"Boldly filmed to stop Flesh-Traffic and to protect the honor of our Maria Claras," says the blurb of the 1954 movie, Sex Gang. Where as sex trade and human trafficking are so rampant nowadays, I never expected that a movie like this existed way back in the 50s.
"Sex Gang" (1954)- Stars Jose Padilla, Jr., Eddie Del mar, Rosita Noble, Fernando Royo, Elvira Reyes, Osacr Keesee, Lopito, Vicente Liwanag and Mario Barri/ Directed by Mike Velarde
6 comments:
Simon:
It seems to me that Eddie de Mar, despite appearing in many good, popular Filipino movies – also made some of the most schlockish, obscure films, such as this one.
I also remember an old film starring del Mar, called: SWEET SEX-TEEN (if you find the ad in q1959, kindly post it). They introduced there a newcomer to the movies who won a local beauty pageant, whose name was: DORMILLINDA (a pretty sixteen year old girl who was billed with a title: Miss Philippine Movies of 1959). Huh? How she got this title is beyond me.
I could hazily remember the plot of this film but I saw this in the Bicol province in late 60s. Now I wonder how the Censors allowed a 16 year old girl to appear in a "a la" LOLITA type of film in 1959. It really makes one wonder, how, for instance, a film like THE BEAST OF THE EAST (1950, with Fernando Royo) was allowed to be released with unremittingly hateful violence strewn everywhere in the film, done in bad, bad taste).
This one you are featuring here must be an out and out sexploitative filmmaking, pretending to be socially conscious to rake in the dough at the box office. He-he.
Directed by Mike Velarde? Siya ba yung sa El Shaddai?
Oh wow. Will link po this post in my Facebook account. Some of my friends are part of an NGO against human trafficking.
JM- "Sweet Sex-teen"- not familiar with the movie. Try to research on it. How come the Board of Censors even approved the title?
James- I doubt it--- Mike Velarde (b. 1939) was only 15 in 1954.
Sure, Jowana!
James DR:
This Mike Velarde must be the guy who wrote DAHIL SA IYO. I know that he also dabbled in filmmaking.
The El Shaddai guy is much younger than the Dahil sa Iyo guy :)
The younger one also dabbled in local films as co-producer in the 1970s, when he was not El Shaddai yet. He was then the leader of a group in Mandaluyong whose main patron was the Santo Niño. I interviewed him about a case I wrote in a TV drama called Señor Sto. Niño - a weekly drama about the miracles of the Niño. One of Velarde's members there was a teenager who recovered miraculously from a serious heart ailment. Velarde's group used to have fluvial procession of the Niño along the Pasig river.
Thanks Simon and JM.
I know the older Mike Velarde as a composer but not a filmmaker. Baka nga siya itong director nitong movie na ito kung 15 lang si younger Mike Velarde at that time. Pero related ba sila?
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