The Bamboo Gods Project: Darna And The Planet Women (1975)

*1975 - Darna vs The Planet Women (Tagalog Ilang-Ilang Productions)

[Release date 25th December 1975; working title “Darna vs Elektra”**]

Director/Screenplay Armando Garces Based on the komik character by Mars Ravelo Executive Producer [uncredited] Attorney Espiridion Laxa Cinematography Amado de Guzman Music Carding Cruz Editor Efren Jarlego Sound Supervisor Luis Reyes Sound Effects Ramon Reyes, Sebastian Sayson Sound Mixer Narciso Teope Production-In-Charge Cayetano Lalic Production Manager Leo Valdez Art Director Ben Otico Assistant Director Deo Careza Special Photographic Effects Tommy Marcelino Makeup Artist Cecille Baun Vilma Santos' Makeup Dading Ravela Costumes Rudy Diego Propsman Mariano Otico Setting Ambrocio Diaz Assistant Cameraman Delfin Teope Field Soundman Ernesto Eusia? Schedule Master Oddie Reyes Assistant Editor Arman Jarlego Stills Ric Yonzon

Cast Vilma Santos (Darna/Narda), Rosanna Ortiz (Elektra), Zandro Zamora (Ramon), Bentot Jr (Ding), Eva Linda (Orak), Lita Vasquez (Kara), Diana Villa (Planet Woman), Lieza Zobel (Planet Woman), Joe Sison (Dr Jereky Usman), Virginia Montes (Dr Anastasia Madrid), Veronica Palileo [as Veronica Palilio] (Lola), Paquito Salcedo (Dr Antonio Villafuerte), Pons de Guzman (Dr Zarko), Steve Alcarado (Teban), Leon Fajardo, Nestor Rueda, Max Rojo, Kristy Kintanar, Romy Luartes, Joseph Jardinato, Jimmy Diamante?, Luciano Parejo, The Tanay Boys

Proposed Cast** Vilma Santos (Darna/Narda), Rosanna Ortiz (Elektra), Zandro Zamora (Ramon), Bentot Jr (Ding), Pamela Munoz (Noche), Lieza Rodriguez (Magia), Lita Vasquez (Kara), Eva Linda (Oran), Ely Roque (Lola), Paquito Salcedo (Dr Villafuerte), Joe de Guzman (Dr Zarko), Patria Plata (Dr Madrid), Joe Sison (Dr Usman)

FANTASY/COSTUMED SUPERHERO/ACTION

*credits checked and believed to be complete

** According to the 1975 synopsis submitted to the Board of Censors

Review by Andrew Leavold

The film dates from one of the last Golden Ages of Filipino cinema, the early Seventies, in which over 200 feature films a year were produced for an exclusively Philippines audience. One of the reasons of the local industry's phenomenal success is the audience's close identification with their superstars, and none more so than a duo of teenaged girls, Vilma Santos and Nora Aunor. In fact to this day Filipinos over a certain age will argue over whether they were a Vilmerian – a fanatical follower of the mestiza or lighter-skinned regal beauty Vilma – or Noranian, those who favoured the shorter, flat-nosed and darker-skinned Nora. Fan clubs and magazines, TV shows, press interest over their teen love affairs with fellow co-stars (the “love-teams” of Guy and Pip, Vi and Bot): an entire mini-industry sprang up devoted to their lives, loves and supposed rivalry. Both became two of the most respected actresses of their generation, and yet it was Vilma who eventually landed the role of the most successful komik character in Philippines history.

Darna may be easily dismissed by many as a cheap Pinoy knockoff of Superman or Wonder Woman, but there's much more to her. Since her first appearance in the burgeoning komik industry in 1947, she captured the imagination of the komik-reading underclasses: Narda is an innocent country lass who has superpowers thrust upon her transforming her into the costumed Darna to protect the world, the Philippines, her village, her family, and most of all, her younger brother Ding. It's wish fulfilment for girls, pure cheesecake for boys, and after sixty years - her first film appearance was in 1950, the last TV series a few years ago - Darna is still a much-revered staple of Philippines pop culture.

Darna vs The Planet Women from 1975 is the most fun and certainly most colourful of Vilma's stint, thought strangely enough it's as if the previous Darna adventures had never occurred, or had slipped into a Black Hole where most of the Philippines' lost cinema must also exist. Instead we are reintroduced to Narda, unremarkable country lass with a heart of gold and serious limp. Her two great loves, it seems, are chubby little brother Ding, and her awkward beau Ramon. An altercation with the local goons ends with a flying saucer suddenly appearing over a field, and Ramon is beamed aboard. It's a ship piloted by Elektra (Rosanna Ortiz), blue leader of a pack of painted space floozies clad in primary colour wigs, shower caps and AM radios strapped to them. Narda feels bad about losing her guy to a space sorority, but a kindly voice tells her to stop worrying and plonks a magic stone in her lap. On the cry of “Darna!”, Narda transforms from unglamorous barrio girl – unassuming, with very little makeup - into gaudy statue of pure womanhood. No wonder poor Ding's eyeballs are almost dropping to the ground like marbles.

The Planet Women, it seems, are here to study human behaviour - whether they like it or not – and are intent on kidnapping the world's leading scientists. Not so, says Darna, who flies into their spaceship to play the jealous girlfriend bit. She gets back Ramon, but it won't be the last time the Planet Women gain control over the weak-willed boob. It's a real battle of minds: desperate kung-fu kicking Star Slappers against the self-righteous Darna in an escalating series of face-offs and showdowns for the ultimate prize – the fate of the Earth itself.

It's a triumph of Seventies Tack, a distillation of pre-Star Wars sci-fi to its gaudiest elements, and a tinfoil tribute to Barbarella: ugly styleless furniture painted silver and doubling as cosmic chic. The Planet Women themselves are sex on a stick for the under-twelves; my favourites are a toss-up between The Blonde, bewigged and bejeweled, with a gorgeous set of love handles and looking like a Twenties' flapper straight out of Ken Russell's rejected costume sketches for The Boyfriend, and the Blue One, primarily because you can see under the bikini line where the blue makeup ends!

At times cheerfully derivative, and at best a vivid interweaving of overseas archetypes and local folk tales, you'll have to admit you've never seen anything like it before, as we bring you for the first time translated and subtitled into English, Darna vs The Planet Women.

Carol Borden's Darna article on The Cultural Gutter blog