Lips to Lips: The Evolution of Kissing Scenes in Philippine Movies

“Every imaginable taboo, once unspoken and forbidden, has been depicted in graphic ways in Philippine movies,” says Alex Castro.

From Alex Castro’s “Lips to Lips: The Evolution of Kissing Scenes in Philippine Movies”

In his lengthy, impressively researched and well- documented article — flavored with trivia notes at times — about the evolution of kissing scenes in Philippine movies, readers, particularly film history buffs journey with Mr. Castro from way way back, when yes! it was taboo for lovers to kiss, even hold hands in public; the reason why it was so shocking for the viewers to watch kissing scenes, especially when first shown in the movies. Now, it is so common a segment without it and lovemaking would render a film incomplete. It has become part of the formula.

Vicente Salumbides and Sofia Lota in “Fate or Consequence” (1926) from Salumbides’ book “Motion Pictures in the Philippines” (1952)

Reading about Mr. Vicente Salumbides in the article, I couldn’t help but recall my interview with him. He did say how jealous her then-future wife was, Rosario Panganiban when his film, “Fate or Consequence” showing him kissing actress Sofia Lota was shown. Mr. Salumbides was hard of hearing at that time. To communicate with him, I had to write each question on a piece of paper and gave it to him one at a time. He would read it, then would reply to whatever question I handed to him. I was then working as a researcher for the UP Film Center, and about to start a documentary on him when unfortunately our house burned. The flames ate up all the materials that I gathered from my interviews with him, Alejandro Celis, one of his silent movie actors, and Atang de la Rama. At that time, Mr. Salumbides was living somewhere in Fairview, Quezon City, BF Homes, if I am not mistaken.

To read Alex Castro’s full article, please click the link below:
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/movies-and-tv/evolution-of-kissing-scenes-philippine-movies-a2289-20190612-lfrm5

Advertisement

Special Screening of MANUEL CONDE FILMS

From Wikipedia

In celebration of the Centennial Birth Anniversary of the National Artist for Film Manuel Conde [b. October 9, 1915; d. August 11, 1985], the Cultural Center of the Philippines Arthouse Cinema, in cooperation with
Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the UP Los Baños Foundation Inc, will screen three of his films produced in the 50’s. The event — dubbed as *MANUEL CONDE@100* will be held at Tanghalang Manuel Conde, Cultural Center of the Philippines on Sept. 24, October 1 and 8.

I remember interviewing him as then researcher of the UP Film Center in the late 70’s in connection with my research about Vicente Salumbides, somewhere in Sampaloc area near Espana in Manila.The latter talked about Manuel Conde who worked with him in his film Ibong Adarna. Unfortunately, when our house burned in 1998, all my materials — photos, and tape interviews with Salumbides turned into ashes as well.

Luckily, I found my taped interview with Conde among the tape collection of my historian-brother who lived in J.P.Laurel St., Area II inside the UP Campus in Diliman. That was sometime in 2004; the year my brother passed away. I had to gather all his things in order to move out. But moving in and out of a house to transfer materials eventually made searching later for that tape quite difficult, since there were tons of important research materials in his house.

I remember asking him about his Juan Tamad series, Conde’s satirical but socially relevant movies.  I am still hoping that I would find the copy…

Source: Video48.blogspot.com

To be presented by the CCP Arthouse Cinema are the following:

GENGHIS KHAN [1950], September 24 at 3 p.m.
The first Filipino film to compete at the Venice Film Festival in 1952, Genghis Khan starred Manuel Conde and Elvira Reyes. Produced by MC Productions, it is the saga of how the young but wily Temujin rose to become the overlord of the Mongol Empire. The version will have the original Tagalog soundtrack, unhampered by James Agee’s poetic narration in the re-edited international edition which was restored in 2012. [Teddy Co, board member of the Society of Filipino Archivists for Film] will discuss for the first time some confounding and overlooked facets about the film].

KRUS NA KAWAYAN [1956], October 1, 2016 at 3 p.m.
Entirely filmed in Vietnam with Filipino actors in Vietnamese roles, the film tackeles the refugee crisis at the onset of the Vietnam War. The United States Information Service [USIS] funded the film as propaganda material to portray the evils of Communism during the Cold War. [Jun Urbano, who was a young boy in the film, will talk about his experiences working with his father]

VENGANZA [1958], October 8, 2016 at 3 p.m.
Produced by LVN Pictures, the action-thriller starred Mario Montenegro, Carmencita Abad, Perla Bautista, and Carlos Padilla, Jr. The screening will be preceded by the launch of the Manuel Conde. Centennial stamp by the Philippine Postal Authority and NCCA. [Film  scholar Nicanor Tiongson, author of The Cinema of Manuel Conde will give a talk after the screening, emphasizing Conde’s delicacy and care in depicting the indigenous Igorot people shown in the film. A rare bonus clip of an interview with Conde before he died will also be shown.]

[Source: CCP Calendar of Events, September-October 2016]

Photos courtesy of Video48.blogspot.com

http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/archive/