Working Girls (1984, Ishmael Bernal)

In 1984, the big guns of local cinema exploited the loosening hold of the Board of Censors, a fascistic arm of the Marcos regime. Their movies begin hinting of the burgeoning yellow movement. Lino Brocka collaborated with Pete Lacaba on their long-delayed film project, Kapit sa Patalim, which dealt with striking factory workers. Mike de Leon’s Sister Stella L broke the fourth wall with an enlightened nun exhorting the people to go out on the streets and fight for their rights and freedom.

Ishmael Bernal’s Working Girls has a trio of small scenes that may be seen as a nod to the yellow fever engulfing the country. A friend of a sexy lady shopping for clothes gently approves of her color choice (yellow), which he says is just right for the times. The second scene shows another character alighting from a tricycle. Prominently plastered in the vehicle’s windshield is a yellow sticker with the words ‘Hindi Ka Nag-Iisa,’ a slogan coined by people seeking justice for the death of former Senator Ninoy Aquino. The third scene shows a secretary stripping pages from a telephone directory. The yellow pages will be shredded and used as rally confetti. Those scenes may be too tame compared to the heavily politicized scenes and in-your-face rally footages featured in the films of Brocka and de Leon.

However, the hilarious, blockbuster hit Working Girls is notable for espousing the idea that a woman can go places where no woman has gone before. The new Filipina can rise to become a chairperson of a large bank or even assume the leadership of our country. What a man can do, a woman can also do. As the film shows, women can do it better.

The women of Working Girls are all denizens of Makati’s central business district. Carla Asuncion, Isabel, and Suzanne work for Premium Bank. Amanda de Luna, Ann Concio, and Rose belong to a professional management company. Nimfa is a jewelry seller plying her wares to employees of the two offices. Most of them are assertive and know what they want. They achieve their goals with dogged determination and lots of cunning.

The film is recommended to people thinking of getting a job in Makati. It basically says 'no weaklings' allowed here. The searing portrayal of office politics is still spot on even today. Transport fare for airconditioned buses and dollar exchange rates may have changed but the dreams, needs, and idiosyncracies of Makati-based female workers haven't changed. Seductive secretaries prey on top male executives, who gamely go along for the ride. These powerful executives utilize their money to hide problems such as unwanted pregnancies and affairs with subordinates. Married women are not immune from these playboys. Sometimes, lack of appreciation from husbands lead these married women to have affairs.

Office gossip is not entirely a women's pastime and social weapon. Jealous and envious men also indulge in gossips and backstabbing. A jilted suitor of Isabel connives with his friends to spread unsavory rumors about Isabel. The pregnant girl, given advice by her boss Carla, eventually learns to fight back. Her restaurant vengeance act draws applause from fellow women employees.

Carla Asuncion has a hard time getting her objections taken seriously by the male-dominated board of Premium Bank. The male directors laugh at her female intuition. She gets downright dirty in getting evidence to support her objections. In the end, she has the last laugh as she gets promoted as chairwoman of the bank. It is interesting to note that Carla Asuncion's initials are C.A., which can be an allusion to Corazon Aquino.

The viewers back then must have begun entertaining the possibility of Cory Aquino's ascension as the country's president. It is not an 'Impossible Dream,' as what Nimfa is humming at the start of the film. There is no such thing as an unbeatable foe. The Filipino people can win if they join forces to fight the enemy. The 1984 films of Brocka, de Leon, and Bernal show that they are lots of people (eg. striking workers, enlightened nuns, Makati girls) fighting the system. Two years later, they did win by kicking out the Marcos regime in the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.

Manuel Conde is our newest National Artist for Film

The late filmmaker Manuel Conde will be proclaimed National Artist for Film in June 2009. He is the seventh film personality to receive the nation's highest accolade for artists. The other film artists accorded the distinguished title were Lamberto Avellana, Ishmael Bernal, Lino Brocka, Gerardo de Leon, Fernando Poe Jr., and Eddie Romero.

Conde directed Genghis Khan (1950), the first Filipino film to gain recognition in a major international film festival. The film was honored for technical achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 1952. Critics raved at the epic feel of the low-budget film. They marveled at the authenticity of the little horses used for the film.

During the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival 2008, a retrospective of Conde films was held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). I was surprised to see Genghis Khan listed as one of the films to be shown. With the state of film preservation efforts in the country, it was a miracle to see the film in widescreen. The amazing film still holds up very well. It was a fast-paced thrilling epic with bits of humorous scenes.

There were six other Conde films shown at the CCP and the University of the Philippines. The original Ibong Adarna (1941) is a visual treat. Among the tricks utilized by Conde were matte painting to convey grandeur of castle, deep focus camerawork during the giant scene, and a Busby Berkeley-esque dance sequence. The film is also known as the first local movie to feature a color sequence. The part showing the transformation of the Adarna bird was tinted with color. However, the version shown at CCP did not have the colored sequence.

Conde dabbled in different film genres. Senorito (1953) is a romantic comedy. I saw traces of Chiquito in the proud character played by Conde. The film also had a stunning in-your-face fist fight scene. Then, there were the actioners, El Robo (1957), Venganza (1958), and Krus na Kawayan (1956). Once again, the realistic bloody scenes (eg. torture and stabbing scenes) stand out in these films. Film critic Nicanor Tiongson noted that five persons died during the perilous shooting of Krus na Kawayan. I failed to see the comedy film, Pilipino Kostum - No Touch (1955).

From the extant films of Conde, I noticed the strong emphasis on visuals, realistic violence, and suave humor. The maverick director collaborated with National Artist for Visual Arts, Carlos Botong Francisco in his films. The production design and cinematography gave Genghis Khan a sweeping, majestic look. Conde was also able to mix brutal violent scenes with funny scenes in this film and other films.

In connection with the Conde retrospective, Tiongson's book on the maverick filmmaker had its launching at the CCP. Among the guests was reclusive director and future National Artist for Film, Mike de Leon. Almost all the film buffs there had their eyes fixed on the jacket-clad filmmaker. He went out of his way to show his respect and appreciation to a true film master, Manuel Conde.

The book titled The Cinema of Manuel Conde is a dazzling opener to the world of Conde films. With the dearth of existing Conde films, the book gives a strong defense for Conde's proclamation as a National Artist for Film. A reading of the synopses of the highly-acclaimed Juan Tamad films will make a Filipino film buff cry. He will weep because the excellent films are no longer available for viewing. Another reason is that the social problems (eg. corruption and vote buying) tackled in the films did not fade away.

Try to get a copy of Tiongson and Cesar Hernando's book. It is the first of a twelve-part series on Filipino film directors. The book, just like its subject, is truly magnificent.