Ramon A. Estella

From the Facebook group Memories Of Old Manila by Michelle C. Cidro: Ramon A. Estella (1911–May 4,1991), son of Filipino composer Jose Estella, was a pre-war Philippines movie director and actor. At the age of 27 years old, he started directing his first film, Bayan At Pagibig, in 1938 and in 1941, he was proclaimed Director of the Year by Philippine Cinema and Radio because of the success of his assigned project, Buenavista. During the 1950s, Estella started his career as a neo-realist painter which later in 1959, had his first solo exhibition at the Philippine Art Gallery. He spent his entire life in Florida with his Japanese wife and his last recorded visit to the country was during the Manila International Film Festival in 1981.

As filmmaker, Ramon Estella was acclaimed. In the late ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, he directed such important films as Buenavista, Huling Habilin, Voice of Freedom, Sundalong Talahib, Desperado and Buhay at Pag-ibig ni Dr. Jose Rizal.

Buenavista merited Estella the Director of the Year (1941) award from the Philippine Cinema and Radio. Rosa del Rosario was named Actress of the Year for the same film.

Desperado was FAMAS Best Picture, Editor and Director for 1956.

Buhay At Pag-ibig Ni Dr. Jose Rizal is a three-hour epic which depicted major events in the life of the National Hero, shown in 1956.

But as a painter, little is written about Estella, although his exhibits were acclaimed here and abroad, including the United States. Estella was described as purveyor of modern art, culture and antiquities.
In the late ’50s, Estella left for New York to study film and television courses under top directors. He also worked for the United Nations and directed documentaries, TV shows and newsreels. His UN job brought him to Latin America and some parts of Asia, among them Singapore and Malaya.
Estella died of cancer of the liver on May 4, 1991.

Filmography
1933 – Ang Punyal na Ginto (actor)
1938 – Bayan at Pag-ibig [Excelsior] (dir)
1939 – Ruisenor [Parlatone]
1940 – Buenavista  ? (dir)
1942 – Huling Habilin  ?
1941 – Kundiman [Excelsior]
1941 – Singsing na Pangkasal [Acuna-Zaldariaga]
1941 – Paraiso [Excelsior] (dir)
1941 – Ilang-Ilang [Lvn] (dir)
1946 – Angelus [Lvn] (dir)
1947 – Caprichosa [Premiere] (dir)
1948 – Ang Anghel sa Lupa [Premiere] (dir)
1948 – Perfidia [Premiere] (dir)
1948 – Labi ng Bataan [Premiere] (dir)
1948 – Hiram na Pangalan [Premiere] (dir)
1949 – Lihim na Bayani [Premiere] (dir)
1949 – Kay Ganda ng Umaga [Premiere] (dir)
1949 – Dugo ng Katipunan [Premiere] (dir)
1950 – Sundalong Talahib [Filipinas] (dir)
1950 – Kenkoy [Premiere] (dir)
1950 – Punglo at Pag-ibig [Premiere] (dir)
1950 – Bandido [Premiere] (dir)
1950 – Prinsipe Don Juan [Premiere] (dir)
1956 – Desperado [People's] (dir)
1956 – Buhay at Pag-ibig ni Dr. Jose Rizal [Balatbat & Bagumbayan] (dir)
1957 – Kim [C.Santiago Film Org] (dir)
1958 – Sta. Rita de Casia [Premiere] (dir)
1958 – Ramir [Everlasting] (dir)

Filmography in Singapore / Malaya
1. 1957 / Kembali Saorang / One Came Back / Ramon Estella / Malay Film Productions
2. 1958 / Anak Pontianak / Son of Pontianak / Ramon Estella / Malay Film Productions
3. 1958 / Matahari/ The Rape of Malaya / Ramon Estella / Malay Film Productions
4. 1959 / Saudagar Minyak Urat / Love Crazy / Ramon Estella / Malay Film Productions
5. 1959 / Samseng / Gangster / Ramon Estella / Malay Film Productions
6. 1963 / Raja Bersiong / King of Dracula / Ramon Estella / Cathay-Keris
7. 1963 / Darah-Ku / My Blood / Ramon Estella / Maria Menado Productions, Cathay-Keris
8. 1963 / Bunga Tanjong / Cape of Flowers / Ramon Estella/ Maria Menado Productions, Cathay-Keris
9. 1964 / Pontianak Kembali / The Pontianak Returns / Ramon Estella / Maria Menado Productions, Cathay-Keris
10. 1964 / Melanchong ka-Tokyo / Holiday in Tokyo / Ramon Estella / Malay Film Productions
11. 1964 / Dupa Chendana / The Enchanted Island / Ramon Estella / Malay Film Productions
12. 1965 / Pusaka Pontianak / The Accursed Heritage / Ramon Estella / Malay Film Productions

The Malaysian/Singapore Connection

The Garrick Theatre in Singapore, home of Filipino films in the early 50s

The Singapore/Malaysian Connection (slowly being constructed)

A list of Filipino films and filmmakers associated with Singapore and Malaya/Malaysia. Films marked with an * are already in digital form in the Bamboo Gods Collection

1948 - Sword Of The Avenger screens in Malaya

1952 - Filipino films begin screening in Malaya, mostly distributed by Lim Eng Kwan's South-East Asia Film Company, who also distributed Hindi and Egyptian films throughout the Malay Federation. Their years-long string of releases - what the newspapers dubbed "The Filipino 'Invasion'" screening mostly at the Garrick Theatre on Geylang Rd in Singapore - started with a English-subtitled Og (22nd June) and Lebran's English-language version of Nothing But Women (19th July). All subsequent releases are dubbed into Malay: Prinsipe Amante (September), Los Tres Muskiteros (released as "The Three Musketeers", 3rd October), and Sultan Palasig (7th December). Shaw Brothers responded with a release of Waling-Waling (7th September). 

1953 - South-East Asia Film Co releases Darna (3rd January), Aladin (15th February), Tungku Amante (8th March), Malaya (26th March), Principeng Hindi Tumatawa (14th June), as well as an April re-release of Og dubbed into Malay.

1954 - South East Asia Film Co distributes Darna At Ang Babaeng Lawin (2th January), Juan Tamad (20th March), Florante At Laura (21st July), Nuno Sa Punso (released as "Kapitan Hikmat", 1st November) and Servan Petani (December). 

1955 - South-East Asia Film Co releases Ukala (January) and a proper release of the "First Filipino-Malay Film Production", Perfidia (22nd September). 

1955 - Elephant Girl/Gadis Liar (dir. Eddie Infante) Produced by the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions, premiered 28th August

1956 - South-East Asia Film Co releases Dyesebel (March)

1956 - Filipino films screen at the Majestic Theatre in Penang

*1957 - Kembali Sa-Orang/"One Came Back" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions)

*1957 - Badjao (Singapore/Filipino co-production filmed in the Philippines; dir. Lamberto V. Avellana)

*1957 - Taufan/“Typhoon” (dir. Teodorico C. Santos; released 31st December)

1957 - South-East Asia Film Co releases a subtitled Guerrero at the Garrick on 25th December.

*1958 - Anak Pontianak/"Child Of Pontianak" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions; released 10th February) 

*1958 - Azimat: The Seal Of Solomon/"Talisman"/Tatak Ni Solomon: Seal Of Solomon (dir. Rolf Bayer for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions) Filmed in Singapore late 1957; premiered 31st May 1958.

*1958 - Sergeant Hussain (dir. Lamberto V. Avellana for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions; a charity gala premiere was held in Kuala Lumpur on 20th August, with a regular season from 31st August) 

*1958 - Mata Hari/"The Rape Of Malaya" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions; released 30th November)

*1959 - Saudagar Minyak Urat/"Love Crazy" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions; released 1st March)

*1959 - Samseng/"Gangster" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions; released 7th May)

1959 - Black Gold (dir. Rolf Bayer; produced by Shaw Brothers for the Chinese market, filmed in Singapore and Malaya in May/June 1958)

1959 - In December, actress-producer Maria Menado announces a lavish new film Siti Zubaidah, to be directed by Ramon A. Estella and filmed in Singapore, Malaya, Indonesia and India; sadly the project is never realized.

1963 - Raja Bersiong/"King Of Dracula" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for Cathay-Keris and Maria Menado Productions; released 30th March)

*1963 - Darah-Ku/"My Blood" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for Cathay-Keris and Maria Menado Productions; released 24th August)

*1963 - Bunga Tanjong/"Cape Of Flowers" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for Cathay-Keris and Maria Menado Productions; released 4th December)

1964 - Pontianak Kembali/"The Pontianak Returns" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for Cathay-Keris and Maria Menado Productions, released 3rd January)

1964 - Melanchong Ka-Tokyo/"Holiday In Tokyo" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions, released 23rd May)

*1964 - Dupa Chendana/"The Enchanted Island" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions, released 30th August)

*1965 - Pusaka Pontianak/"The Accursed Heritage" (dir. Ramon A. Estella for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions, released 30th April)

*1965 - Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore (Shaw Brothers musical comedy partially shot in Singapore and the Philippines)

1975 - Interpol Malaysia Five (Jun Aristorenas and Sarimah) Filmed entirely in Malaysia in early 1974.

*1977 - The Bionic Boy (produced by Bobby A. Suarez)

*1978 - They Call Her Cleopatra Wong (dir. Bobby A. Suarez)

*1978 - Dynamite Johnson (dir. Bobby A. Suarez) 

1978 - Code-Name: The Destroyers and Queen Cobra, two of Bobby A. Suarez's unfinished projects, partly filmed in Malaysia with Marrie Lee 

Sunny Lee's association with Davian International

c.1996 - Phillip Ko's co-productions with Malaysia's HVD Entertainment: Bad Blood (1996), Desperate Hours (1997), Nightmare Honeymoon (1998), The Resort Murders (1998), and Murder On The Menu (1998)

Malaysia's mysterious HVD Entertainment TV films

 

Phillip Ko (left)

 

NOTES by Andrew Leavold: Some of the most mysterious films involving the Philippines in the Nineties is a series of made-for-TV movies funded by Malaysian consortium HVD Entertainment - a comprehensive overview of the company can be found HERE - and overseen by Hong Kong actor/director Phillip Ko, with much of the writing credited to Mike Cassey, a UK expat living in the Philippines at the time. 

To date I haven't found any trace of the films other than brief cast and crew credits on the IMDB. If anyone can please help out with more information or, even better, copies of the movies, I'd be immensely grateful!

Mike shared with me his scant memories of doing (he estimated) nine films back-to-back in Malaysia around 1996 - his comments are below. 

1996 - Bad Blood (HVD Entertainment)

Director Phillip Ko Writer Mike Cassey Executive Producer Choo Leomg Meng Cinematography Eduardo "Baby" Cabrales Assistant Director Mike Cassey 

Cast Rando Almanzor (Danny), Mike Cassey (Photographer)

THRILLER

1997 - Desperate Hours (HVD Entertainment)

Director Phillip Ko Writer Mike Cassey Executive Producer Choo Leomg Meng Cinematography Eduardo "Baby" Cabrales Assistant Director Mike Cassey 

Cast Heather Van Vleet (Girl Waiting), Zoren Legaspi (Max)

THRILLER

1997 - Nightmare Honeymoon (HVD Entertainment)

Director Phillip Ko Writer Mike Cassey Executive Producer Choo Leomg Meng Assistant Director Mike Cassey

Cast Rando Almanzor (Eddie)

THRILLER

1998 - The Resort Murders (HVD Entertainment)

Director Teddy Chiu Writer Mike Cassey Cinematography Eduardo "Baby" Cabrales Production Manager Max Paglinawan Assistant Director Mike Cassey

Cast Zoren Legaspi   

THRILLER     

1998 - Murder On The Menu (HVD Entertainment)

Director Teddy Chiu Cinematography Eduardo "Baby" Cabrales Production Manager Max Paglinawan Assistant Director Mike Cassey

Cast Mike Cassey (Resort Manager), Dan Fernandez (Danny)

THRILLER/COMEDY

Mike Cassey on the HVD films (interview with Andrew Leavold, 2009 - the full interview can be found HERE)

Andrew: I'm fascinated in the series of video features you scripted in the late 90s directed by Teddy Chiu and Philip Ko for what looks like a Malay company? The Resort Murders, for instance.

Mike Cassey: That was all through Philip Ko, who was wheeling and dealing to get movies projects from all over Asia. Because of Philip's "unique" style of directing (he would often change actors and locations in the middle of the shoot!) I scripted most of those "on the fly" rewriting the stories, scenes and characters on a yellow pad on the set during the shooting. No time to type them up!

These are between '96 and '98 - where are the markets he's selling to at the time?

We often had a mixture of Chinese actors, Korean actors, Malaysian actors, Western actors...all speaking their own languages! Pure bedlam! But a great way to improve my writing skills. No writer's block on those movies! Philip was trying to cover and sell to all the Asian markets. Some were shown theatrically in some countries, some only on TV and some direct-to-video. I think most of them made money...for someone!

Not to the West, at this stage?

Philip's style meant that he could never really break into the mainstream and so his market was always "B". that also meant low-budgets, short shooting schedules...and lots of confusion. I was never in on the marketing schemes to most of these productions, so don't know much about their back-end deals. I'm sure some of them wound up on in Western video stores. Most of the post-production was done in the countries that financed them, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia...we just provided the raw footage. So I never saw the final cut of these movies...or even knew their release titles!

Do you remember the name of the company? I've found "HVD Entertainment" listed.

Yes...I think that was a Malaysian company. We never met the producers at all, just the actors. Philip released several of them under his "One Take" company in Hong Kong.

So you don't remember much about the individual films...

Sorry I can't be much more help. We shot around nine movies back-to-back and I was writing, acting and Assistant Directing (with Teddy) on all them so it's all pretty much of a blur! And I usually had to baby-sit the actors that didn't speak Cantonese...you know, take them to restaurants, sight-seeing, etc. Whew!

Onna Rambo (1991)

1991 - Onna Rambo/女ランボー (JVM [Japan Video Movie Co Ltd])

[Japanese production filmed entirely in the Philippines; English title on advertising material "Lady Ramboh: Kill You! In My Justice"]

Director Ippei Suzuki

Cast Mio Takaki (Miki/Lady Ramboh), Hiroyuki Okita (Nango), Harumi Kai (Shizuku), Tomu Saeba (Shima), Kenji Imai (Japanese Boss), Roosa Tanaka (Eiko), Anthony East (American Boss), Cristina Gonzales (Elena)

ACTION

 

 

 Review by Paul John Blair (Our Man In Japan)

Japan Video Movie Co. Ltd (JVM) are a company that are known for producing and distributing mostly low-budget, straight-to-video action/yakuza films, porn, video games, and anime. They started off in 1984 as the VHS boom kicked off in Japan and some of the titles that they were involved in are rather impressive such as the cyberpunk classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) and the cult horror hybrid Evil Dead Trap (1988). However, with this one they would take the cameras to The Philippines for a shot-on-video actioner featuring a sexy Japanese drug enforcement agent who has bothered a few tips from the legendary Sylvester Stallone character Rambo.

Lady Ramboh: KILL YOU! IN MY JUSTICE. That’s the tagline at least. 

Three Japanese drug enforcement agents Miki, Shima and Nango are working in Manila trying to catch a notorious narcotics and prostitution organization ran by an American (Anthony East) and a Japanese mobster (Kenji Imai). One of the agents Miki (Mio Takaki) is a rather sexy and long-legged woman who the organization wants to get rid of. When it is decided that killing her is a bad idea that will only bring the attention of the Japanese G-Men the gang starts an intimidation campaign using snakes in her hotel room bath and a severed pigs head with an image of her younger sister pinned to it as a warning.

The beautiful agent’s younger sister Shizuka (Harumi Kai) and her friend Eiko (Roosa Tanaka) come to visit her in Manila and we are treated to a tourist advertisement as they galivant around town taking photos and riding in taxis waving to people saying “Hi!” in English. It is not long before the gang kidnap Shizuka and Eiko which was the idea of the Japanese mobster but by the time the female agent gets to the poor girls they have already been tied to a mattress, drugged and raped. They even kill poor Shizuka in a slow-motion barrage of squibs. 

You just know these tattooed rapist pricks will be hunted down. 

 

You wonder why would the organization be so brutal but we see at the start of the film that Miki had interrupted one of their big drug deals going on bizarrely at an outdoor birthday party. The agent along with her male counterparts slaughter the partygoers in an impressive action sequence. Actually, you might notice that this film, despite being low budget and shot on video, does genuinely have some great action that is well-choreographed yet clichéd.

The opening of the film actually uses a montage of the action that is to come later in the story which has some serious fucking spoilers including Predator-style machine guns with rocket launchers attached and some very nice leather boots and skimpy tops. It plays out like a trailer that shows you all the best parts from a film leaving nothing to the imagination.

What is the fucking connection to Rambo?!

Our agent Miki becomes Lady Ramboh as she heads out to the jungle for an obligatory training scene and some sexy change of clothes. She will tool up and take on the entire organization who have at their disposal a reasonably sized paramilitary group out there in the sweaty wilderness. Armies aside, the organization has also hired their very own Filipina femme fatale Elena (Cristina Gonzales) to assassinate Lady Ramboh.

May the war of who has the sexiest outfit commence.

It is revealed that this hit woman for hire was once a squeeze of Lady Ramboh`s fellow agent Nango (Hiroyuki Okita) who ends up duking it out with knives with her in the jungle before she asks him to “don’t leave me like this” and he commits a mercy killing on her. She didn’t look that bad in shape but he executes her all the same.

 

  

Once this daft subplot is out the way the action kicks off big style. The film then forgets it is supposed to be aping Rambo but ends up an extended pyrotechnic Commando rip-off. This is another surprisingly well-filmed and choreographed action piece that’s lifts actual scenes and framing from the 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic. 

 

Did I mention that Lady Ramboh performs all this in a black headband, a leather studded bra, black knickers with a tasseled mini skirt, and thigh leather boots? She also has some impressive artillery as she destroys every single man in khakis.

For a shot-on-video 90s Japanese action film made by such a company as JVM it is pretty impressive stuff. They could have easily just made another erotic film with the talent on offer but they decided to actually put some effort into the action scenes to accommodate the stolen soundtrack that is from some1970s Italian cop film. Lady Ramboh has a little bit of everything and isn’t just a simple Rambo rip-off in the way that Bruno Mattei`s Strike Commando (1987) was. For that reason, its well worth your time if even for just the eye candy.

When the film was made The Philippines was basically a state of siege and was at the tail end of a bloody coup that caused almost 100 deaths including half of them civilians. 

 

The film also sports an interesting cast:

Veteran character actor Kenji Imai must have been hard up for some cash as he appears as one of the main bad guys performing in heavily accented English as he engages with his non-Japanese co-stars. To list the Japanese cult films that he has featured in as a villain would be exhausting as he has over 120 titles under his obi.

When she was a model and singer aged 24 years old Lady Ramboh herself, Mio Takaki, actually appeared in an international production which was Liliana Cavini`s 1985 erotic drama The Berlin Affair. She was handpicked in Japan by the controversial female director because of her beauty. This was a largely forgotten film produced by Cannon Films when they went through their disastrous phase of trying to infiltrate the European arthouse scene.

  

Harumi Kai who plays the sister Shizuka is probably most well known for being the star of the 1990 shot-on-video superhero parody Big Boobs Buster which was actually given a north American DVD release back in the early 2000s. As well as having a short-lived singing career she was also an underwear model.

Roosa Tanaka who plays Eiko was a model who appeared in many swimwear and nude photo books but was also an AV actress. She would feature in another 1991 shot-on-video film called Female Teacher Under the Wet Piano which a home invasion roughie.

Hiroyuki Okita who played the hard drinking womanizing agent appeared in some far superior productions such the modern Ultraman and Gamera films but would sadly commit suicide in 1999 aged 36.

Anthony East who plays one of the drug kings was an American expat who featured in low-budget Filipino cinema.  

Cristina Gonzales was a former beauty pageant and actress who actually became a politician and was Mayor of Tacloban. She can now be seen on her Instagram page aged 53 and still looking gorgeous.

 

 

 Mio Takaki (Miki/Lady Ramboh)

 Hiroyuki Okita (Nango)

 Harumi Kai (Shizuku)

 Tomu Saeba (Shima)

Kenji Imai (Japanese Boss)

 Roosa Tanaka (right - Eiko)

 Anthony East (American Boss)

Cristina Gonzales (Elena) 

...and a number of unidentifiable actors (can you identify them? We'd love to hear from you!)

 

 

 

VIDEO

 Japan - VHS via JVM

DIGITAL

Japan - DVD via several companies including V Theatre

 

 

 mp4 file [in Japanese with no subtitles]