DINA BONNEVIE: THE ORIGINAL "KATORSE" (1980)
Celebrity Magazine/ August 31, 1980(click images to enlarge)
It was actor Alfie Anido who led Dina Bonnevie into the movies. They met in a pictorial for a magazine which paired them off for a cover story. Alfie was already in the movies the. He was just taking time out from the set of Nympha, a Regal movie which reestablished Alma Moreno’s reign as the country’s top sex symbol, a title which, as per publicity, she is about to lose to Dina. After the pictorial, Alfie invited Dina to the set where Alma was in shooting. “I like Alma because I’ve always found her sexy. I’ve always wanted to see her in person,” Dina explains.
At the set, Alfie introduced Dina to (Director) Joey Gosiengfiao who was directing the movie. And what do you know, the man who is known only for discovering beauty in men (Orestes Ojeda, Al Tantay and Alfie Anido were is “discoveries”) was bowled over by Dina’s pulchritude. He gave her a screen test, showed Lily Monteverde (better known as Mother Lily) the results, and even Mother Lily had probably wished at that time that Dina was her daughter. From then on, Dina became another Joey Gosiengfiao protégée, just like Alfie. (Source: Celebrity Magazine/ August 31, 1980)Dina (b.1961) was already 18, when she starred as a young and innocent ‘provinciana’ in Katorse in 1980. This was her breakout movie after two successful movie stints in Temptation Island (1980)and Underage (1980).
It was actor Alfie Anido who led Dina Bonnevie into the movies. They met in a pictorial for a magazine which paired them off for a cover story. Alfie was already in the movies the. He was just taking time out from the set of Nympha, a Regal movie which reestablished Alma Moreno’s reign as the country’s top sex symbol, a title which, as per publicity, she is about to lose to Dina. After the pictorial, Alfie invited Dina to the set where 
Simon:
ReplyDeleteThis film began filming in 1979 right after Bedspacers. Joey Gosiengfiao told me and Butch Macaro (another writer who was my classmate in FEU MassComm - and he was our oldest guy in the Dept), to help Gabby with his acting.
That time Gabby Concepcion was rather awkward, very good looking, but awkward, especially when it comes to acting. Since Butch and I were both trained in FEU in theater under Sarah Joaquin and Nick Agudo, Joey thought that it would be good to try and help Gabby in his acting. When the filming began, he was just learning improvisations. But, as we all know, Pelikulang Tagalog does things "rush" all the time. The new discovery was "thrown into the lion's den" without all the ammunition, so to speak, hence the "not so very confident" acting we see from this clip. When he was trying to wend his way along the rocks, for instance, he looked so "unsure" and unnatural trying to remember the lines while at the same time worrying about the complicated terrain he had to tread carefully. Watching him act competently in his later films, I just couldn't believe he was the same awkward actor like the one we see in this film clip.
He reminded me of another actress named LIZA LORENA. In Dahil sa isang Bulaklak, her first film appearance, she was stunningly gorgeous, no doubt, but the acting was just so-so. Later on, I was amazed by her transformation as a fantastic actress.
Again, it's because in local films, we tend to "throw our talents to the lion's den" without giving them all the preparations they need. Some of them began appearing in films when they can't even deliver a decent dialogue as in the case of the daughter of Leroy Salvador, Deborah Sun.
She was one of the most beautiful faces in RP movies, but was never given any acting workshop that we had to hire Tina Monson Palma to dub her voice in Bedspacers. Later, she learned how to deliver her lines via the so-called "on the job training," and how.
:)
The Tagalog movie Industry is indeed like a jungle. One has to help himself in order to preserve one's existence. It is a place where the phrase "Survival of the fittest and elimination of the unfit," truly applies.
I agree. Dapat talagang bigyan ng preparasyon ang mga talent natin sa pelikula na tulad ng ginagawa para sa mga artista ng tanghalan.
ReplyDeleteNagkataon lang na talagang may nakatagong kakayahan sina Gaby, Liza at Deborah kaya nakabangon sila. Paano ang ibang walang clue?, Pinulot na lang sa kangkungan.
Ngayon, yung dalawang network ay nagbibigay daw ng workshop, pero ang mga nagtuturo daw ay kung sinu-sino na lang na wala ring alam sa acting o anumang linya sa teatro.
Masuwerte ang mga naunang artista natin sa pelikulang Pilipino na mga naturuan nina Daisy Avellana, Sarah Joaquin, Soc Rodrigo, Nick Agudo, Lolita Rodriguez, Angie Ferro at marami pang ibang magagaling na thespians o mga direktor at manunulat na nagkaroon ng training sa stage.
Lion's den. Napakagandang analogy nito, Mr. Cool.
Dina became the flavor of the month'.Ang sosyal na Boldie-boldie. I love Dina Bo too...
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone here know who wrote the original theme song of this Katorse (1980) --the one you hear at the opening of the movie ...and also who sang the version with lyrics.. AMAZING THEME, AMAZING RENDITION TOO -- that I cannot understand why it never became a famous song by itself ... ANG GANDA GANDA NUNG SONG !!!
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