The Filth and The Furor
At the very first Metro filmfest in the 70s, Vilma Santos starred as a striptease artist in Celso Ad Castillo’s Burlesk Queen. I was in elementary school at the time, and my parents were not about to accompany me to a movie with “burlesque†in the title, but I remember the furor surrounding that movie.
“Burlesque†is “a theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous, often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and striptease actsâ€. It’s been around since Aristophanes wrote his comedies thousands of years ago. In Tagalog, “pagbuburles†meant “to take one’s clothes off in publicâ€. It was something to be shunned by respectable people. Apart from its subject matter, the film was controversial because it starred superstar and former teen idol Vilma Santos, it was directed by Celso Ad Castillo, self-proclaimed messiah of Filipino cinema, and it contained a truly shocking dance sequence. Burlesk Queen climaxes with Vilma bumping and grinding in front of a wildly cheering audience; her gyrations cause her to have a miscarriage. Lurid, yes, and not likely to be forgotten.
The Filth and The Furor, in Emotional Weather Report today in the Star.
P.S. Kaboboyan (see comments) is probably right: Burlesk Queen was from the third, not the first filmfest. I remember that it came after Ganito Kami Noon; my source was a little hazy about the year. Then again, the video I watched began with a list of the awards the movie won at the First Metro Manila Film Festival. Hmm.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
January 2nd, 2009 at 09:33
I saw this classic two years ago sa cable TV. Maganda ang pagkadirek ni Celso Ad. Jessica, ikaw ha, Noranian ako. Bakit mo naman nasulat “superstar” patungkol kay Vilma? Hindi ko akalain na matawag mo si Vilma nang ganon… Happy New Year to you, Miss Zafra.
January 3rd, 2009 at 00:49
I saw this movie and if I remember right, there was this dialogue where Vilma Santos cussed and shouted to Rolly Quizon, “para kang walang bay_g.” I remember its glorious cinematography which captured the filth and din of the Manila streets and steps and bridges. You’re right, the Tagalog films of then were both artistic and commercial. In that distant past, I chose only to see a Brocka, a Celso Ad, a Romero and even a Zialcita film. Otherwise it would be a Holwyood.
It’s a pity. Today’s bunch of tagalog movies come out so sad, even if they are intended to be hilarious.
January 3rd, 2009 at 09:15
Hi, Jessica. Correction lang. Burlesk Queen was shown in the 3rd filmfest, not the 1st. This was 1977, a year after people were awed by “Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon” and “Insiang” in the ’76 filmfest. Burlesk swept all the awards except for one. That upset a lot of people who were rooting for Mike de Leon’s “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising” (which was actually lame vs. Burlesk). And people found it too risque for the filmfest, then a serious movie competition. They thought the judging was rigged because they couldn’t believe Rolly Quizon could act. Pinasauli ng Metro Manila government ang lahat na napanalunang tropeo!
Cheers to a New Year!
January 4th, 2009 at 08:03
I was able to watch it during its run. I was 7 years old. There was a “For Adults Only” sign outside. I remember enjoying it sans malice. I was also able to watch “Ang Galing-galing Mo Mrs. Jones”. I think my “elders” were able to get me in by paying the full ticket price.