opted to use this chance to come back during her death anniversary, until she has accomplished her mission..

"I hope I was able to enlighten you about Jenny. Telling this story made me feel so tired...I think I will take a nap. Thanks for your visit, son...Just lock the door on your way out.."

He stood up, squeezed my shoulder, and he walked into a stairway going up the second floor.

"Thank you.." I whispered softly.

I looked at Jenny's photo. I expected it to smile, but it didn't.

The perfume smell is gone. The cold draft is gone. After I examined every photo of Jenny in the living room, I felt it was time for me to be gone from the place. I locked the door as I stepped my way out into a glaring mid day sun...

###

I saw Pastor outside. He was sitting inside his tricycle reading a small bible..

"How did it go, sir?""Oh it was okay," I said.."Say, how about lunch?..Let us drop by Crystal Glade. I heard they have delicious arroz caldo there..Arroz caldo de Corazon....Some of the ingredients are chicken liver, gizzards and hearts..."

"Sure..Only a sick person refuses any food offered.. I am as healthy as a carabao.."

We sat down at the Crystal Glade beside the swimming pool. My mind was still reeling from what I experienced inside that house.

There were a couple of teen-aged girls swimming in the pool clad in bras and thongs..
"Hey, Pastor" I said.."Is it bad to look at bikini clad women?" I asked with a smile. I wanted to relax my mind .

"No, he said. "I look at them myself..if my wife is not around.."

"Good man!" I said and we smiled. I saw him turn his face towards the sound of the giggling girls.

"By the way, did you wait long?..I asked him..
"No, he said..You were there only about two minutes!..Don't worry you can give me just 300 pesos..500 is for half a day..

"Are you sure??"..I asked this question about the length of time not about the money.

"I swear.."

I knew I was there for two hours at least..It was 10:00 am when I entered the house. My watch and the grandfather clock in the living room showed 10:00 am.. When I went out of the door, the grandfather clock showed 10 minutes to 12 noon...

"By the way" Pastor asked.."What did you do inside the house?.Are you planning to buy it? Ever since that beauty queen died 5 years ago, it has been up for sale. "

"Oh, you know about her?.."

"Oh yes, it was the talk of the town for a long time. I heard she was shot by a jealous boy friend..from America. There were investigators from the US Consulate. He was reported missing by the company he worked for. When the investigators visited the Municipal Police Department, they said they knew nothing about the guy..No Marlon Bergonia came to Asingan, they said.."

"How about the parents of the Beauty Queen? Aren't they living in that house?.."

"Both the Father and the Mother died a month later after her death. They went to Urdaneta to get some money and the jeep they were riding lost its brakes. The jeep went down into that deep ditch before the bridge. The driver and the couple drowned because the river there was deep at that time..Nobody lives in that house for years already. Only a paid caretaker comes once a week to clean it"

"WHAT??..BUT..." I stopped what I was about to say. I looked at my watch and it said only 10:15 am.

"Shit" I told myself, " I can not tell this pastor I talked with the Beauty Queen's dad..just now. He might blab it in his sermon and people will call me crazy.."

"Sir, if you buy it, I will rent from you if you need someone to take care of it..Nobody likes to buy it now because they say it is haunted. It is dirt cheap...But I am not scared of ghosts and spirits. I am more scared of the living, especially if they are stoned..

"I know some prayers of exorcism. Will drive the spooks away..for you. No charge..! I can give you references as to my character. "

"Yeah, I can tell you are an honest person.."

The two arroz caldos arrived. They smelled good!

"Okay, I will think about it. In the meantime, let us eat before these chicken soup with hearts get cold!---#

MADE IN THE PHILIPPINES

AMERICAN GUERILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES

I still consider this the best movie about the Philippines during the war. Unfortunately it is not yet still released by 20th Century Fox . I am still waiting for it having seen it several times back home ( at the Dagupan theatre ) and a number of times on television here in Toronto, when we just arrived. It stars Tyrone Power, the matinee idol in the '50s. The movie had a lavish budget and it featured cameo roles of well known Filipino stars of that time: Cris de Vera as a Japanese officer, Ben Perez, Rosa del Rosario, etc.

Two box sets of his movies and several single DVDs of some of his numerous works are already out there in the shelves, but unfortunately, no AMERICAN GUERILLA yet. One set includes his costume-adventure movies like CAPTAIN OF CASTILLE, BLACK ROSE, BLACK SWAN, etc.

The movie follows the basic formula common in Hollywood war movies. When the war broke out, one American GI opted to stay behind in the country, staying in a remote barrio in Leyte. In here he waited for the return of General MacArthur to the Islands. A short clip of the real General was featured at the end of the movie. The plot and action scenes were very realistic and some scenes they said, were done in Lingayen .

Tyrone's co stars were: Tom Ewell and Michellene Prelle. Several Filipino music themes were adopted including a tinikling dance, which was interrupted by the arrival of a Japanese patrol looking for the American Guerilla in hiding. The movie was also shot in Technicolor, a very rare previlege for movies during that time since color technology was still expensive then.


Other movies of this genre include: BACK DOOR TO HELL, starring Jimmie Rodgers ( the singer ) and a very young Jack Nicholson. A Filipina female co-star is Annabelle Huggins. If one remembers, she was involved in a rape case that made the headlines in Manila during the '50s.

CAVALRY COMMAND ( aka DAY OF THE TRUMPET ) This stars John Agar ( the ex-husband of Shirley Temple ) and Pancho Magalona. John starred in several minor action movies, including RIO GRANDE with John Wayne. Pancho Magalona is the father of the late rap star Francis Magalona. Pancho and his beautiful wife Tita Duran were much known as movie idols by the Filipino teen agers during the '50s. Pancho was featured in another movie filmed in the Philippines called MERILL'S MARAUDERS. Some scenes were shot in Clark Air base and in the hilly part of Tarlac. The movie's main star is the late Jeff Chandler. However, the story is not about the Philippines but about the Burma Road during the war..

CAVALRY COMMAND, by the way, was shot in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. ---#

THE CHANGELING CHANGED LAPD DURING ITS TIME

For me, THE CHANGELING is Clint Eastwood's best work. I like it better than his other new film GRAN TORINO.

But it is also a brutal, heart rending and very scary movie. Not ideal for a relaxing movie night, but there are lessons that could be picked out by any viewer. Some incidents are just implied but as any movie goer knows, what you do not actually see and can only imagine is the scariest of all.

Another iTem that makes it sickening are the corrupt practices done by a few Police Officers in Los Angeles, circa 1928.


The movie started quietly with a page in the daily life of Angelina Jolie playing a single mom, taking care of an 8 year old son. She promised to bring him the next day which was her day off to see a movie.

So the next day, he did not go to school. Then Angelina's office called her for a very urgent overtime work. The boy stayed at home alone, and she said she would be home as early as possible.

When she arrived at 5:00 pm, her son was nowhere to be found. Not in the neighbour's, neither in the park nor in his usual hang outs.

So she called the Police. The Desk Officer politely said they could not take action until 24 hours have passed. It was then and up to now, the standard procedure. He said the Department has not enough manpower to look after everyboy who might have just gone out to spend a night with some friends.

Here is where the dilemna started unfolding a series of unspeakable events that are very disturbing because the movie was based a true story.

There is no easy thing about being kidnapped, abducted or unlawfully detained. The victim becomes a virtual prisoner at the mercy of a captor ( or captors ) who has only selfish and immoral ends to satisfy.

The narration of the movie moves quite smoothly sustaining its tension and releasing it little by little at first. Then it explodes into an unpredictable climax. I am glad the ending is a satisfactory one. Unlike some crime movies, all the villains were punished.

I believe Angelina Jolie deserves the best Actress Oscar for being able to portray credibly very complex and high strung emotions.---#

SOUND OF MUSIC : the PLAY

I had the chance last night to watch the stage presentation of THE SOUND OF MUSIC last night at the Princess of Wales Theatre here in Toronto. With me are my two grandaughters who share my passion for movies, music and mmmmm..good food!


We arrived at King street around 6:00 pm, the play would start at 7:30. Eventually, Emma said : " I am hungry". The two has just came out of school when their Mom picked them up. There was a Swiss Chalet near the theatre, but near Swiss Chalet was a Korean restaurant. 3 against one, they voted for the Korean restaurant. The food was good, ( Teriyaki shrimp dinner, Teriyaki chicken, then softcrab tereyaki.) When the food arrived, we barely had enough time to eat them before entering the theater gates which would close 5 minutes after the overture would start.

The play. Well, if one has seen the movie the play seems to be a washed out version. Sooner or later, both versions would be compared with each other. Some songs ( and scenes ) were deleted from this stage version which irked me slightly. And some songs from the movie were used in the play . The PA system was not so loud.

On the other hand, the stage manager did a few tricks which would really elicit a soft WOW from the audience ( which comprised of many children ). They could transform a dark abbey into a gorgeous mansion in just a few seconds. The stage background also rotated not only a vertical axis but also on a horizontal one. One has to see the play in order to visualize better what I am writing about.

Somehow, I believe the version of this play which I saw in St. Paul College in Manila years before the movie came out was much better than the one I saw last night. In the St. Paul College version, Capt. von Trapp was played by Vic Silayan, a seasoned Filipino movie star, and Maria by June Keithley.

The deleted scene was the song EDELWEISS which was sung in the von Trapp living room. Vic Silayan did it with a guitar in fron of the von Trapp children, Christopher Plummer did it in the movie version, also strumming a guitar. But in the play last night, the Captain sung it only once ( during the concert only ) sans a guitar. It is one of the important key scenes in the play. I consider it a travesty!.

The St. Paul version was directed by Fr. James Rueter, SVD. St. Paul College Auditorium was bigger in size than the Princess of Wales. Vic and June were a far superior pair, in singing and acting than the ones we saw last night.

One of the producers of the Princess of Wales version was Andrew Lloyd Webber, the most popular and opulent stage producer now a days. I have already seen on stage his other works: CATS, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. This stage version of SOUND OF MUSIC ( originally written by Rodgers and Hammerstein ) could not gain a foothold beside them...

THE BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO

A couple of weeks ago I visited Toronto's Chinatown which I already missed for several years. The Chinese New Year was a shy 24 hours away then so there was already a bit of excitement in the air. But I was really more interested in checking the pirated DVDs which are abound hereabouts.

"Wanna see the Pilipino collection?" asked a cashier in one of the cramped sales booth which reminded me of Divisoria in the old days. "Yes," I said while my eyes were checking the prices pasted on a wall. 7 movies for 20 $..

"Are these guaranteed to play?""Of course," the salesgirl said.

"How much for 3 movies?"

"Ten dollah"

"Do you accept debit?"

"Of course"was her answer.

I swiped my card then before I punched OK on their machine I saw the amount flashed on the small green screen.

"How come it is 11.30? You said 10$?"

"10 for 3, but only if you use cash.." I forgot that I was in Chinatown dealing with the shrewdest of the shrewdest..I punched OK and she gave my selected titles: CAREGIVER, BATANGAS and ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS. If the damned discs won't work, I won't be losing an arm or a leg.

But all three worked perfectly. Of the three, I liked ANG PAGDADALAGA... most of all.


It is one of the artsy movies ( they seldom make this kind in Manila because it may not make any money ) but it was featured in many International Film festivals, including the renowned OSCARS AWARDS NIGHT in 2006. Even if it did not win the best foreign film award, being nominated was already an achievement by itself. While watching it, I was quite mesmerized by the story, acting, camerawork and the overall artistry of the film.

No excessive violence and gore, no embarassing bedroom stuff which movies now a days must have in order to make money.The cameraman portrayed beauty amidst excessive squalor and hustle in the slum areas of Manila. You will always wonder how you could have survived in such a place. But as my Asingan buddy once said, "Filipinos are known for their very sharp survival instincts.."

Maximo is a homosexual boy, and he does not hide it or feel ashamed about it. He lives in the crime ridden slum areas of Manila with four brothers and a dad. Since their Mother died, Maximo became the houseboy with the basic chores: cooking, washing clothes, darning socks, washing dishes, and being an errand boy..His family makes a living through petty larceny.
Meanwhile, a handsome and still idealistic Police Officer became Maximo's crush and little by little you will know that the expected will eventually happen. The cop knew the crime elements in his assigned area, but he is not yet willing to trade his integrity to a few thousand pesos regular bribe. "You are not a real cop!" he was admonished once by his boss in the small office which passed off as a Police Station in that part of the city.

He does his job ( whatever is permitted anyway )well. After his day's work, he would go home to his boarding house which is smacked right in the squatters area and somehow he just ignore the sounds he hears in the streets once his day's work is over. He is bachelor and he is not interested in having a girl friend.

There are lots of humorous touches in this film. One instance was the fashion show being shown by Max and a few of his other homosexual friends as a part of their way to kill time. While the other kids just hang around in the mall or elsewhere, Max and company would busy themselves inside a friends house with a sewing machine and make outfits made of old clothes and rags..Then they would display thier own creations, complete with make ups..

One time, Max was being roughed up by some young thugs and the police man scared them off by saying: "Do you want to vist the Precinct with me?" The goons just took off like rats..From then on, Max developed a liking for the cop. The Officer befriended Max only to get some info on the unwholesome dealings of his family and other partners in crime.

The climax was brutal, but it was done with minimun show of gore. Just a single gunshot, some facial expressoions, that's it.. It is acting and story telling done with rare finesse.

Some American critics loved this work and wrote praises about it.

I am sure you might feel the same way too..

THE REBEL OF THE '50S

REDISCOVERING JAMES DEAN

Being retired and stuck in a cruel Toronto winter that does not seem to end, I have been spending my leisure time watching movies, movies and more movies from my DVD collection.I collect these timeless gems from the '50s and '60s ever since I arrived in Toronto.. I have classified them roughly into War Classics, Westerns, costume/swashbucling pictures,sci-fi, drama, musicals, film noir ( gangster movies ) and a few ones which does not fit into any of the above categories.
This piece is about my three favorite movies,a trilogy of James Dean films: EAST OF EDEN, REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and GIANT.
When these mvoies were first shown I was still a high school student in Asingan, Pangasinan. I never heard of James Dean until I heard Rudy Dumapias ( who also introduced 2001:Space Odyssey to me ) talk about him (JD) in one of our gab sessions.
Luckily for Rudy, his dad at that time was still working in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila thus he frequently visited the "Big Apple" of the Philippines. That is how I remember Manila then and now.
So Rudy had the chance of watching good movies the first time they were shown in the first run theatres of Manila. The rest of his friends ( me and a few other country yokels ) went to Manila just once in a blue moon. Which is not very frequent. Can you remember the moon turning blue at one time? Some of us can only go to Urdaneta or Dagupan for our weekend movie forays. Urdaneta was not still a city then.
So Rudy talked about James Dean in his usual glowing rhetoric. Rudy is born with the gift of gab.He praised Jimmy Dean for his acting skills in all of his three movies. Thus I soon developed the yen to watch his movies. But where, when? It won't happen until a few more years when I will soon be a College student in Manila.
I first saw EAST OF EDEN in a campus auditorium in the University of the East. But I read the book first, a long novel written by American writer John Steinbeck. Then I was able to find REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE in one of those cheap movie houses in the city. You know one of those with no air conditioning and no cushioned seats. There were only wooden chairs with many bedbugs hiding in the cracks. The moment you sit down, you will feel the suckers start gnawing some parts of your ass. Some of them might come home with you when you go back to your boarding house. But I did not mind then, as long as I was able watch REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. Luckily I was already in Manila when GIANT premiered at the Avenue Theatre in Avenida Rizal. I saw it with some family members,. Somebody have to buy my entrance ticket.In real person, James Dean, was an introverted, taciturn, moody, hard to get along with, and these traits were carried over to his roles in all three movies. It was not easy to work with him ( said some writers ) but it sure is a treat watching do his roles in the screen. He always portrayed the troubled, unsettled teen ager.
In EAST OF EDEN he was always jealous of his brother whom his dad loved so dearly because the brother was an epitome of goodness and obedience. Jimmy on the other hand was rebellious, hates authority, hates religion: your typical teenager, just like many ( me included ) when we were in that stage of life.
In REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, he was the only child, but his psychological problems are rooted in his hatred for his dad's personality: a henpecked, dominated husband. Jimmy was not able to live with that. Similar to Elvis Presley's role in KING CREOLE.
In GIANT ( which refers to the Lone Star State of Texas ) he played a poor farm boy who became an oil millionaire. Money did not make him happy because his emotional insecurities dogged him to the end of the 3 hour epic when he was already old and still unmarried. According to some sources, Texans hated the book penned by Edna Ferber because of how she portrayed deresively the Mexicans who were abound in the state.
But the movie made by George Stevens changed all of that. He did a masterful job of creating a long but gripping movie of how the Texas oil industry grew and he portrayed in a good light all of the social classes in the movie struggling to find their proper place in society. Rock Hudson was such a bigot in the start of the movie, but in the end, his attitude changed. He and wife Elizabeth Taylor were baby sitting two of their grandchildren just before the end titles rolled in. Both children were half Mexicans. According to some movie writersThe movie GIANT became the National film of Texas,
A few days ater finishing his job in GIANT, Jimmy Dean was killed in an automobile accident. He was only 24 years old---#