The Bamboo Gods Project

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Francisco V. Coching exhibition (2018)

My November 2018 visit to Manila timed perfectly with Ayala Museum's Francisco V. Coching exhibition of komik art and writing. Getting up close to the originals, and seeing the works-in-progress, really gives you a sense of why the Philippines has declared him one of its greatest artists, komik or otherwise. The accompanying book, "The Life And Art Of Francisco Coching", is well worth tracking down for the sheer deluge of full-colour komik panels alone! Our bio and gallery of Coching's film-related works are HERE.

Poster Artists

The BAMBOO GODS LIST of MOVIE POSTER and AD LAYOUT ARTISTS

Here at Bamboo Gods HQ we celebrate the often neglected work of the poster and layout artists. Much of their work before the early 60s went unsigned, so we can only identify those signatures from the end of the Studio System and the rise of the independent producers, whose pulp westerns, war films, parodies, pop musicals and urban actioners became the inspiration for the poster artists' fevered and sometimes lurid fantasies.

The list is certainly not exhaustive and we'll keep adding more names as we stumble upon them. Once again, a thousand thanks go out to Simon Santos and his Video 48 blog, from which many of these images come from - more than anyone else on the planet, Simon is keeping the art of these forgotten illustrators alive!

Eileen Albayda

F.M. Alberto

Alfredo P. Alcala

"A/Antonio"

Tony Bathilpido

Franz Bejec

Fred Belleca

B.L. Biscayda

Val Aleta Calaouian

Hannibal/Solomon Cambel

Deo Careza

Rene Carmona

"Centenera"

Francisco V. Coching - considered one of the finest komik authors and illustrators in the business; my bio and gallery is currently under construction

Edd'j Contreras

Lito S. Cortez

Nonong de Andres - also a ubiquitous bit-player often known as "Bankay" due to his cadaverous appearance, de Andres was also a professional layout artist specializing in hand-lettering, often working with illustrators such as Eddie Domer

Mauro H. de la Rosa

"de los Reyes"

Dave de Vera

R. Dizon

Eddie Domer - my biography and extensive poster gallery is HERE

"Edjes"

Mayong Flores

"Fraterna"

Jorge Gatmaitan

Jes Garola

Rico M. Liwanag

"Manansala"

L.A. Marquez

Rudy Marquez

Bert R. Mendoza

Bert Nepomuceno

Alex Ngo

Reuben Arthur Nicdao - also writer and production designer

"Nick" and "Henry"

Marvin B. Panganiban - along with Eddie Domer, his designs dominated Sixties and early Seventies pulp cinema ads, always signing them "Panganiban, Marvin B." He later moved into writing and directing via Luis San Juan Productions (while doing their posters of course!)

Tony Raymundo

Vicente V. Reyes

Rodin Rodriguez

"Saint Edward"

I. Sangalang

Bing P. Santos

Ed Santos

Joe Sison - also a popular actor in the Sixties and Seventies, Sison's basic yet effective layout designs graced many a newspaper at the same time

"Tiger"

Monday, November 27, 2023

Hantingan (1981)

1981 - Hantingan (Kinavesa Productions)

[Filipino/South Korean co-production, release date 10th April 1981. Filmed back-to-back with Attack And Destroy (1981). Korean title “Sa-hyang-ma-kok”, or “Sahyangmagog”, roughly translated as “The Treasure Hidden In A Valley”, and listed in English on South Korean ads as “Hunting Gun” (a phonetic transcription of the Filipino title)]

Director Francis “Jun” Posadas, Kwon Young Soon [Korean spelling “Gwon Yeong-Sun”] Story Clem T. Santiago Producer Kim Yong Lim Cinematography Jun Rasca Editor Joe Mendoza Layout Artist Eddie Domer

Cast Ace Vergel, Ruby Anna, Eddie Garcia, Azenith Briones, Rocco Montalban, Baldo Marro, Romano Kristoff

ACTION

NOTES: This film is currently Missing In Action in any form, so if anyone has a copy, PLEASE get in contact!

Part of the Kinavesa/Silver Star Project

THEATRICAL

PHILIPPINES - 10th April 1981

SOUTH KOREA - Korean title “Sa-hyang-ma-kok”, or “Sahyangmagog”, roughly translated as “The Treasure Hidden In A Valley”, and listed in English on South Korean ads as “Hunting Gun”, a phonetic transcription of the Filipino title [distributor unknown]

Attack And Destroy (1981)

1981 - Attack And Destroy (Kinavesa Films International/Shin Han Films)

[Filipino/South Korean co-production, Philippines release date 13th March 1981. Filmed back-to-back with Hantingan (1981); Korean title "Insa Yasu" translates to “Guerrilla In The Philippines”. Released in Spain as “Ataca Y Destruye” and in Turkey as “Saldir Ve Yok Et”]

Directors Kwon Young Soon [Korean spelling “Gwon Yeong-Sun”], Noli Villar Producer [uncredited] Kim Yong Lim Music Totoy Nuke Editor Joe Mendoza Sound Supervisor Bimbo Chong Production Coordinator Robert Cheng Assistant Director Shin Dong Cruz Effect Man Santos Gallardo Makeup Artist Koun-Ho An Setman Nick Lagame? Propsman Dionisio Reyes? Utility Man Tony Amoto? Schedule Master Ador Cuaresma Production Assistant Luz Aquino Assistant Editors Mario Mendoza, Cecar Baltazar Stills Rudy Castillo Layout Artist [uncredited] Eddie Domer

Cast Dante Rivero (Orly Ramos), Jess Lapid Jr (Miguel), Azenith Briones (Maria Ramos), Marissa del Mar, Romano Kristoff (American Captain), James Gaines [Jr] (Sgt James Brown), Hee Yuen Kang, Joung Han Kook, Ken Watanabe (General Oh), Tae Joung Kim, Jimmy Cruz, Burt Rivero, Frank Lapid, Joe Baltazar, Leo Curay, Frank Ramos, Rene Carbon, Ramon Vista, Josie Mijoranda, Tessie Mendoza, Carmen Shing, Hermie Yazon, Shara Gambao’s Genesis Dancing Models, SOS Daredevils, Golden Bullets Stuntmen, [uncredited] Eddie Garcia (Major Escudero)

WAR

Part of the Kinavesa/Silver Star Project

MINI-REVIEW by Andrew Leavold: Attack And Destroy (1981) has a sizeable foreign presence, judging from its South Korean co-director and two leads, but in reality is no better than the hundreds of by-the-numbers Tagalog language action films of the period. Eddie Garcia, the veteran actor whose roles as cheating husband and charming rapist far outnumber his hero ones, leads the multinational cast as a Filipino Major fighting with guerrillas Orly (Dante Rivero) and Miguel (Jess Lapid Jr) in territory occupied by Korean-Japanese General Oh (Ken Watanabe) and the treacherous Colonel Imaguchi, a cackling psychopath more interested in claiming for himself the gold he's entrusted to bury. His underling, the similarly Korean-Japanese Lieutenant Kim, defects to the guerrillas' side along with the General's daughter, and feeds information to Orly's sister Maria (Azenith Briones), an exotic dancer and mole at the Japanese Officer's Club, and specialist in sending her basket of trained cobras to do her killing. Also present are an American Captain (Romano Kristoff) and Sergeant (James Gaines Jr) to boost its export chances, evidently limited to theatres in Greece and Egypt, and perhaps a few other minor territories; but with its complete disinterest in period detail, rancid English dubbing worse than most cheap kung fu flicks, and an earnestness bordering on sanctimonious, Attack And Destroy remains little more than a footnote in the Kinavesa saga. In its defence, however, Jim Gaines' big torture moment with Colonel Imaguchi, in which he blurts out his name "Sergeant… James… Brown!", renders the scene, and with it the rest of the film, just that slightly bit more memorable.