Cinema
Dalagang Ilokana
Olive La Torre · 1954
Synopsis
Biday, a outspoken young woman from the Ilocos, rolls tobacco leaves for a living and plays the lead in a sentimental village comedy; around her revolve Ernesto, Fermin, Kulas, played by the comedian Dolphy, Carmen, Don Fidel and grandmother Selya. The plot is not known in more detail.
Context
Sampaguita made the film from a story by T. D. Agcaoili, brought to the screen by Luciano B. Carlos, Conrado Conde and Willie P. Orfinada. The Ilocano song Manang Biday serves as its theme and Gloria Romero sings it herself. The release took place at the Life Theater in Quiapo on 4 July 1954; a radio version followed on a Manila station, and a supporting role in it launched the career of Tita de Villa. The Film Development Council of the Philippines carried out a digital restoration of it in 2021, which places this title among the survivors in a country where almost everything shot before 1960 has disappeared.
Who it is for
A studio comedy in Tagalog and Ilocano, whose humour lies in the speech of the north: some of the effects are lost on anyone who does not know that language.
Prizes and reception
Best actress award for Gloria Romero at the third ceremony of the Philippine film academy, the first time a comedy had won it; restored in 2021.