Last chance
for Nora Aunor?
Posted: 10:43 PM (Manila Time) | Oct. 24, 2003
By Nestor U. Torre
Inquirer News Service
BEING a firm believer in Nora Aunor's talent, despite all her "sins" of commission and omission through the years, we've been trying to convince some producers to bankroll a comeback screen project for the Superstar. Sadly, however, they have passed on the prospect.
Not because they think she's lost her talent. In fact, they agreed with us that Nora has some great performances left in her. But they said they were scared to invest in a movie project for her -- first, because she could no longer pull in a crowd, and second, because her lack of professionalism made her too big a risk.
We argued that Nora was still popular, noting that her "golden" birthday concert at Araneta Coliseum was well-attended. But the producers retorted that a film had to attract many more viewers than a show at the Big Dome, so the success of Nora's concert wasn't definite proof of her renewed popularity.
If only, they sighed, Nora had paced her career as well as Vilma Santos has: Vilma makes a movie only once every two years or so, but it's generally well-produced and clicks both critically and commercially. Could we cite Nora's most recent hit film? To our deep embarrassment as a Nora believer, we were stumped for an answer.
But we persisted in our defense of the Superstar, contra mundum, and contra box-office figures. We pointed out that, with her unique combination of Filipino features and temperament, talent, maturity, abiding star appeal, ability to keep bouncing back, and new work ethic, Nora could still come up with a critical and commercial success.
Nice try, the producers shot back, and we admire you for being so loyal to your screen idol, but sad experience has proven that she has feet of sullen clay.
She may say that she's changed, but she eventually goes back to her bad, sad habits of yore, and we're just not going to take a chance on her anymore!
Our reaction: what a harsh indictment of one of the country's best and most iconic actresses! In Hollywood, Judy Garland also caused a lot of pain and consternation with her moods and unprofessional ways, but a producer still allowed her to come up with her memorable performance in "Judgment at Nuremberg."
We think that, like Judy Garland, Nora deserves another chance-a last chance, if producers want to put it in that melodramatic way. And not because she's our "idol"-she isn't.
We simply base our estimation on the high quality of her best screen performances in the past, and on her determination to rise above her faults and limitations to set the screen ablaze again with her luminous talent.
Surely, there's an enlightened producer out there who will give her the chance to do that.
