Video 48: THE SEVENTIES # 1059: VILMA SANTOS, ROLLY QUIZON, ROSEMARIE GIL, WITH LEOPOLDO SALCEDO, ROLDAN AQUINO, CHITO PONCE ENRILE, DEXTER DORIA, YOLANDA LUNA IN CELSO AD CASTILLO'S "BURLESK QUEEN" (1977)

"Burlesk Queen" (1977)

Ian Film Productions

A Metro Manila Film Festival Entry

Release Date December 24, 1977

Screenplay Mauro Gia Samonte

Film Editor Abelardo Huleza

Cinematography Ben Lobo

Music George Canseco

Direction Celso Ad. Castillo

Cast Vilma Santos, Rolly Quizon/ Also Starring Rosemarie Gil, Leopoldo Salcedo, Roldan Aquino, Chito Ponce Enrile, Dexter Doria, Yolanda Luna

Did you know that multi-awarded actress Vilma Santos almost gave up and walked out of Burlesk Queen? Yes, Vilma almost backed out of the three-fourths finished movie when she learned about the finale sequence. No, she wouldn’t do it, she couldn’t do it. She ignored call slips and went into hiding. Poor Celso (Ad Castillo, the director), he was drowning in his own tears of desperation and banging his head against the wall. Burlesk Queen was his “last Card,” he wanted to retrieve his dwindling popularity, he wanted to save face and if he didn’t get what he wanted now, he would be finished. Finally, one day, he received a basketful of fruit--- “Peace offering,” Celso calls it, “from Vilma.”
“It took us almost seven nights, shooting straight to finish that sequence. I learned the dance from an expert real-life burlesque dancer. During shootings, palaging closed door. My God, I couldn’t have done it with so many people around.” She had to take several shots of brandy before the shooting. “Otherwise I would have died from nervousness.”

By Ricardo Lo/ Expressweek/ January 19, 1978

Burlesk Queen went on to become one of the top films of the 70s and hailed and selected by the URIAN as one of the top 22 finest movies of that decade. It was one of the important films of Vilma Santos and director Celso Ad Castiilo.