PinoyDVD: The Pinoy Digital Video & Devices Community
Entertainment => Film & TV Talk => Pinoy Entertainment => Topic started by: keating on Jun 15, 2004 at 07:23 PM
-
This thread is dedicated for the defunct Experimental Cinema of the Philippines which produced 4 classic films (Oro Plata Mata, Himala, Soltero, Misteryo sa Tuwa) during the 2nd Golden Age of Philippine Cinema.
I still hope that a 3rd Golden Age will happen soon with new visionaries of filmmakers like Lav Diaz, Jeffrey Jeturian, Mark Meily as well as the old ones are still around.
I miss Manila Film Center, I was only in grade 2 when the 2nd Manila International Film Festival happened. My cousins now turning 40's, brought me to watch Oro Plata Mata but I was rejected and brought instead to Harrison Plaza. ;D
-
My parents brought me to a screening of Lamberto Avellana's take on Nick Joaquin's "Portrait of the Artist as Filipino". I think I was in grade 3 or 4 then.
-
My parents brought me to a screening of Lamberto Avellana's take on Nick Joaquin's "Portrait of the Artist as Filipino". I think I was in grade 3 or 4 then.
Portrait of the Artist as Filipino has not been shown even once I think on Cinema One, but I maybe wrong.
I'm dying to see Abbo dela Cruz'...Misteryo sa Tuwa. This is ECP's biggest flop. :(
-
Misteryo Sa Tuwa is shown on Cinema One from time to time. The funny thing is there were actually six films to be produced by the ECP that time. The first four were Himala, Oro, Plata, Mata, Soltero & Misteryo. Haplos also one of the winning screenplays was produced by Mirick Films & the last one was Flores De Mayo by Joey Reyes which never saw the light of day. I sopke to Vincent Nebrida of Unitel Pictures and he told me that the CCP doesn't even have the prints on these film in their archive. The only existing copy of these films are the ones being shown on Cinema One except for Oro, Plata, Mata... fortunately Peque Gallaga owns a print of the movie.
-
There is an ongoing debate within the CCP whether the Manila Film Center should be torn-down or not as the whole CCP complex will undergo a major re-development (it will be transformed into an arts village). Some quarters would like to retain is as a chapel cum memorial while others want it demolished due to high maintenance costs. As it is, the MFC is used as a venue for drag shows stagged by the Amazing Philippines Theater.
With regards to the ECP, when Johnny Litton took the place of Imee Marcos as executive director,(she ran for a seat in Batasan) all hell broke loose. The film fund dried-up and they started showing all these "skinefilcks" which caused an uproar and a lot of controversy. Soon after, FM ordered its abolishment.
Sayang. If only they could've made the film fund a viable undertaking, and if only the ECP wasn't too extravagant with the MIFF and the MFC, it could've worked, I think.
My prof. was there during the 1st MIFF and she described it as such:
"It was so surreal...Brook Sheilds and Ben Kingsley was there!"
BTW, I have a creepy ghost story regarding the Film Center...
-
"It was so surreal...Brook Sheilds and Ben Kingsley was there!"
Not to mention Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski and Satiyajit Ray...
The Film Center deaths are a great tragedy. Imelda has a lot to answer for.
-
There is an ongoing debate within the CCP whether the Manila Film Center should be torn-down or not as the whole CCP complex will undergo a major re-development (it will be transformed into an arts village). Some quarters would like to retain is as a chapel cum memorial while others want it demolished due to high maintenance costs. As it is, the MFC is used as a venue for drag shows stagged by the Amazing Philippines Theater.
With regards to the ECP, when Johnny Litton took the place of Imee Marcos as executive director,(she ran for a seat in Batasan) all hell broke loose. The film fund dried-up and they started showing all these "skinefilcks" which caused an uproar and a lot of controversy. Soon after, FM ordered its abolishment.
Sayang. If only they could've made the film fund a viable undertaking, and if only the ECP wasn't too extravagant with the MIFF and the MFC, it could've worked, I think.
My prof. was there during the 1st MIFF and she described it as such:
"It was so surreal...Brook Sheilds and Ben Kingsley was there!"
BTW, I have a creepy ghost story regarding the Film Center...
It was downhill all the way when Johnny Litton took place as executive director of ECP and its a sad thing.
In order to maintain the Manila Film Center, bold films were shown and I think Peque Gallaga's SCORPIO NIGHTS was shown there UNCUT.
Speaking of Peque...he didn't owe any gratitude to Imee 20 years after he did ORO PLATA MATA.
The reason was that he didn't see IMEE even once during the making of his classic masterpiece.
RMN...I would like to see a ghost in Manila Film Center if they will open it again because I haven't seen one in my existence. ;D
-
Misteryo Sa Tuwa is shown on Cinema One from time to time. The funny thing is there were actually six films to be produced by the ECP that time. The first four were Himala, Oro, Plata, Mata, Soltero & Misteryo. Haplos also one of the winning screenplays was produced by Mirick Films & the last one was Flores De Mayo by Joey Reyes which never saw the light of day. I sopke to Vincent Nebrida of Unitel Pictures and he told me that the CCP doesn't even have the prints on these film in their archive. The only existing copy of these films are the ones being shown on Cinema One except for Oro, Plata, Mata... fortunately Peque Gallaga owns a print of the movie.
HIMALA & ORO are now owned by Abs-Cbn...Jojo.
They won thru bidding & outbid even Peque himself.
-
HIMALA & ORO are now owned by Abs-Cbn...Jojo.
They won thru bidding & outbid even Peque himself.
i thought Peque owned a copy of Oro... so which print was used when they screened Oro recently to commemorate the movie's anniversary?
-
i thought Peque owned a copy of Oro... so which print was used when they screened Oro recently to commemorate the movie's anniversary?
The print that ABS-CBN owned was used during Oro's 20th anniversary screening at Ayala cinema...Jojo.
I thought also that CCP has many copies of the print.
Peque lost in the bidding process and I hope that Abs-cbn will release it on dvd soon.
-
The print that ABS-CBN owned was used during Oro's 20th anniversary screening at Ayala cinema...Jojo.
I thought also that CCP has many copies of the print.
Peque lost in the bidding process and I hope that Abs-cbn will release it on dvd soon.
hopefully they'll release the movie soon on video. i was in Daly City a couple of weeks ago and they were selling old tagalog movies for $5.00 each. i saw the box of Oro but unfortunately they don't have it anymore although i was able to buy a load of old filipino films which are not available anymore. i was like a kid in a candy store. i spent around $300.00 for all the movies that i bought but belive me it was all worth it. :)
-
My friend saw it also but didn't bought it. It was selling around 50 bucks rental orig copy of ORO PLATA MATA.
The print was painstakingly cleaned by Road Runner during its 20th anniversary screening and according to those who watched it, starting to deteriorate already and a portion of it was burned during the screening.
Peque was calm but Jessica Zafra screamed. There's a sidebar story about it that Abs-Cbn didn't want to lend the master copy to Peque in the first place.
-
You guys want a MFC related ghost story? Here goes...
Ms. Betsy Benitez, the contractor of the Manila Film Center, was on her way to Tagaytay late one night with Marcos' education minister Onrofe Corpuz who was driving. Suddenly, she yelled frantically, "Don't you see them!!?" "No...see what?" Corpuz replied. "Those people! Those people!" Apparently, she was the only one seeing construction workers holding tools crossing in front of their vehicle. In panic, she tried to grab control of the wheel in an attempt to avoid them but this resulted in a freak car accident. She died while her companion lived to tell the creepy tale. It is said too that there were bundles of cash inside the car.
During her funeral, the whole Marcos family was in attendance with FM serving as pall bearer.
-
RMN thanks for sharing that ghost story regarding Manila Film Center. It has been reported many times in the past that the site had been blessed but the spirit of the workers who were trapped still lingers until now.
Maybe they are still seeking justice.
-
Misteryo Sa Tuwa is shown on Cinema One from time to time. The funny thing is there were actually six films to be produced by the ECP that time. The first four were Himala, Oro, Plata, Mata, Soltero & Misteryo. Haplos also one of the winning screenplays was produced by Mirick Films & the last one was Flores De Mayo by Joey Reyes which never saw the light of day. I sopke to Vincent Nebrida of Unitel Pictures and he told me that the CCP doesn't even have the prints on these film in their archive. The only existing copy of these films are the ones being shown on Cinema One except for Oro, Plata, Mata... fortunately Peque Gallaga owns a print of the movie.
Ricky Lee's BULAG was also part of the winning screenplays that won at ECP during those times.
I still hope that someone will gamble on it and wish to see it on the big screen. Agree with you Jojo that Ms. Nora Aunor can play the nun on that movie.
-
Bulag was supposed to be done by Regal years ago but it kept on getting shelved so Ricky Lee pretty much gave-up.
-
Bulag was supposed to be done by Regal years ago but it kept on getting shelved so Ricky Lee pretty much gave-up.
If this will be made today....it will be CYBER BULAG because of the span of years & decade that the project went thru from the conceptualization of Ricky Lee to the horrible casting by Mother Lily... ;D
-
If this will be made today....it will be CYBER BULAG because of the span of years & decade that the project went thru from the conceptualization of Ricky Lee to the horrible casting by Mother Lily... ;D
Bulag was supposed to star Snooky with Mel Chionglo directing for Regal then at one time Mother Lily wanted Janice de Belen to play the lead with Susan Roces playing the social worker & Nida Blanca as the nun of course these plans never pushed through... too bad the script was very promising though.
-
Jojo were you able to browse & read the draft of BULAG?
I am curious by this project... ???
-
Jojo were you able to browse & read the draft of BULAG?
I am curious by this project... ???
i was able to read the entire first draft of Bulag... i believe it was the same one Ricky submitted to the ECP Scriptwriting Contest. it's a very interesting character study told from the Social Worker's point of view. i've always thought Snooky could've been perfect for the part.
-
i was able to read the entire first draft of Bulag... i believe it was the same one Ricky submitted to the ECP Scriptwriting Contest. it's a very interesting character study told from the Social Worker's point of view. i've always thought Snooky could've been perfect for the part.
Agree with Snooky on the casting of BULAG. Although she's the favorite of Mother Lily among her Regal babies during the 80's....whenever a new project comes in....she would say...pwede ipasok si Snooky?
She can't be left out in terms of performance along with her contemporaries...Maricel & Dina.
-
Agree with Snooky on the casting of BULAG. Although she's the favorite of Mother Lily among her Regal babies during the 80's....whenever a new project comes in....she would say...pwede ipasok si Snooky?
She can't be left out in terms of performance along with her contemporaries...Maricel & Dina.
thanks Keating... during the 80's Snooky turned in quite a handful of memorable performances in films like The Graduates, Hahamakin Lahat & Kapag Napagod ang Puso. wasn't she also considered to be one of the girls in Joey Reyes' Flores De Mayo?
-
thanks Keating... during the 80's Snooky turned in quite a handful of memorable performances in films like The Graduates, Hahamakin Lahat & Kapag Napagod ang Puso. wasn't she also considered to be one of the girls in Joey Reyes' Flores De Mayo?
She should have won for KAPAG NAPAGOD ANG PUSO....I thought before that she was just another flash in the pan and ham actress when she did all those youth oriented movies in her mother studio.
Maybe someone should put up again EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA OF THE PHILIPPINES so that we could see another future Filipino classic flicks...
Imee Marcos is active on politics....maybe she should revive it again without the artsy kapritso of her mom.... ;D
-
She should have won for KAPAG NAPAGOD ANG PUSO....I thought before that she was just another flash in the pan and ham actress when she did all those youth oriented movies in her mother studio.
Maybe someone should put up again EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA OF THE PHILIPPINES so that we could see another future Filipino classic flicks...
Imee Marcos is active on politics....maybe she should revive it again without the artsy kapritso of her mom.... ;D
it would sure be nice to revive the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines and they should make the other winners of their first scriptwriting contest such as Bulag & Flores De Mayo. i remeber at one time Cirio Santiago took over the ECP during the Aquino administration... i wonder what happened.
Snooky was very good in Kapag Napagod ang Puso but i much prefer her performances in The Graduates and Hahamakin Lahat.
-
it would sure be nice to revive the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines and they should make the other winners of their first scriptwriting contest such as Bulag & Flores De Mayo. i remeber at one time Cirio Santiago took over the ECP during the Aquino administration... i wonder what happened.
Snooky was very good in Kapag Napagod ang Puso but i much prefer her performances in The Graduates and Hahamakin Lahat.
Jo....any more background/info on Joey Reyes' Flores de Mayo? ???
Thanks....
-
Jo....any more background/info on Joey Reyes' Flores de Mayo? ???
Thanks....
i had the opportunity of reading the sequence treatment of Flores De Mayo... it's about girls who committed suicide. of course who would've known that the same plot would be made into Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides. i guess the Peter Weir movie Picnic At Hanging Rock was sort of an inspiration for Flores' story.
-
Oh, that's a full circle then. Peter Weir reportedly borrowed the plot premise of Bernal's Boy Kojak for his Witness.
-
Oh, that's a full circle then. Peter Weir reportedly borrowed the plot premise of Bernal's Boy Kojak for his Witness.
i never realized that Noel... really interesting thanks!
now i have to watch Boy Kodyak again.
-
Oh, that's a full circle then. Peter Weir reportedly borrowed the plot premise of Bernal's Boy Kojak for his Witness.
Sometimes the international ones borrowed from the local ones.... :)
-
Sometimes the international ones borrowed from the local ones.... :)
that's true keating...
-
Is Company of Women part of the ECP movies? It was not widely release during its time, maybe because of the theme?
This was produced by Douglas Quijano's Athena Productions....sort of follow-up after the major success of the original Shake, Rattle & Roll.
-
Is Company of Women part of the ECP movies? It was not widely release during its time, maybe because of the theme?
This was produced by Douglas Quijano's Athena Productions....sort of follow-up after the major success of the original Shake, Rattle & Roll.
no, Company of Women wasn't a part of the ECP movies... it was only shown at the Manila Film Center where most movies of this kind were being screened at the time.
-
Manila Film Center was always associated with ECP. Sad to know that skin flicks dominated the Film Center in order to save the Experimental Cinema of the Phils.
-
Manila Film Center was always associated with ECP. Sad to know that skin flicks dominated the Film Center in order to save the Experimental Cinema of the Phils.
definitely... Manila Film Center is usually the venue for the premieres of ECP produced movies... although in 1983 when Himala was selected as the opening film at the MIFF it was shown at the PICC instead of the Manila Film Center.
-
You guys want a MFC related ghost story? Here goes...
Ms. Betsy Benitez, the contractor of the Manila Film Center, was on her way to Tagaytay late one night with Marcos' education minister Onrofe Corpuz who was driving. Suddenly, she yelled frantically: "Don't you see them!!?" "No...see what?" Corpuz replied. "Those people! Those people!" Apparently, she was the only one seeing construction workers holding tools crossing in front of their vehicle. In panic, she tried to grab control of the wheel in an attempt to avoid them but this resulted in a freak car accident. She died while her companion lived to tell the creepy tale. It is said too that there were bundles of cash inside the car.
During her funeral, the whole Marcos family was in attendance with FM serving as pall bearer.
What could be the relation of those bundles of cash inside the car.....to shut up the families of those construction workers? ???
-
Maybe its about time to revive ECP now that Philippine cinema is in dying state.
-
MARK GIL on COMPANY OF WOMEN
"It was the time of the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines where films were shown uncut & no holds barred. I did the frontal nudity because..... who can refuse MEL CHIONGLO?"
-
i would. if i showed my butt it would be for a good filmmaker.
-
Chionglo is excellent as production designer, name it he designed ITIM, & TEMPTATION ISLAND, or is it De Leon & Gosiengfiao calling the shots?
But come to think of it...COMPANY OF WOMEN is erotic..... Gil being massaged by three women all nude matched by an excellent soundtrack looks cool. ;D
-
Celso Ad Castillo's cult classic SNAKE SISTERS will be shown this month at Robinson's Galleria.
One of the skin flicks (VIRGIN PEOPLE, ISLA, BOATMAN, SCORPIO NIGHTS, HUBO SA DILIM) that dominated Manila Film Center during ECP's heyday with the consent of Johnny Litton to show the films uncut to recoup ECP's investment after a couple of flops (SOLTERO, MISTERYO SA TUWA). And maybe to divert the attention of the people because of the rising political crisis caused by the Marcos Regime.
-
Chionglo is excellent as production designer, name it he designed ITIM, & TEMPTATION ISLAND, or is it De Leon & Gosiengfiao calling the shots?
But come to think of it...COMPANY OF WOMEN is erotic..... Gil being massaged by three women all nude matched by an excellent soundtrack looks cool. ;D
aside from the films you've mentioned Mel also did the production design for Ikaw Ay Akin, Kung Mangarap Ka't Magising & Ina, Kapatid, Anak in which he also wrote the screenplay. he ventured into filmmaking with Playgirl in 1980 with Charito Solis & Gina Alajar, a very impressive directorial debut.
-
Chionglo did another movie with Dina Bonnevie & Boyet de Leon which I can't recall the title. Its not really forgettable but good enough.
-
Chionglo did another movie with Dina Bonnevie & Boyet de Leon which I can't recall the title. Its not really forgettable but good enough.
the title of the movie was Anak also with Lloyd Samartino & Celia Rodriguez...
-
the title of the movie was Anak also with Lloyd Samartino & Celia Rodriguez...
Thanks again for the info.
-
Whatever happened to Mel Chionglo? ;D Hello, Lahar anyone?
-
LAHAR as the title says, was disastrous. He is more competent in designing films than making it.
The great visuals of ITIM can also be counted on Chionglo. The film blew me away!
-
Lahar, Midnight Dancer, Burlesk King, Lagarista.
I'll say this much, he's consistent... ;D
-
You didn't like LUCIA, Noel?
-
Haven't seen it. Is it Brocka quality?
-
You didn't like LUCIA, Noel?
Is this the one produced by BBC and shot in the slums with Ms. Lolita Rodriguez? If so, then I'd say
it doesn't quite hold to up to any similarly themed Brocka work.
-
Haven't seen it. Is it Brocka quality?
Its a second-class to a Brocka film. Chionglo imitated Brocka here but no match! Ricky Lee's script was quite good.
-
Is this the one produced by BBC and shot in the slums with Ms. Lolita Rodriguez? If so, then I'd say
it doesn't quite hold to up to any similarly themed Brocka work.
Yep that's it dude.
-
ECP's SOLTERO with Jay Ilagan will be shown January 23, 3 pm on Cinema One.
-
Before the Manila Film Center, ECP sponsored the premieres of Mike de Leon's BATCH '81 and Romy Suzara's MGA UOD AT ROSAS at the PICC. It also screened a lot of foreign film classics all around Metro Manila.
One series that I remember watching at the MFC was the Gerardo de Leon's restrospective that included NOLI ME TANGERE, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, THE MOISES PADILLA STORY and LILET, among others.
That's also where I saw GONE WITH THE WIND for the first time on the big screen.
I also remember watching the original STAR WARS trilogy (Episodes IV - VI) one after the other in one day.
-
Was MOWELFUND located at the basement of Manila Film Center during the 80's?
-
Was MOWELFUND located at the basement of Manila Film Center during the 80's?
i don't think so... Mowelfund has always had its own office.
-
Lahar, Midnight Dancer, Burlesk King, Lagarista.
I'll say this much, he's consistent... ;D
I was able to talk with direk Mel Chionglo before I chat with Peque Gallaga at the Rizal Park where NCCA held its Cinema Arts Month headed by Teddy Co last two weeks ago. Thanks to RMN, also.
Chionglo recalls how Brocka was a fast worker when they were doing GUMISING KA, MARUJA. It was outside of Bacolod City where they found the old abandoned ancestral house, and they just put some furnitures inside to make it a living mansion. He is cool, once in a while he would puff some cigarettes. When I told him, your Maruja is great, the ending jolted me and very far from the Joey Reyes flick.........he just laugh hilariously. ;D
-
I'm curious on Abbo dela Cruz' MISTERYO SA TUWA. I heard it was based on actual events where a plane crashed in the mountains of Quezon, trouble followed when some people found a suitcase full of money in the wreckage.
-
I'm curious on Abbo dela Cruz' MISTERYO SA TUWA. I heard it was based on actual events where a plane crashed in the mountains of Quezon, trouble followed when some people found a suitcase full of money in the wreckage.
it was based on a true story... if you think about it the suitcase full of money that changed an entire town is similar to Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan which was released years later.
-
I prefer Misteryo to Simple Plan. Grittier, less hysterical about the morality of it all.
-
I haven't seen SIMPLE PLAN, but will try to compare it to MISTERYO SA TUWA. I read some very good reviews on MISTERYO that it boasts of excellent production values and groundbreaking performances of Alicia Alonzo, Ronnie Lazaro, Ama Quiambao, Lito Anzures, Tony Santos Sr. and Johnny Delgado.
-
Is SOLTERO the only film done by Pio de Castro III?
-
Is SOLTERO the only film done by Pio de Castro III?
no, he also directed Ina, Kasusuklaman Ba Kita? for Seiko Films with Rita Gomez & Lorna Tolentino. an adequate komiks melodrama but not within the caliber of Kung Mahawi Man Ang Ulap and Hindi Nahahati Ang Langit... also not half as good as Soltero.
-
Was he a member of the Manunuri or a film critic, Jo?
-
Was he a member of the Manunuri or a film critic, Jo?
as a matter of fact he was one of the first members of the Manunuri along with founding fathers Nestor Torre & Bienvenido Lumbera.
-
His name sounds familiar, saw Mr. Lumbera during Ebolusyon screening at UP Film Center.
-
His name sounds familiar, saw Mr. Lumbera during Ebolusyon screening at UP Film Center.
Bien Lumbera used to rent a lot of betamax tapes from Shop & Lift, Ricky Lee's video store at Virra Mall (i won't say which titles he borrowed ;))
-
Bien Lumbera used to rent a lot of betamax tapes from Shop & Lift, Ricky Lee's video store at Virra Mall (i won't say which titles he borrowed ;))
Too bad that store by Ricky Lee is closed already or he sold it to other people?
-
Too bad that store by Ricky Lee is closed already or he sold it to other people?
i believe he closed the store himself... it's funny though 'coz his video shop was the only one who carrrie hard to find movies most espcially the classics. it was at his store where i saw a betamax copy of Celso Ad CAstllo's Nympha.
-
Celso Ad Castillo's NYMPHA was a rare find. When I browsed their catalogue Jo, I can't find anymore any Filipino classic films. Mostly foreign movies were listed.
-
i think Ricky kept the tapes himself. if you've been to his house an entire wall is filled with Filipino movies not just the ones he wrote but others as well...
-
What happened with those other award-winning scripts under ECP before? None of them see the light of the day.
-
the other scripts that won were of course Ricky Lee's Bulag which gathered dust sa shelves ng Regal and there were talks that ECP was going to film Joey Reyes' Flores de Mayo immediately after Misteryo Sa Tuwa but the project never pushed through.
-
Why not Gallaga-Lee collaboration with BULAG? And its about time that dream project of Ricky Lee pushed thru.
-
i'm not quite sure if Peque can work with Ricky Lee... they're two different personalities. tha problem is Gallaga worked only with Joey Reyes in Oro, T.E. Pagaspas & Uro de laCruz in Virgin Forest, Unfaithful Wife & Scorpio Nights then Lore Reyes in most of his other films oh and Alfred Yuson for Kid Huwag Kang Susuko!
-
Maybe Peque still holds grudges to Ricky after he rejected ORO PLATA MATA. Or I might be wrong also, Jo. There were talks that he would reunite with Joey Reyes in a future project.
-
Ricky never mentioned having problems with Ricky... Peque should work with Joey again... theirs was an exceptional collaboration just like Ishma & Ricky
-
Ricky seems to lie-low in film projects. He's connected with Abs-Cbn right now.
-
i've noticed that as well... marami na siguro siyang writers nagayon.
-
If ECP still operates until now, will it save Philippine Cinema from its comatose state? ???
-
i don't think so... they gave up producing non-mainstream films and closed shop in 1985. the sorry state of Philippine cinema can only be saved if Filipino moviegoers would flock to the theaters and support outstanding Filipino films, not the trashy kind.
-
Filipino moviegoers support the mainstream movies, remember STARZAN back in 1989? Believe it or not, it saved Regal Films from bankruptcy.
-
i would consider a movie like Starzan mainstream...
-
My mistake, modified my post. Yeah its a mainstream Pinoy film.
-
I was browsing last night the opening scenes of MISTERYO SA TUWA and most of the cast and crew came from Gallaga's ORO PLATA MATA. Don Escudero & Rodel Cruz did the production design, Jess Navarro for editing and Rody Lacap for cinematography.
The movie looks fantastic although no big name stars in it.
-
here's a couple of scenes from Ishmael Bernal's Himala (Experimental Cinema Of The Philippines, 1982)
(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j63/jojodevera/Screencaps-01hr24min49sec-1.jpg)
(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j63/jojodevera/Screencaps-01hr55min29sec1.jpg)
-
Flashback to 1982, we were watching the MMFF awards night and most of my cousins were rooting for Vilma in HAPLOS, its 8:1 for the ratio because only one was rooting for Nora's HIMALA.
The technical awards were already given out and they were sensing already that Nora will bag the Best Actress award........Best Pic was called already and Ishmael Bernal went up to get his trophy for Best Director. They were already sour-graping......."paanong hindi mananalo yan, produced ni Imee yan!"
They all went asleep and didn't finish the awards night. ;D
Years from now, MMFF finally hit the right spot. HIMALA is now considered a classic in Philippine Cinema.
-
MISTERYO SA TUWA (Abbo dela Cruz)
Spoilers Alert!
This film is the best example of a one-hit wonder! From the man who chopped Lorli Villanueva's finger in ORO PLATA MATA comes this tale of greed, love for family and revenge. Money is the root of all evil. Based on actual events, MISTERYO SA TUWA boasts of excellent technical aspects and great ensemble acting of the entire cast.
A plane crashed in the mountains of Quezon in 1950. A group of noble folk were celebrating a fiesta but not a big feast but a small one. The villagers loot the baggage and all the things of the survivors of the plane crash. This is my only gripe for this film.......the villagers were treated just like primitive people who will do anything just to get something from the crash site. The central characters played by Johnny Delgado, Ronnie Lazaro and Tony Santos, Sr. found a suitcase filled with half a million pesos and a bunch of documents. They made a decision to divide the money and share it with their families. Even the other villager saw it, Lito Anzures who wants to get the suitcase full of money. To get the plot more exciting, enter Mario Taguiwalo, the town mayor who also wants to get the suitcase and made a bargain with Lito Anzures to kidnap Delgado, Lazaro & Santos to get the money. The three were tortured to death and I can't divulge anymore the ending because it would spoil the whole movie.
From the time of the opening scene, you could actually smell the lambanog drank by the noble folk in this remote village in Quezon. The crash site is so realistic also in a way that you can smell also the dead bodies of the passengers. Peque Gallaga played Mr. Murphy, the corpse who owned the suitcase. Before Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS hit the stratosphere, we are ahead again in terms of uh, torture scenes and its more disturbing, gripping and gruesome! The last few minutes will keep you at the edge of your seat!
Lito Anzures used a tin can slid to cut Johnny Delgado's ear. Ronnie Lazaro's fiancee, Maria Montes was molested in front of him. Anzures is menacing as the villain, Delgado, Lazaro and Tony Santos, Sr. were all convincing that whatever happened, they will stick to their decision not to give the suitcase. Great supporting cast also from Alicia Alonzo & Ama Quiambao. The musical score by Jaime Fabregas is the best musical score I've ever heard next to Jose Gentica's score in ORO. Add the perfect production design by Don Escudero & Rodell Cruz and you've got a classic film in the league of the other films produced by ECP during their time. I just don't know why the critics didn't like this movie.
-
Misteryo Sa Tuwa was one of the entries in the 1984 MMFF. I was actually surprised that Johnny Delgado didn't win as Best Actor for his performance in this film. I guess he somehow knew that he wasn't going home with the award that's why he was a no show at the ceremony. It was Herbert Bautista who was named Best Actor for his performace or lack thereof in Shake, Rattle & Roll.
-
I liked it a lot--I'm just wondering if we'll ever find proof that A Simple Plan was ripped off from this film.
I mean, that book was published in 1993
-
Until now I still gush over the film and the violence it inflicted......HOSTEL was a fluke! I agree with all the accolades here!
MISTERYO SA TUWA deserves to revisit. And yeah, the ensemble acting were all top-notch from Johnny Delgado, Ronnie Lazaro, Tony Santos, Sr. Alicia Alonzo & Ama Quiambao. Even Robert Antonio & Mario Taguiwalo deserves to be commended in this film and of course, Lito Anzures.
Noel, can you write again your review on this film?
Abbo dela Cruz used the monicker Rico Mambo in directing those sleazy sex flicks during the 90's. He actually hails from Quezon together with his brother Rosauro "Uro" dela Cruz. Uro penned Gallaga's SCORPIO NIGHTS and use to write and direct the gag show Bubble Gang.
-
I'm not sure I wrote about it. Probably mentioned it, during one of Cinema One's festivals.
I've seen some of 'Rico Mambo's' works. Visually a bit interesting but the storytelling's atrocious. Uro I went with him to Udine once. Very nice guy, a real firebrand sometimes.
Yep, a quick mention in this article (http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/noelmoviereviews/message/365)
-
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m132/keating_01/misteryosatuwa.jpg)
Scenes from Abbo dela Cruz' MISTERYO SA TUWA. Photo taken from JojoDevera's blog.
-
Vast Array of Products at M.I.F.F. 83
An impressively comprehensive second year is in store for the Manila Intl. Film Festival. The IFFPA recognized event, conceived by Imelda Romualdez Marcos, First Lady of the Philippines and chairman/president of the MIFF, will cover four major areas- an intl competition, a global exhibition with focus on Asia and the Philippines, a film market and symposia. MIFF director-general is John J. Litton, assisted by Roselle Rebano. Secretary General is Elizabeth dela Fuente. Consultants are Gianpaolo Lomi, Ma. Azucena Maceda, Rodolfo T. Reyes, Agustin Sotto and Ernie de Pedro.
The competitive entries vying for Golden Eagles in four major categories- best film, director, actor and actress:
MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER- Australia
WHITE MAGIC- Bulgaria
A DAY IN A TAXI- Canada
MY MEMORY OF OLD BEIJING- People's Republic of China
ALSINO AND THE CONDOR- Cuba
THE SHAME- Egypt
SHOT PATTERN- France
HELL'S KITCHEN- FRG
SABINE KLEIST, AGED SEVEN- GDR
MASCOT- Hungary
STORY OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP- Italy
ONIMASA- Japan
THE END OF AUTUMN- South Korea
WILD HORSES- New Zealand
MORAL- Philippines
ORO PLATA MATA- Philippines
SAND CLIFFS- Romania
VALENTINA- Spain
SECOND JOURNEY- Sri Lanka
SON OF THE NORTH EAST- Thailand
STILL OF THE NIGHT- USA
POPLE OF THE MOORS- USSR
These competitive films will be screened at the Manila Film Center, a four-floor structure covering an area of 28,500 sq.m., the most recent additions to the edifices within the Cultural Center complex off Roxas Boulevard. The Main Theatre seats 1,000, while the two Mini-Cinemas (A & B) have capacities of 400 each.
The 2nd MIFF, which was opened by the Philippines' HIMALA, will be closed by Columbia's GANDHI in the presence of producer-director Sir Richard Attenborough and star Ben Kingsley. Golden Eagle honorees on closing night will be Sir Richard Attenborough (UK), Fay Kanin (USA) and Xie Jin (PRC).
-
i watched ONIMASA that year... tickets for the screening were quite expensive back then... since i was in school i could only afford to watch what i really wanted to see...
-
How much was the ticket if you remember it? It was really a splurge galore from the government since all of the guests like the filmmakers, celebrities were treated to five-star hotels nearby.
-
for regular MMFF & PICC screenings tickets were P35 each... that was expensive back in 1983...
-
I was reading the guest lists from the brochure and whoa.....you really missed one half of your life if you didn't attend the ist day screening and its televised from channel 4.
That was too expensive for the ticket price.
-
it was definitely expensive... i had to save my allowance to buy tickets...
-
Jojo do you still remember which film bagged the Golden Eagle? ORO PLATA MATA got the Special Jury Prize, right?
-
How times did they stage the MIFF?
-
Twice, the 3rd time never happened again because of political upheaval.
-
and putting the festival together was so expensive as well...
-
I think the portrait of Imelda is still in the creepy Manila Film Center.
-
i remember the semi nude painting of Imelda at the MFC ala Maganda from Si Malakas At Si Maganda
-
Jojo do you remember which film bagged the Golden Eagle award?
-
i don't remember which film...
-
Do you think Philippine Cinema will still breathe and kicking if ECP still around? Let's say there were able to recoup their investments after the spate of skin flicks and continue with those movies like FLORES DE MAYO and BULAG?
-
i don't think it will help... the producers should make films that will attract the moviegoing public. in my opinion, Cinemalaya is ECP re-born... but that's just me.
-
Yeah and that's counting also CINEMANILA, but they focus more on foreign films but still a welcome treat for cineastes once in a while.
-
Hollywood and foreign films has always been around but a number of local movies during the 70's and the 80's were on par or even better than any other film which was shown in the country back then...
-
Couldn't agree more. Why is it that ORO PLATA MATA has no subtitles? It was shown in Belgium also during the 80's.
-
what ABS-CBS owns is the only existing print which is without subtitles... i'd bet that one is still somewhere in Belgium
-
The print with subs is now considered lost? CCP before made several copies of the film but no subs also.
-
i wouldn't say lost... it's probably somewhere in Belgium. Oro had lot of prints since they showed the movie in several Manila theaters in 1983...
-
The best print that I ever saw was after the Edsa Revolution when channel 13 showed the film in the afternoon for two parts.
-
the best one for me was when i saw the movie sa PICC during the MIFF then sa Ali Mall Cinema 3 during it's theatrical run...
-
You are lucky, I was rejected during the MIFF screening. My cousins even fought the usherette. ;D
-
i do consider myself lucky to have seen a lot of movies in the 80's... lagi akong nasa sinehan... i watch everything!
-
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m132/keating_01/Manilafilmcenter.jpg)
Manila Film Center today. Some of the best and even the worst films have been shown here during the 80's. The story about several workers buried alive while the construction was going on, haunting the place, remain a fact and a myth but became a ghost legend until now.
-
there was a scene near the end of Big Time where the meeting place was behind the MFC... i was surprised to see how it looks now...
-
Yeah it looks entirely different now. When I was watching Cinemalaya at the CCP, the atmosphere of the Manila Film Center came back to my senses.
-
it does... i heard that the MFC is the venue for gay performance artists...
-
My cousin who watched the last full screening of SCORPIO NIGHTS had some eerie experience in the comfort room at MFC. The toilet bowl will flush even though there is no other person beside him.
-
maybe it's auto-flush... ;D
-
And he can't forget when he sat on the chair, its so wet and slippery. Maybe some beverages spilled there. ;D
-
who knows what really happened? i've been then numerous times but never had any weird experiences... :(
-
Do you believe in ghost stories? They show on channel 7 last year the footage wherein some of the construction workers were buried in the cement and asking for help. But no news whether they were retrieve from the construction site.
-
depends... when i first read about the deaths during the MFC's consturction, i got goosebumps but i never really experienced anything extraordinary everytime i went there...
-
Maybe it remains a myth until now. But fact for some people.
Celso Ad Castillo's SNAKE SISTERS was pulled out from the tenth day at MFC because of the clamor of the moralists. ::)
I wonder how did Johnny Litton handle the controversies?
-
apparently, it didn't affect him at all... in the following years after the MIFF they screened films like The Boatman, Isla, Scorpio Nighs and the like...
-
What was ECP's biggest hit when it comes to skin flicks, Jo? Is it SCORPIO NIGHTS, VIRGIN FOREST or ISLA?
-
Scorpio followed by Isla... these films were their biggest moneymakers. Virgin Forest was a disappointment... everybody who I saw it with shouted harang...
-
VIRGIN FOREST was more of historical drama than bold. Its more art film than exploitation. And yeah the threesome of Sarsi, Miguel and Abel Jurado are tame. But the opening scenes are so, hot! ;D
-
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m132/keating_01/himala.jpg)
Nora Aunor on HIMALA:
"Nanominate ako sa lahat ng award giving bodies pero wala ako nakuha kahit isang award except for the MMFF. Wala daw ako ginawa kundi dumipa ng dumipa!"
-
FAMAS thought the same way that's why she was nominated for her performance in Mga Uod At Rosas rather than Himala in 1982...
-
I was watching again the docu on HIMALA last weekend and its too bad Cinema One didn't include Nora on the retrospective documentary.
RELASYON is now on my watch list this Sunday, time to weigh again the much-talked about grand slam feat of Vilma over Nora which incidentally are two Bernal flicks.
-
it's really difficult to get hold of Ate Guy, the one thing about her is that when she's done with a project, she never looks back on it again, she moves on to the next one...
i think Vilma is outstanding in Relasyon but far better in Broken Marriage. Nora is simply excellent in Himala, like what Bernal mentioned, moviegoers wasn't ready for a film like Himala in 1982, true enough, years later film entusiasts and critics still rave on it's brilliance... truly a masterwork of Philippine Cinema...
-
On the over-all impact, HIMALA is more powerful than RELASYON. Bernal controlled totally the film from beginning to end. And Nora seized the opportunity of a lifetime on its climactic finale!
Agree with you on Vilma regarding BROKEN MARRIAGE.
-
indeed it is! Relasyon was the first movie to focus on the other woman as a human being... a far cry from the caricatures created in movies by Bella Flores, Zeny Zabala, Milagros Naval and Carol Varga. Vilma infused Marilou's character with such humanity that it's difficult to ignore the truthfulness she injected to the role.
-
Bernal always end his film with some symbolic meanings. BROKEN MARRIAGE ends in a church where Vilma and Boyet just glance with each other.
-
really? i thought the film ended with the entire family having a picnic at the beach...
-
Interesting write-up from Howie Severino's blog.
I've been away exploring a haunted building. And I learned that it may not be spooked in the way we've all imagined. Nearly 25 years after the horrific tragedy that still defines it, the Manila Film Center hosted a different kind of quest -- a quest for facts.
Imelda had wanted coconut trunk-like pillars on her Greek Parthenon-inspired film palace, but her nervous architects managed to convince her otherwise. The man sitting next to the third pillar from the right gives a sense of its size.
_______________________________________________
The Manila Film Center, in a far corner of the Cultural Center complex on Roxas Blvd., is probably the country's most infamous structure. Some would say it is cursed, although a Korean-owned company is currently making a flamboyant effort to rehabilitate its image with a transvestite Las Vegas-like act. Now housing the "Amazing Philippine Theatre," the massive building is patronized nightly by dozens of Korean honeymooners who pose in front of the kitschy Egyptian Pharoah figure above the doorway before entering to enjoy the performance by the "country's prettiest gays." Most of the couples are completely unaware of its ghostly reputation, if one doesn't consider Filipino males with long hairless legs as apparitions.
But prettiest gays or not, ordinary superstition-loving Filipinos have avoided the building like SARS.
Even before it was finished in 1982, in time for the Manila International Film Festival, Imelda's film palace -- as others would call it -- suffered the first of its outrageous misfortunes. On November 17, 1981, during the pouring of cement, an upper floor collapsed, sending an untold number of workers hurtling into fresh cement or onto upright steel bars where they hung like barbeque (this was a witness's analogy, not mine) for hours until their bodies were retrieved.
The story all this time, or at least as I and countless others believed it, was that Imelda immediately ordered the bodies in the cement to be paved over so that work could resume and her looming deadline met. News about the tragedy was censored during the martial law era, so rumors and ghosts filled the vaccum.
Ghosts take over
Since then, as legend would have it, the Manila Film Center has become a haven for the supernatural, as spirits of the dead bodies encased in high-strength cement plead for recovery and a decent burial. So-called "spirit questors" have confirmed it, as well as various mediums (media?) and manghuhula.
In other words, that Parthenon-inspired white elephant in a dark, secluded spot next to Manila Bay is a fu****g scary place.
On top of that, it has become a gargantuan symbol of Imelda's edifice complex. The Manila Film Center did once house government agencies that promoted Philippine cinema, and is credited, at least by Marcos-era impresario Johnny Litton, for making possible Peque Gallaga's classic, Oro, Plata, Mata.
Later, after the Cory government repudiated everything Imeldific, the film palace lost its glamor when it became the government's central passport office. Then the 1990 earthquake struck. The building shook and the stairs and road around the structure cracked.
Sufficiently spooked, the passport people abandoned the building, which was visited afterwards only occasionally by people interested in the occult or film fanatics led by the CCP's Ed Cabagnot who once organized a colorum film screening there. In 2001, the Koreans started renting it for their version of the gay shows that draw the tourist multitudes in Thailand.
Giant Egyptian-inspired dog figurines now welcome Korean honeymooners to Filipino gay shows at the film center. In Egypt, dog gods from antiquity stand guard outside the tombs of the Pharoahs.
______________________________________________________
All this time, the Manila Film Center has retained a reputation as a cursed, spooky remnant of Imeldific excess. Only the Koreans have had the guts to use it commercially.
The question that has hovered like Casper above all conversations about the place: How many are really buried in there?
That question drove our Halloween-night I-Witness documentary on what really happened on November 17, 1981. Fact-finding, not ghost hunting, was our mission.
I must say that we weren't that much more successful than the generation of ghost hunters who preceded us. But what we realized made us doubt what everyone has taken for granted all these years.
A half-baked conclusion
After numerous return trips to the film center's dark and eery catacombs, futile efforts to find a paper trail, and interviews with survivors and loved ones of dead construction workers, my half-baked conclusion: Not more than a dozen died (we heard figures as high as 169, which was based on an Inquirer account of a spirit questor expedition years ago), and NONE of them left behind in the Manila Film Center. Why are you surprised?
First of all, we couldn't find anyone who knew anyone in there, including relatives. If there really were dozens of skeletons still encased in cement in the film palace, we are almost sure we would have been able to trace loved ones, or they would have found us. The construction workers who survived the incident did not know anyone, nor did they know anyone who knew anyone missing in the building.
We know from years of working in media that the relatives of missing people are extremely persistent and vocal, driven as they are by a human desire for closure on their grief. I think this would have been the case even if they were bribed by Imelda, which is one theory for why they have been so quiet through all these years. I have my own theory: the missing don't exist.
One witness told us that workers cleared the bodies and the debris from the theater floor before resuming the construction, which was finished the same day that international stars like Jeremy Irons and George Hamilton waltzed in.
Anatomy of an Urban Legend
If the ghosts we hear about represent the souls of the dead unceremoniously buried under the theater floor, then they are probably ghosts in our minds. In other words, they are an Urban Legend that spread due to the confluence of the following: the horror of what happened in November 1981; news censorship during martial law which created a black hole where credible information should have been; hatred of the Marcoses, so many were prepared to believe the worst about an Imelda project; and the average Filipino's unquestioned belief in ghosts.
Unless someone can produce the facts to prove otherwise, or even just relatives, the case of the missing workers inside the Manila Film Center must be one of the country's biggest urban legends ever.
If there are any ghosts at all, they are the lies and illusions from the past which have yet to be exposed for what they are. Scarier than the ghosts in our minds are the real-life ghosts in our midst: a place of horrible tragedy that has been swept under the rug of censorship; an Imelda Marcos who still waltzes around town in her terno as if the crimes of martial law never happened; and the possibility that such horrors can happen again and no accounting takes place.
Our consolation is a new view of the Manila Film Center: it's not a giant tomb, but just the scene of yet another Marcos-era bloodbath. If all of those who have been so bent through the years on finding ghosts can summon the same will to locate all the facts, maybe we can finally see the truth.
-
in the documentary Signed Lino Brocka, the late National Artist for Film talked about the MFC complete with footage of the accident. it gave me goosebumps...
-
Saw it also on tv before, very creepy! The workers are trapped in the cement and imagine if they were not really rescued?
-
they were trapped in quick dry cement. limbs had to be cut to save lives sadly most of the surviving workers were burried alive...
-
Jojo do you remember the oxygen that was brought to the accident site? It was brought to give medical attention to the workers that were trapped in the dry cement to give them first aid. The others died instantly. :o
-
i think that footage was included in the documentary...
-
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m132/keating_01/privateshow.jpg)
Was this a hit at the Manila Film Center, Jo?
-
i didn't watch it at the MFC, only during it's theatrical run which was a flop...
-
Jojo do you remember the oxygen that was brought to the accident site? It was brought to give medical attention to the workers that were trapped in the dry cement to give them first aid. The others died instantly. :o
I remember one footage from MGB, i think from years ago, t'was one of the segments for their Halloween special. I'm trying to be a bit eidetic, but from what I've seen there was one of the workers whose bottom part of his body got stuck on the collapsed scaffolding and he was being helped out by the rescuers. He was a little alert initially, but he slowly drifted into unconsciousness as they tried to pry him off the debris. I'm not sure, but I think they said that he was already dead when they managed to pull him out.
That scene alone was etched in my memory.
-
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m132/keating_01/privateshow.jpg)
Was this a hit at the Manila Film Center, Jo?
Correct me if i'm wrong, but Sixto Cayco was Lino Brocka, right?
What could be the reason for the pseudonym?
-
no wedge... sixto kayko was chito rono. the reason for the psuedonym was at the time of Private Show's release his father Minister Jose Rono was still very much active in the political arena and he didin't want him to know that he made this film...
-
Oh. Thanks, Jojo.
If I remember, a film prof told us that Brocka also used a nom de plume during the Martial Law days?
-
anytime wedge...
i'm not quite sure about Lino Brocka but there's a possibility that you're film professor is right...
-
Imee Marcos was present at the recently concluded CINEMANILA. I was not able to take a glimpse of her. There were talks before that she was one of the brains behind Neo Productions, one of the companies under Viva Films.
-
I remember hearing that Imee was one of Brocka's choices to play Insiang. They were supposedly good friends those days.
-
Imee has both brains and beauty. What happened with her bonding with Brocka?
-
in the documentary Signed Lino Brocka, the late National Artist for Film talked about the MFC complete with footage of the accident. it gave me goosebumps...
How did Blackwood got the footage from the docu? The footage is enough to evoke memories. Man, the opening night at the Manila International Filmfest in 1983 where the late Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda gave speech is pure history!!!
-
Imelda put a stop to that. That's another reason why Madam was so down on the production.
-
Was reading the speech that FM delivered during the MIFF. Makes you wonder who wrote it and what he or she was actually thinking.
-
How did Blackwood got the footage from the docu? The footage is enough to evoke memories. Man, the opening night at the Manila International Filmfest in 1983 where the late Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda gave speech is pure history!!!
the footage was borrowed from rpn-9 news archive...
-
i have no idea who wrote the speech...
-
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m132/keating_01/Picture034.jpg)
People lining-up for a screening at the Manila Film Center in 1983.
MIFF 1983 IN RETROSPECT
In the Competition, It Wasn't who won that Mattered, But whether anybody cared
by Isagani R. Cruz published in Phil. Panorama, Feb. 13, 1983
Downtown, it was like the bomba days before martial law, when the theatres were crowded with flesh. The two weeks of MIFF '83, of course were not like the typical week before 1972-the films were not really hardcore and the audiences were not exclusively male. Nevertheless, downtown moviehouses were turning away patrons by the hundreds and raking in millions of pesos.
At the Folk Arts theatre, tens of thousands of moviegoers stayed up late to catch the midnight screenings of such foreign sex flicks as Japan's IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES. At the CCP Little Theatre, the sign "SOLD OUT" was put up a number of times. At the two main screenign venues at the PICC, it became more and more difficult as the festival progressed to find an empty seat.
Meanwhile back at the Main Theatre of the Manila Film Center, supposedly the hub of festival activity, there were always more empty seats than viewers. Since the middle orchestra seats were reserved for non-paying foreign guests, the number of actual patrons actually paying their way in was dismally small. Despite the promotional come-ons placed around the Manila Film Center (such as ring of Fast Food booths manned by five-star hotels and restaurants, a mini-shopping arcade, orchestras and choral groups, a permanent diorama exhibit, not to mention the chance to appear on television if the coverage crews took a fancy to you), hardly anybody bothered to watch the competiiton entries. Like the eye of a typhoon, despite the long queues elsewhere, the Main Theatre was ironically, conspicuously, sadly, half-empty.
There were three basic reasons for the low attendance at the screenings of the competition films. The first was the admission prices, criminally high at P40 (daytime shows) and P80 (gala shows). The second was the stiff competition offered by the exhibition films. What fim buff could afford to miss screenings of such greats as Brazil's PIXOTE, Italy's LA NOTTE DI SAN LORENZO, United States' CHAN IS MISSING, the Soviet Union's THE CRANES ARE FLYING, France's LA NUIT DE VARENNES and QUERELLE, Germany's TWO GERMAN SISTERS, not to mention the great Filipino Films in the Retrospective? What freedom starved local viewer, fed up with the outmoded, prudish standards of the local censors could miss the chance to see uncensored screenings of sex-filled artistic, semi-artistic and unartistic movies.
The films themselves were not that good. In fact, some of them were plain bad. There were, of course, a few good entries, but the general feeling I got after watching most of the entries (not all, because my conscience would not allow me to miss the great exhibition films running at the same time) was that last year's crop was better. We cannot blame the festival organizers for the low level of the competition films. After all, Berlin and Cannes are just a few weeks away. Our own HIMALA (winner over MORAL in the Metro Manila Film Festival) could not compete in Manila, because it is bound for the more established therefore more prestigious Berlin Film Fest. We did field ORO PLATA MATA (at presstime, the awards have not yet been announced, but I can feel in my bones that we will win one of the major awards with ORO), which just goes to show that we consider our own international film festival important enough to field our best. But other countries were clearly reserving their best films for older festivals. The general quality of films has internationally declined. GANDHI for instance, though not one of the decade's best films is winning or running for all the big American awards practically unopposed.
Curiously enough the films had several things in common. One is the use of local color. Thailand's SON OF THE NORTHEAST, spends a lot of footage on such things as the making of jars, the preparation of snake meat for cooking and a wedding ritual. Bulgaria's WHITE MAGIC weaves a symbolic tale within concrete images of peasant life. Egypt's THE SHAME sets certain scenes on rooftops, in order to show Egyptian architecture. The attempt to exploit local color leads to an emphasis on production design. Since design becomes more impressive in period films, many of the competition entries are set in the past. Australia's MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER details the lives of horsemen in the wilds of Australia. China's MY MEMORIES OF OLD BEIJING takes the viewer back 50 years. ORO PLATA MATA is a period film laying great stress on production design.
In the end, what remains of the competition films is not their overall lack of power, but the few scenes that are as powerful as film can become. My memories of the competition to rephrase the Chinese film's title revolve around some beautifully photographed, masterfully directed elegantly written sequences. There's Anthony Quinn in VALENTINA, asking the young boy whether he wants to be a saint,a hero or a poet. That moment of triumph in MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER (appauded at the gala screening) when the young man rides in with all the wild horses is another cinematic gem. Gripping is the scene in THE SHAME when the family is told that the dead father was a drug dealer. The suspenseful scene of the prisoner with his gun inside his mouth as he contemplates suicide in A DAY IN A TAXI is excellent. The torrid sex scene beside the stalled train in THE END OF AUTUMN, these are my memories of those cold, lonely nights at the Main Theatre of the Manila Filjm Center.
-
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m132/keating_01/Picture033.jpg)
Former First Lady, Imelda Marcos and Johnny Litton announce a P10 million gross from ticket sales on the second day.
A FESTIVAL OF PORNO FLICKS: Imelda Marcos defends MIFF
"I should have thought of this last year," said Johnny Litton explaining the move to utilize Manila's downtown theatres for the filmfest. It was the First Lady who broached the idea and I said, why not?! Almost all film festivals are doing it. The downtown theatres were packed to the rafters from January 24-February 4. Those were the days of the MIFF days when uncensored sex films were being shown in Manila's 157 commercial theatres. Folks from as far as Aparri in the north and Bulan, Sorsogon, in the south travelled hundreds of miles away by land just to get to Manila and view the boldest ever films shown since Bataan fell to the Japs on April 9, 1942. During the festival, ticket prices were increased from P5.50, P6.50 and P7.50 to P10, P15, and P20 for orchestra and balcony, lodge respectively.
To justify the showing of adult films, the First Lady said..... Its part of growing up and to elevate public taste. If you are not mature enough when you are 18, you are a hopeless case. She then declared she would realize the target of P20 million for the filmfest. Youth who have been incalculated with proper values and attitudes would not be destroyed by one or two bold movies. In reference to the detractors of the filmfest she declares........I regret that the showing of uncut pictures has upset some fragile senses. The films should be viewed by all as part of growing up of the local movie audiences. Its about time the people see for themselves these movies and decide which are good or bad.
National Artist Nick Joaquin has advised Ms. Katigabk to resign as chairman of the Board of Censors. Ms. katigbak's reply...."No comment na ako diyan.....Let them be! They're the ones concerned not me. I never attended any functions at the MIFF. I have nothing to do with the MIFF.
Enter Cardinal Sin in the picture......Policemen and parents should be mobilized to prevent the minors from viewing films about sex and violence. The First Lady answered.....I have no intention of engaging in an extended argument with the Catholic Church, but by allowing adults to see these previoulsy banned films they would be able to judge the contents for themselves.
One of the biggest top-grosser among the filmfest was Celso Ad Castillo's VIRGIN PEOPLE which was shown in 29 theatres. One theatre in Quiapo replaced ORO PLATA MATA with VIRGIN PEOPLE to perk up business.
-
I can't remember any of the foreign films that were shown during MIFF. Were they really "porn" movies?
-
i remember watching "pool without water" a japanese movie at Delta theater.
-
I can't remember any of the foreign films that were shown during MIFF. Were they really "porn" movies?
Mostly softcore porn films were screened in the metropolitan area. I don't know if you will classify it as porn. But predictably those films contained lots and lots of sex sequences, frontal nudity, masturbation, copulation, rape and sexual violence.
I do remember VIRGIN PEOPLE & THE VICTIM starring Pepsi Paloma. ;D
Based on Phil. Panorama article dated Feb. 13, 1983 some of the titles were JULIA, JOY OF FLYING, EXPOSED, NAIIBANG HAYOP, BECAUSE OF THE CATS.
-
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m132/keating_01/focusonfiliipinofilms_asampling1951.jpg)
Cover of the MIFF publication in 1982. Thanks to James DR of Pelikula, atbp blogspot.
-
I think I know who might have footage of the MIFF festivities...