Hello again Fellows! Little Quiapo searched over the internet for some Filipino movie classics and now he remembers one of the best local films he watched. I am featuring here a classic of the original Ina Magenta herself (Queen Mother of Engkantasya, the fairy kingdom in Okay Ka, Fairy Ko TV series), Charito Solis.
"Igorota" stars Charito Solis and another contemporary known actor, Eddie Garcia. We remember this as it was last shown in ABS CBN around 15 years ago. Local classics were shown then in a whole week in celebration of an International Film Festival then that was held in Manila (we can't remember the name of the Festival, but it focused on saving old films that are on the verge of full decay and eventually being lost forever).
The film was originally released in 1968. It can be considered as a ground breaking film in some aspects, simultaneous with the counter culture movement that was rising in that generation.
This film is not the typical old school Filipino movies of having very little conflict, having a scene where casts are singing and dancing fandango and having "and they live happily ever after" finale. The ending of the film is rather tragic where we see Maila (Charito's character) committed suicide.
Also, Charito Solis here stepped out from the stereotype of a glamorous Mestiza that was typical for the roles at that time by local actresses. She portrayed a native that came from the mountains up North.
In the original edition of the film, we see frontal nudities not just from Charito but as well as other casts/ extras. It is not so common for popular celebrities of the then Sampaguita-LVN era (which Charito belongs to) to have graphic nude scenes.
There is a lot of unforgettable lines in the film like: "Malice is in the eye of the beholder," delivered by Charito herself.
Apparently, this film was made not just for local mass consumption, but also for international release for the English language was used all through out the film (its not dubbed, scripts were read by the casts as they act on it).
The film bagged 8 FAMAS awards, but sadly most of the younger generation don't know about this film.
And of course, this film made Charito a legendary royalty not just in the story, but a royalty of the kingdom of Philippine Movie Industry. Although she passed away already, films of hers like this one made her craft immortal.
