philippine cinema's best actresses
what's a pink blog without a post on actresses. i know, i know, list posts are such a cliche. they shout "lazy!" in bold, capital letters.
but please bear with me. sometimes i get so busy with my newfound career that i hardly have time to sleep, much less think of new, funny posts to make your day. chos!!
so let me start this mahatma gandah's list with the best actresses, in my book, in this little part of hollwood. if you don't agree with me, go make your own list. haha
1. nora aunor. but of course. unlike other actresses, la aunor is still great even if she is not handled by the masters (lino brocka, ishmael bernal, mario o'hara) and even if the script sucks. case in point -- the flor contemplacion story -- directed by the mediocre and overrated joel lamangan. she was so good there that she won various awards. need i say more?
as i have mentioned earlier, nora was superb in nearly all of her movies -- tatlong taong walang diyos, himala, merika, andrea, bulaklak sa city jail, minsa'y isang gamu-gamo -- but she was nowhere near brilliant than in that film with another great actress lolita rodriguez in lino brocka's masterpiece "ina ka ng anak mo," an entry in the the nineteen seventy-nine metro manila film festival (those were the days when the entries were really deserving to be entered in a festival) where its lead actresses tied for the best actress and raoul aragon (an underrated talent, mind you) won the best actor trophy.
it's a story about mother and daughter who shared the same man.
watch this clip and be awed by her greatness.
2. hilda koronel. another lino brocka favourite. but unlike nora aunor, hilda had very few movies that really did justice to her enormous talent. three of her movies remain a favourite until today -- "insiang", which pitted her with another great actress monalisa, in another story about a mother and daughter sharing the same man, only this one has a twist; "maynila sa mga kuko ng liwanag, and angela markado."
here's a clip of insiang, where she showed remarkable talent as an actress, even if the role required her to test her mettle with the veteran monalisa.
3. lolita rodriguez, monalisa, nida blanca and charito solis. these four lino brocka favorites have to share the third spot. i can't really decide which one of them is better than the other three. of the four, it was charito solis, like nora aunor, who made a number of memorable films with excellent portrayals. she also won a lot of best actress and best supporting actress awards.
but my most favourite charito solis film was the one with nora aunor and maricel soriano -- "minsan may isang ina", which also featured the very young manilyn reynes.
lolita rodriguez did a number of films that made a mark in the industry including "tinimbang ka nguni't kulang", also directed by lino brocka, "ina ng kang anak mo", and "tubog sa ginto."
in my book, her greatest performance was in "tinimbang.." with the very young christopher de leon, who was then very captivating and whose talent was raw and unencumbered by techniques, and gorgeous hilda koronel. this was christopher's first movie, by the way.
as for monalisa, i was torn between her performances in "insiang" and "cain at abel", another lino brocka masterpiece. in "cain.." she played the mother of siblings christopher de leon and philip salvador (both actors were very good in this film, and very sexy too.). in the end, i picked both. watch her in this clip with carmi martin, philip and christopher in "cain.."
nida, another box-office star just like nora, vilma and charito, made a lot of movies. most of them showcased her wide range as an actress. she excelled both in drama and comedy. my favourite was the lino directed "miguelito, ang batang rebelde" where she played the role of a wronged mother (of then teen heartthrob aga muhlach) searching for justice. watch this scene and weep.
(speaking of aga, until now i am wondering why some critics hailed him as an actor and even won some awards. the same sentiment i feel for richard gomez, who is also an overrated "actor".
4. vilma santos. like her fiercest rival as local cinema's superstar, vilma played a number of great roles that awed both critics and moviegoers. she was unforgettable in burlesk queen, pag-puti ng uwak, pag-itim ng tagak, sister stella l, relasyon, ekstra, broken marriage, haplos, and the few films that she made with nora aunor like t-bird at ako and ikaw ay akin.
but since i only have to pick one movie, it's got to be "relasyon", a film she made with christopher de leon (they made tons of fils together, all box-office hits and some were critically acclaimed such as this one) and directed by ishmael bernal. i like her role here and her style of acting (restrained, minus the shouting and slapping scenes she had been famous for).
5. gina alajar, liza lorena and amy austria. just like nida, charito, lolita and monalisa, i also can't choose who should be at the number five spot between these three underrated actresses. so i chose them all. of the three, it was liza who had a number of memorable characters, but my favourite remains to be "oro, plata, mata", a piece of cinematic gem directed by peque gallaga.
gina alajar also made a number of great movies, especially those directed by lino brocka such as bayan ko (kapit sa patalim) and orapronobis, as well as by ishmael bernal like sister stella l and city after drak. she was also unforgettable in brutal, moral, salome. i liked her best in "orapronobis" with philip salvador and bembol roco, who was very memorable in the film as the main villain.
gina and amy were batchmates in showbiz. like gina, amy too had a number of impressive performances such as in celestina bubbles sanchez, brutal, jaguar, hinugot sa langit, atsay, gabun, caught in the act, and kung mahawi man ang ulap, where she played contravida to hilda koronel.
but my favourite was "brutal", directed by marilou diaz abaya and also starred gina alajar; and hinugot sa langit, where she played maricel soriano's eccentric cousin. amy is a versatile actress who can play both leads, anti-heroine roles, and supporting characters with aplomb. sadly, i can't find a clip of brutal, but luckily i got hinugot, a movie directed by ishmael bernal.
but please bear with me. sometimes i get so busy with my newfound career that i hardly have time to sleep, much less think of new, funny posts to make your day. chos!!
so let me start this mahatma gandah's list with the best actresses, in my book, in this little part of hollwood. if you don't agree with me, go make your own list. haha
1. nora aunor. but of course. unlike other actresses, la aunor is still great even if she is not handled by the masters (lino brocka, ishmael bernal, mario o'hara) and even if the script sucks. case in point -- the flor contemplacion story -- directed by the mediocre and overrated joel lamangan. she was so good there that she won various awards. need i say more?
as i have mentioned earlier, nora was superb in nearly all of her movies -- tatlong taong walang diyos, himala, merika, andrea, bulaklak sa city jail, minsa'y isang gamu-gamo -- but she was nowhere near brilliant than in that film with another great actress lolita rodriguez in lino brocka's masterpiece "ina ka ng anak mo," an entry in the the nineteen seventy-nine metro manila film festival (those were the days when the entries were really deserving to be entered in a festival) where its lead actresses tied for the best actress and raoul aragon (an underrated talent, mind you) won the best actor trophy.
it's a story about mother and daughter who shared the same man.
watch this clip and be awed by her greatness.
2. hilda koronel. another lino brocka favourite. but unlike nora aunor, hilda had very few movies that really did justice to her enormous talent. three of her movies remain a favourite until today -- "insiang", which pitted her with another great actress monalisa, in another story about a mother and daughter sharing the same man, only this one has a twist; "maynila sa mga kuko ng liwanag, and angela markado."
here's a clip of insiang, where she showed remarkable talent as an actress, even if the role required her to test her mettle with the veteran monalisa.
3. lolita rodriguez, monalisa, nida blanca and charito solis. these four lino brocka favorites have to share the third spot. i can't really decide which one of them is better than the other three. of the four, it was charito solis, like nora aunor, who made a number of memorable films with excellent portrayals. she also won a lot of best actress and best supporting actress awards.
but my most favourite charito solis film was the one with nora aunor and maricel soriano -- "minsan may isang ina", which also featured the very young manilyn reynes.
lolita rodriguez did a number of films that made a mark in the industry including "tinimbang ka nguni't kulang", also directed by lino brocka, "ina ng kang anak mo", and "tubog sa ginto."
in my book, her greatest performance was in "tinimbang.." with the very young christopher de leon, who was then very captivating and whose talent was raw and unencumbered by techniques, and gorgeous hilda koronel. this was christopher's first movie, by the way.
as for monalisa, i was torn between her performances in "insiang" and "cain at abel", another lino brocka masterpiece. in "cain.." she played the mother of siblings christopher de leon and philip salvador (both actors were very good in this film, and very sexy too.). in the end, i picked both. watch her in this clip with carmi martin, philip and christopher in "cain.."
nida, another box-office star just like nora, vilma and charito, made a lot of movies. most of them showcased her wide range as an actress. she excelled both in drama and comedy. my favourite was the lino directed "miguelito, ang batang rebelde" where she played the role of a wronged mother (of then teen heartthrob aga muhlach) searching for justice. watch this scene and weep.
(speaking of aga, until now i am wondering why some critics hailed him as an actor and even won some awards. the same sentiment i feel for richard gomez, who is also an overrated "actor".
4. vilma santos. like her fiercest rival as local cinema's superstar, vilma played a number of great roles that awed both critics and moviegoers. she was unforgettable in burlesk queen, pag-puti ng uwak, pag-itim ng tagak, sister stella l, relasyon, ekstra, broken marriage, haplos, and the few films that she made with nora aunor like t-bird at ako and ikaw ay akin.
but since i only have to pick one movie, it's got to be "relasyon", a film she made with christopher de leon (they made tons of fils together, all box-office hits and some were critically acclaimed such as this one) and directed by ishmael bernal. i like her role here and her style of acting (restrained, minus the shouting and slapping scenes she had been famous for).
5. gina alajar, liza lorena and amy austria. just like nida, charito, lolita and monalisa, i also can't choose who should be at the number five spot between these three underrated actresses. so i chose them all. of the three, it was liza who had a number of memorable characters, but my favourite remains to be "oro, plata, mata", a piece of cinematic gem directed by peque gallaga.
gina alajar also made a number of great movies, especially those directed by lino brocka such as bayan ko (kapit sa patalim) and orapronobis, as well as by ishmael bernal like sister stella l and city after drak. she was also unforgettable in brutal, moral, salome. i liked her best in "orapronobis" with philip salvador and bembol roco, who was very memorable in the film as the main villain.
gina and amy were batchmates in showbiz. like gina, amy too had a number of impressive performances such as in celestina bubbles sanchez, brutal, jaguar, hinugot sa langit, atsay, gabun, caught in the act, and kung mahawi man ang ulap, where she played contravida to hilda koronel.
but my favourite was "brutal", directed by marilou diaz abaya and also starred gina alajar; and hinugot sa langit, where she played maricel soriano's eccentric cousin. amy is a versatile actress who can play both leads, anti-heroine roles, and supporting characters with aplomb. sadly, i can't find a clip of brutal, but luckily i got hinugot, a movie directed by ishmael bernal.
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