a movie review of a long lost classic

AN AMERICAN GUERILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES is by far still the best Hollywood movie ever made in our country. No other film can match it's finesse, story line, star power and dramatic suspense. Fritz Lang directed it and he is no two bit director when it comes to movie making.

I saw the movie several times when I was young: once in Dagupan, then in Urdaneta and when it was shown on TV, I never missed any broadcast. That is how much I like the movie.

The film's main star is Tyrone Power, the top money maker for 20th Century Fox during its hey day. Until his untimely death, he was drawing fans and money into the box office. Among his popular movies are: PRINCE OF FOXES ( a costume film about the Borgias, ) EDDIE DUCHIN STORY ( a movie about the brilliant pianist Eddie Duchin whose face carries an uncanny resemblance to his ).

There were also hits like BLOOD AND SAND (he was a doomed bullfighter who was helplessly in love with a vixen played by Rita Hayworth,) BLACK ROSE,( he played a an exiled European who went all the way to Asia to escape from his persecutors and in China, he met and befriended Kublai Khan. The noted Asian conqueror played by the legendary ORSON WELLES.)His last assignment was SOLOMON AND SHEBA but unfortunately he died while the film was in production. In his place, the producers took in YUL BRYNNER and they have to let him wear a wig for his part as SOLOMON.


In AMERICAN GUERILLA..he played the title role. When the Americans lost the Philippines to the Japanese all US troops were told to escape, hide in the mountains or surrender. He opted for the second and his true to life escapades make up the plot for this war thriller. It was filmed on location in the Philippines in Technicolor and during those years, the 50s, this film process was still very expensive. It showed some very beautiful shots in the Philippines during that era when all Filipino movies were still shot in Black and White.

He engaged in a cat and mouse game with some Japanese soldiers led by Filipino actor Cris de Vera. Other local stars like Rosa del Rosario, ( who one time played Darna ) Eddie Infante, Ben Perez appeared in cameo roles. Cris ( who was then also a comedian appearing in a radio weekly EDONG MAPANGARAP with Pugo and Togo ) stole the thunder from all of them. After seeing the movie for the first time, I began to develop a phobia for any Japanese. I thought they were all mean like the character played by Cris who slapped, shot and brutalized so many Filipinos in the movie.


The music director also used some familiar Filipino melodies in the soundtrack like Dandansoy for the love scenes between Tyrone and Micheline Prelle who played his leading lady.

The movie ended with a thrilling shoot out inside a church. Then when things seemed to be lost, the American troops led by Gen. McArthur arrived. A close up of him ( the real General ) appeared in the movie spliced into a long shot of the warm reception given to General ( played by a look alike ) just minutes before the movie ended.

The setting is in Leyte. I read somewhere that some people are questioning whether the General landed first in Leyte or in Lingayen..


Anyways, the DVD version has just appeared a few weeks ago, thus ending my search for this title ever since I arrived in Toronto in the '70s.---#

Jim Carrey's back as SCROOGE..BAH, HUMBUG!

Last night I saw the latest version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL a straight to DVD movie featuring Jim Carrey (a Canadian ) playing the miserable Scrooge. Other biggies are Colin Firth, Bo Hoskins, Cary Elwes, etc. Why didn't they show it in theatres?..I can only guess. The co producers Disney and R. Zemickis ( producer of the classic BACK TO THE FUTURE with Michael Fox ) might believe that Xmas shopping usually starts late November, like RIGHT NOW. Thus they are predicting millions of these DVDs will be sold as stocking stuffers which will find their way to millions of stockings all over the planet come Xmas day!..Movie making, after all is not just acting or making good movies: it is also another business of making money!..If I am not mistaken, this is the first movie of the newest filmmaking process:It is a high end kind of animation.First of its kind!..If you watch the actors, you swear they re alive but they are just animated characters..It is not like Pixar, not filmation, not dynamation..The process is explained in a documentary in the SPECIAL FEATURES OF THIS dvd. ..Another good point of this movie is: it is the only version CLOSEST to the text, narrative of the book by Charles Dickens!..At first glance in the the video store I said, "oh no, another CHRISTMAS CAROL by no other than Disney. " We know that many of Disney movies are crap!..Then Miggie brought home a Library copy of THIS movie. I watched it last night, then I watched the film process in making the movie. It made me watch it the second time!..If you are fond of movies and the technology behind modern film animation, or even if you are not..if you want to watch Christmas Carol as Dickens might have envisioned it, this one's for you!!..warning: some scenes are frightening..:) of course!...

written by vic costes

a movie summary of a beautiful French Love story

THE UMBRELLAS OF CHEBOURG is not a movie about umbrellas or umbrellas on a rainy day. It is a love story from France's Jacques Demy, set in music. All dialogues are sung not spoken and moreover they are in French! But don't worry..There are English subtitles for the non Francophones like moi..

When it comes to love and all its aspects including maybe, love-making, nobody could beat the French . And as Henry Higgins said, in MY FAIR LADY "The French do not care what they do actually, as long as they pronounce it properly.."

If you hear the song I WILL WAIT FOR YOU popularized by Connie Francis, know that the song came from this movie and it was nominated for an Oscar award. The complete music score of the whole film was written by Michel Legrand. You will hear several pieces here played in FM stations or in the elevator. Now to the story.



In the 50s there lived in Cherbourg a mother and her lovely teenaged daughter named Guenevieve. They owned this umbrella shop ( thus the title ). One day, a letter came from the bank telling the Mother the store will be foreclosed if they could not come up with 80,000 francs. The Mother do not have any recourse but to go to the jewelry store to sell some of her gems. While they were there, a young jewel businessman was around and he could not help overhearing the conversation of the owner and the Mother. Guinevieve was also there and the young jewelry merchant fell in love with the teenaged daughter at first sight.. No wonder. She was played by the very pretty Catherine Denueve.

The Mother wanted instant cash for the jewels. The owner said he could not afford to buy them for 80,000 francs. Then the young businessperson named Richard stepped in and offered to buy the jewels. The Mother handed her the stones and he said he will pay her the next night, at her house. She agreed.

Now Guinevieve has already a boy friend named Guy who worked as a mechanic in a local garage. On the night when Richard is supposed to visit them to pay for the jewels, Guinevieve, much to the chagrin of her Mom went out of the house to have a date with her boy friend Guy. The mother could not stop her. Richard arrived minutes later and handed the Mother a check. She apologized for the absence of her daughter but Richard said its okay.He said he is going to America for some business deals but promised he will visit them again upon his return.

Guy and Guineviev that night made love for the first time in his apartment. Guy lived with his sickly Aunt who was being taken cared of by a pretty caregiver named Madeline.

Some weeks later, Guy received a letter from the government telling him to report for military duty. He told this to Guinevieve who felt very, very sad. But she can not do anythin except bring him to the train station during his departure Then the theme song I WILL WAIT FOR YOU was introduced.


One day Guinevieve recieved a letter from Guy who related to her his experiences in combat duty. Few of his friends were killed already.

Meanwhile, Guinevieve found out she was pregnant.

Then the letters from Guy stopped. Guinevievewas downtrodden. But her Mother said Richard would always be there for her.


The next time Richard visited Guinevieve and saw she was pregnant, he reiterated his love and promised he would raise her child as if it were his own. Guinevieve and Richard got married. After the wedding the newly weds left for Paris leaving Cherbourg for good. The Mother stayed in Cherbourg for two months . Then she sold the umbrella store and left for Paris also to join her daughter.


Months later, Guy returned to Cherbourg. His aunt was so happy to see him again and she said she can already die having seen him finally. Guy scoffed at the idea. Then Madeline arrived. She was happy to see Guy once more. She was still single because she has a secret love for Guy.

Guy's Aunt finally died. It was then that Guy professed his love for her and asked her to be his wife. She said she would accept his proposal if only he promised to completely forget Guinevieve. He said he would. Not long fterwards, they got married.

Guy fulfilled an early dream to buy a gasoline station. With his money for his medical disability ( he was hospitalized for being wounded by grenade during a fight, and that is the reason why he was not able to write Guinevere anymore)plus a bank loan.

Years passed by. Guy had a child with Madeline and his gas station was doing okay. Then one Christmas Eve, as he was about to close shop, a car stopped for a gas refill. The owner of the car was Guinevieve who was riding and her daughter Francois and their car driver.

Guy and Guinevieve recognized each other at the gas tank. The snow was falling so Guy invited Guinevieve inside his office for a short talk, since the attendant was still working on the car. I was wondering what will happen next if both of them would renew their old love.

Well, their next conversation ( or I would say singing ) was short, brief and their words were honest and sincere. The daughter did not enter the office but was left in the car with the driver.

Guinevere said they were on their way to another French City but just as they reach near Courbourg, the car was running out of gas. It was fate and a low gas tank that brought them together again.

She paid the bill, saidgood bye. No tears, no kisses but their faces revealed what they felt inside. Guy told her the reason he stopped writing.

Her car left. Then Madeline and her child also arrived to pick up Guy. Guy started to play with his child on a snowbank as the snowflakes started to fall heavier. It was some Christmas for all of them.

As the camera shifted away slowly, the end credits started to appear and roll up---#

	Connie Francis - I will wait for you .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

(IF IT TAKES FOREVER)I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

English Words by Norman Gimbel and Music by Michel Legrand

If it takes forever I will wait for you
For a thousand summers I will wait for you
Till you're back beside me, till I'm holding you
Till I hear you sigh here in my arms

Anywhere you wander, anywhere you go
Every day remember how I love you so
In your heart believe what in my heart I know
That forevermore I'll wait for you

The clock will tick away the hours one by one
Then the time will come when all the waiting's done
The time when you return and find me here and run
Straight to my waiting arms

If it takes forever I will wait for you
For a thousand summers I will wait for you
Till you're here beside me, till I'm touching you
And forevermore sharing your love

This haunting melody appeared in the movie several times: notably first when Guenevieve brought Guy to the train station to see him off as he reported for military duty. Then it came again in the last part of the movie when they bade good bye for the second ( and last ) time upon knowing that each one has already a separate family to look after. First love never ever dies. And somehow, to borrow another cliche, it is better to have loved and lost and never to have loved at all!

HAWAII 5-0 REBORN

When I was still in Los Banios, we watched regularly Jack Lord and his friends make Hawaii a safer place to live in with the 5-0 unit. Our TV there was only a 16 “ B and W Panasonic.

When Martial law was proclaimed, it was good-bye to McGarret and all those hit TV programs being broadcasted abroad. Malacaniang, for several years filtered everything that goes into the media, whether TV, Print or radio..

When we arrived in Canada in 1975, I felt like Alice seeing Wonderland for the first time. The good news is, all TVs in Canada are colored. Bad news is Hawaii-50 is already cancelled.


We now fast forward to 2010...,The DVD box set of Hawaii-50 Season 1 came out. I bought a copy immediately. It contains the pilot movie where Steve was placed inside a water tank with a tube of oxygen supply and he languished for several hours . This torture was devised by Woo Fat, the unkillable nemesis of Steve used to break the will of people who will then become zombie-like doing anything that Woo Fat would tell them to do. It worked for everybody except Mc Garret.

To date, there are already 9 box sets of Hawaii 5-0 and we have all of them. Each episode is set on a certain part of the Hawaiian Islands and we saw many of these places when we visited Juliet and Marcie Uson in 2005 . In 2009, we revisited Hawaii this time visiting Marcie Tesoro who lives in Maui.

Hawaii 5-0 returns

About 3 weeks ago, the new Hawaii 5-0 was launched with just a low fan fare. But we watched it. We saw Steve McGarret murdered by a terrorist while his released was being negotiated with his son, an officer of the US Navy. Something went wrong with the talks, Steve was shot close range and his killer escaped. The body was sent to his son also named Steve, to Hawai for a hero’s burial. But the younger Steve vowed he would hunt down for the killers of his dad. This sets the tone and plotline for the pilot episode which climaxed in a shoot out where the killer was shot before he fell into some murky waters. We saw the villain fall into the ocean, but his body was never found. Maybe he will re appear in a future episode of the series.

The new 5-0 series is what they call in the trade a “run-away” success. It has all the action, chases, shoot outs which are prevalent in the 70s series. Even the opening logos and vignettes are practically the same. And so with the Hawaii5-0 theme which is still being played now in classic rock radio stations.

The last episode took place in what is supposed to be Molokai. It is one of the Islands of Maui. I e-mailed Marcie, my Hawaiian connection, and the paragraph below was her comment . I reprinted it here because of its interesting contents, something which will add to our knowledge of these Islands……

Molokai and Lanai islands are part of the County of Maui. We are unique in a sense that we have 3-islands under one County. They have lots of bangus on Molokai, and fresh from the ponds. The Hawaiians there are very protective of their island so much so that they know when a visitor is on island. They know everyone who lives there. The worst part is they are anti-development. The people who live on Molokai do not want any progress to evolve. They would rather live like the ancient times (live off the land, off the sea, etc), than to have lots of tourists and business in the area. One time, there was this incident: this cruise ship wanted to stop over on Molokai. This is good for the island right? Wrong! When the cruise ship was about to dock on Molokai waters, hundreds of surfers went out into the sea and blocked the ship!!! This is true story. Needless to say the cruise ship did not and will not stop on Molokai.

click on the window below to listen to the timeless theme of HAWAII 5-0
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Download this mp3 from Beemp3.com

THE MIRACLE AT FATIMA

Very young movie stars portrayed the three children who saw The Virgin Mary in Fatima. The leading man is played by veteran actor Gilbert Roland..

Many movie producers shun away from making religious movies because these may flop at the box office and they will lose their money. Not all directors can be like Cecil B. de Milles..

A few of them took their chances. THE SONG OF BERNADETTE ( this film also shown by Fr. Jose Estrada before in Asingan as a fund raising show ) garnered some awards..It was an artistic and financial success..

THE MIRACLE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA may not have the distinction earned by the above movie, but nevertheless it is a good one in many counts. It has a simple story frame but it never lost touch in portraying the Mother of God in mystic and reverent terms..Anyway Mary when she was still alive on earth was a very simple woman. The Bible did not mention much about her least it would take some attention away from her Son. Her real purpose in her temporal life is to glorify God and to take care of her Son until He matured and he started doing about His Father's business...

It seems as if anyone who go about preaching the Word of God will be persecuted. The three children in the movie were not exempted. But remember, this is a movie, and some events were changed or modified to suit the story plan of the director and producer.

For me, it has enough conflict to hold the movie goer's interest up to the last frame before the end title credits.

The DANSE MACABRE of the sun really took place. But one has to read other reports from witnesses during that fateful day when people screamed and run away in sheer terror..


I hope you will find the time to watch this movie. You will not regret it.

link to the movie, copy and paste to your tool bar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_7Pup_C__o

dangerous life: PARTS 10-17

part 14

COPY AND PASTE THE LINK BELOW TO YOUR TOOL BAR, THEN PRESS ENTER..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBfYmNEgKmE


part 15


part 16


part 17

DANGEROUS LIFE:1-9

In this segment, Ferdinand Marcos played by Ruben Rustia had a chat ( and a warning ) with the fictional newspaper editor who is against the policies of the Marcos regime...Then the snap election took place with predictable results.A strange drama ( unknown to all Filipinos at that time since all media was controlled by FM ) started to take place.





Seeds of discontment started to sprout among the ranks of the PAF. The settings of coup detat was being laid out and the whole Philippines started to hold its breath..

parts 7 & 8

CLIPS NO. 4, 5, 6...

A DANGEROUS LIFE:parts 2 and 3

PART 2 brings us deeper into the after math of Benigno Aquino's assasination.There is a brief video clip from actual TV shots showing the extent of the funeral crowd that attended his burial.

Part 3 introduces us to the personal life of Tony, the Reporter who had a relationship with a young Filipina while his wife was still in Australia. Then Tony was also summoned to Malacaniang to talk with Imelda Marcos, played by Tessie Tomas...

"a single man" stands out

When I saw A SINGLE MAN the other night on DVD, I thought the late George Reeves (one of the first actors playing SUPERMAN in the'50S)came back to life.I have to check the box to find out who the actor was. It was Colin Firth. With those black rimmed glasses on, he was a dead ringer for George Reeve's Clark Kent.

In this movie, he played a College professor who has just lost a partner ( male one ) and somehow, when a movie is about homosexuality, one is tempted to take the DVD out and put in something else.

But the first five minutes ( the most crucial part of a movie ) caught my attention and I continued watching it just to see how it ended.

Of course you want to know at least what the basic plot is. Well, Colin Firth's character has just lost a partner ( male, of course )of 16 years. The partner drowned accidentally in an LA beach. Quite a long time to stay together. So he got depressed, lost his zest for life. He wanted to end it all during that week end.

So he prepared everything needed for his funeral. He emptied his bank deposit box and on a table in his living room, he laid all papers, letters to different people, maybe his will, his funeral clothes, and yes, the suicide weapon: a handgun.

Julianne Moore ( whom I fist saw as a charcter in the soap opera AS THE WORLD TURNS, played his girl friend before he met his deceased boy friend. The day his boy friend died, Colin went to her, crying like a baby in her arms, and somehow, I would think the two would be reconciled.

Yes and No. They became good friends again, but that's all there is. He did not tell anybody his plan of shooting himself in the mouth. There was a funny scene ( the movie, inspite of its sombre theme has comic episodes which helps break the tension ) where he tried lying down in bed, finding the best position on how to insert the pistol's barrel into his mouth.

Which brings us to the moot question. Did he or did he not die in the ending?..THat's what I wanted to find out so I persisted in watching it, thwarting all kinds of drowsiness just to see if he was able to blow his brains out..

Wanna find out?.Rent the movie. I rate it 4 stars out of 5. Its worth the rental fee if only for the crispy and well written dialogues ( and the good acting by ALL characters, major or minor ones.---#

"An American Guerilla.."a movie review

It is really amazing what you can find by just surfing around the net when there is nothing better to do. This movie ( available only in VHS )is one of those gems from the '50s do exist in the cyber markets.. I hope would be released in DVD soon.

It started with the departure of Gen. McArthur to Australia, leaving our country's defenses in shambles. All American forces were told either to surrender or hide in the mountains until the tide of war will shift in favour of the Allies..

The start of the story captured accurately the tension filled days as the Americans were burning all papers, maps, etc. so the Japs will not find anything they could use. Ramsey ( Tyrone Power) decided to to stay in Leyte.


Then, he made an attempt to follow McArthur to Australia. For transport, he set up a small banca filled with provisions ( including a small piglet ). The banca has outriggers plus a sail..But the boat was very small for a Phil-Australian voyage.

There was a small farewell party at the shore as the banca started drifting to the sea. All were waving and bidding farewells and blowing good luck kisses to the travelers.. Women placed leis on the travelers necks, just like in Hawaii.

Fifteen minutes later, a strong wind blew across the sea and the banca capsized. The party on the shore were screaming at the calamity. All occupants started swimming back to the shore. The first to arrive was the piglet, all wet and frisky, looking for something to eat. One observer said: "He is the most sensible passenger of that banca!"

It was non stop suspense and action from that point. Especially when the Japs arrived and started a cat-and-mouse pursuit with the guerillas. There are many unforgettable scenes. Like that time when one American fugitive was hiding under a bush while a Jap was close by looking for him. All of a sudden, the fugitive felt something in his bare feet. He happened to be close to an ant hill, and the ants started feasting on his white feet with their mandibles. Ouch!

The relentless Japanese pursuer was played by Cris de Vera. I was still very young and impressionable when I saw this movie. I was mildly traumatized when I saw him interrogate a rich Haciendero who harboured Ramsey for a bit. The way he slapped him made me think that Japs are cruel people.

The climax of the film took place in a church where the guerillas were hiding. The pursuers learned their prey was inside the church from a kid. The Japanese commandant saw the kid was eating something. He smiled at the kid and checked what he was eating. It was a US made chocolate bar.

Then there was the chase inside the church, and the shoot out in the church yard. Finally, alleluia! There were planes droning over head and they belonged to Uncle Sam.

The ending scenes showed a clip of Gen. McArthur waving to the Filino crowd in Layte, and also Tyrone Powwer, opening coke bottle with an opener hidden in his blet buckle.

This movie beats the crop of war movies that came out recently. A title worth waiting for----#

ONE NIGHT IN STA.ISABEL

One Youtube video I decided to save ( and to share with piano music lovers ).

In this video, see the music which is being played..I think this recording was made by A. Rubinstein, an honest to goodness virtuoso which others can only admire, listen to when they want to fill up their unbusy afternoons.

There are many kinds of piano players in the world. One play with notes ( or properly said, play with music scores stuck in front of their faces ) and one by oido..Playing by memory or by ear. Oido I guess means hearing.I belong to this second one..

Yes, I can read music scores, but playing them correctly on the spot, egad! It needs a pianist like Rubinstein to do that. Or someone who have such zeal and patience in practicing 8 hours a day on the keyboard. I heard a colegiala do this years ago when I was still studying at the Adamson University.


Our neighbouring school then was Santa Isabel. There was a time when we performed a concert and we rehearsed at night on their stage ( where the concert was to be shown.) In one of the several evening rehearsals, our regular pianist did not show up and we had to ask someone to take his place. She was an intern in Sta. Isabel( she studied in the College and at the same time boarded there ) who volunteered her piano skills. Then I put a music score for her on the piano to play and DID she do it! In the Pilipino lingo, minamani lang niya! Translation in English, she played it with gusto like eating peanuts!Do not take my word, that's my PERSONAL translation !

So we rehearsed well that night with a different pianist. We went over the pieces for the concert like:STOUTHEARTED MEN from New Moon, AVE MARIA by Schubert, SOME ENCHANTED EVENING from South Pacific, etc. I was the one who taught the choir their SATB ( Soprano-Alto-Tenor-Bass) parts. I told you I can read and write music very well. I just can not sight read that good!! Quite a gargantuan job considering Adamson was still privately owned at that time and the President-Owner did not really care for music in the school.

Anyways, that is already history ( water under the bridge ) because right now Adamson U. is already a Catholic school having been bought by the Vincentian fathers during the '60s.

But going back to that night at Sta. Isabel, I can't help admiring the girl who pinch hitted for our absent pianist. She was a genius. She played all the music scores so perfect. And her disposition was so sweet. She was always smiling. She did not display any kind of DIVA tantrum


Even now, I still wish I could play like her. She ( like any pianist who can do good sight-reading ) can interprete for us what the music composer had written down on his piano while composing a piece for all future generations to enjoy. These are the Music Artists: Chopin, Schubert, Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Lizt, Rachmaninoff, AND including our own Francisco Santiago or Levi Celerio.---#

Ray Coloma, et al

some classic movie themes

AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER




EDDIE DUCHIN STORY




THE STAR




THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY




THE PROUD ONES ( a western classic )

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!---#