Scorpio Nights

Last updated

Scorpio Nights
Scorpio Nights poster.jpg
Theatrical poster of the film in monochrome.
Directed by Peque Gallaga
Screenplay byRosauro Q. de la Cruz
Story by
  • T.E. Pagaspas
  • Romel Bernardino
Produced by Lily Yu Monteverde
Starring
CinematographyEly Cruz
Edited byJesus M. Navarro
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byRegal Entertainment
Release date
  • June 18, 1985 (1985-06-18)
Running time
126 minutes
CountryPhilippines
Languages
  • Filipino
  • English
  • Hiligaynon

Scorpio Nights is a 1985 Philippine erotic thriller film directed by Peque Gallaga from a screenplay by Rosauro "Uro" dela Cruz, based on a story written by T.E. Pagaspas and Romel Bernardino. It is about a love affair between a young man and a married woman who become entangled in their uncontrollable urge for sex. [1]

Contents

It stars Orestes Ojeda, Anna Marie Gutierrez, and Daniel Fernando in his acting debut while Dwight Gaston, Pen Medina, Angelo Castro Jr., and some of the film's production staff including writer-director Rosauro "Uro" Q. Dela Cruz and art director Rommel Bernardino as the supporting cast and special participation.

Produced and released by Regal Films on June 18, 1985, the film was controversial but played a key role in defining Filipino erotic films of the decade.

Plot

The film is set in a shabby apartment where Danny resides above the room of a security guard and his wife. Every day, the husband goes home, eats his dinner, washes the dishes, goes straight to bed and makes love to his wife. Danny plays Peeping Tom and every night observes through a hole in his floorboard. Unable to control his urges, he goes to the room of the wife where he does the same things that the husband does to her with no resistance. The two perform the act repeatedly until they fall in love with each other. The husband finds out that his wife is cheating on him, when one day he walks in on them while they are having sex, and shoots them both. He then shoots himself while having sex with his dead wife.

Cast

Production

The film was one of several funded by the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, a government-owned and controlled corporation then headed by Imee Marcos. [2]

Casting

According to Daniel Fernando when he was interviewed by Boy Abunda in his show Tonight with Boy Abunda , he was a student at the University of the East in that time when he was discovered by a talent coordinator in the audition and he would later introduce to Peque Gallaga, the film's director. To prepare for his role, he participated in the acting workshop for one month including the workshop dealing with scenes that contain nudity where he was already comfortable at.

Reception

Legacy

The film is considered one of the most controversial and important Filipino films of its time. Despite being provocative, it has been commended for its social relevance. Set towards the beginning of the end of the Marcos regime, it portrayed the chaotic economy of those years, when street protests related to Ninoy Aquino's assassination were still ongoing. [3]

Critical reception

In the retrospective review by film critic Noel Vera, the sensual scenes of Scorpio Nights were directly similar to Nagisa Oshima's controversial 1976 film In the Realm of the Senses but Gallaga only outshines Oshima in terms of psychological realism and suspense. [4]

Sequel

A standalone sequel, Scorpio Nights 2 , starring Albert Martinez and Joyce Jimenez. It was produced by Gallaga and directed by Erik Matti under VIVA Films and has release on February 2, 1999. [5] Another sequel, Scorpio Nights 3 starring Christine Bermas, Mark Anthony Fernandez, and Gold Aceron was released on July 29, 2022. It was produced by Peque Gallaga and directed by Lawrence Fajardo under Vivamax. [6]

Remake

The 2001 Korean film Summertime is based on this movie. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerardo de León</span> Filipino movie director

Gerardo de León was a Filipino film director and actor. He was posthumously conferred as a National Artist of the Philippines for Film in 1982.

<i>Bituing Walang Ningning</i> 2006 Philippine television drama

Bituing Walang Ningning is a 2006 musical television drama series that aired on ABS-CBN from May 15 to October 6, 2006, replacing Gulong ng Palad and was replaced by Maging Sino Ka Man. For most of its run, the soap opera was the network's highest rated show in prime time. The station referred to the TV series as Sineserye, meaning Movie Serialized TV Series.

<i>José Rizal</i> (film) 1998 Filipino film

José Rizal is a 1998 Philippine historical drama film directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya and starring Cesar Montano as José Rizal. The film was based on the true story of Filipino patriot José Rizal, who was imprisoned under the Spanish colonization and tells Rizal's story until the final day of his execution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peque Gallaga</span> Filipino filmmaker (1943–2020)

Maurice Gallaga, better known as Peque Gallaga, was a multi-awarded Filipino film-maker. His most significant achievement in film was Oro, Plata, Mata, which he directed after winning a scriptwriting contest sponsored by the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines. He has received an award from the International Film Festival of Flanders-Ghent, Belgium in 1983; a Special Jury Award from the Manila International Film Festival; and the 2004 Gawad CCP para sa Sining.

<i>Home Along Da Riles</i> Philippine sitcom

Home Along Da Riles is a Philippine sitcom that aired on ABS-CBN from December 23, 1992 to August 10, 2003, and was replaced by Ang Tanging Ina. The title started out as a play on the feature film Home Alone and with the main character's first name taken as a direct copy from the film's protagonist and his last name a pun of American actor Kevin Costner's last name.

<i>Gimik</i> 1999 Filipino film

Gimik is a Philippine youth-oriented television series produced and broadcast by ABS-CBN. The show ran from June 15, 1996 to February 6, 1999, replacing Game Na Game Na! and was replaced by G-mik every Saturday for 90 minutes and was shown internationally through TFC.

Ronnie Zabala Lazaro is a Filipino film and television actor, producer, casting director, and art director. He won the Gawad Urian for Best Actor for Yanggaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Fernando</span> Philippine actor and politician

Daniel Ramirez Fernando is a Filipino actor and politician who is the 34th and incumbent Governor of Bulacan.

<i>Be Careful with My Heart</i> 2012–14 TV series

Be Careful with My Heart is a 2012 Philippine television drama series starring Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap. The series aired on ABS-CBN's PrimeTanghali noontime block and worldwide via The Filipino Channel from July 9, 2012 to November 28, 2014 and was replaced by Give Love on Christmas.

Enrique Rustia Apacible III, professionally known as John Apacible, was a Filipino television and film actor.

Orestes Ojeda was a Filipino actor in movies and television.

The Viva Hot Babes are a Filipino pop girl group composed of actresses and models, founded in Manila by producer Vicente "Vic" del Rosario, Jr. in 2003. They were mainly spearheaded by actresses Maui Taylor, Katya Santos and Andrea del Rosario. The girls released softcore movies all under Viva Films, as well as a full-length album containing songs with double entendres and sexual innuendos with highly controversial meanings. The group rose to fame after the release of Hotstuff and Hotstuff 2 pornographic magazines, which created a stir in the early 2000s. Their debut single "Bulaklak" was one of the most controversial and critically panned songs of the 2000s, due to its double entendre and underlying sex themes.

Anna Marie Gutierrez is a former Filipina actress.

José Rizalinode León Torre, professionally known as JoelTorre, is a Filipino actor and producer who is best known for his numerous films such as the biographical film José Rizal (1998), crime thriller film On the Job (2013) and the historical drama Amigo (2010), with the latter winning him the Best Actor Award at the 17th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.

Scaregivers is a 2008 Filipino horror-comedy film written by Jourdan Sebastian and directed by Uro Q. dela Cruz, starring Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo.

<i>Misteryo sa Tuwa</i> 1984 period thriller film directed by Abbo Q. Dela Cruz

Misteryo sa Tuwa is a 1984 Philippine period drama and political thriller film written and directed by Abbo Q. Dela Cruz for the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines. Set in the town of Lucban, Quezon in 1950, three men Ponsoy, Mesiong, and Jamin discovered and retrieved a suitcase from a plane crash site and never reported it to the authorities and when the authorities approach Alcalde Valle, the town's mayor, to help find the suitcase, the latter made a vicious plan to steal the money for his greed. It also stars Amable Quiambao, Alicia Alonzo, Maria Montes, Vangie Labalan, Lito Anzures, and the extras in the film that tackles greed, corruption, and hatred.

<i>The Search for Weng Weng</i> 2013 Australian film

The Search for Weng Weng is a 2013 documentary film about Filipino actor Weng Weng (1957–1992), directed by Andrew Leavold. The film follows Leavold's quest to discover the story of the largely forgotten actor, whose real name was Ernesto de la Cruz. His starring roles were in locally produced action comedies films that found worldwide distribution in the early 1980s. Weng Weng is the shortest leading man in cinema history, standing at 83 cm. Leavold, who is Australian, decided to travel to the Philippines with a backpack and a camera and assemble every piece of information he could on the actor. Leavold interviewed many who sometimes both worked with and knew the actor. This includes Eddie Nicart, Bobby A. Suarez, Marrie Lee, Dolphy, Imelda Marcos, Tikoy Aguiluz, among many others. Leavold eventually discovered his remaining relatives, who described the actor's childhood and last years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kit Thompson</span> Filipino actor

Keith San Esteban Thompson, known professionally as Kit Thompson, is a Filipino-New Zealander former actor, model, and television host. He was a housemate in the reality show Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition 4 (2012).

<i>Sa Aking mga Kamay</i> 1996 Filipino psychological thriller drama film

Sa Aking Mga Kamay is a 1996 Philippine psychological thriller drama film directed by Rory B. Quintos. The film stars Christopher de Leon, Aga Muhlach and Chin Chin Gutierrez. The screenplay written by Ricky Lee, Mel Mendoza-Del Rosario, and Benjou Elgincolin was adapted from an original story by Olivia M. Lamasan.

References

  1. ↑ Zafra, Jessica (November 2, 2007). "Scorpio nights". PhilStar Global . Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Rated X: 'Scorpio Nights' and 'Sibak'". Manila Standard. March 22, 1999.
  3. ↑ "Heated fights, steamy set: How Peque Gallaga's sex classic 'Scorpio Nights' was made". ABS-CBN. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  4. ↑ CRITIC AFTER DARK: Oro, Plata, Mata (Gold, Silver, Death; Peque Gallaga, 1982), Noel Vera, March 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Scorpio nights". Spot. June 23, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Christine Bermas says she is wild in 'Scorpio Nights 3' but conservative in real life". push.abs-cbn.com. July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ Cruz, Oggs (May 24, 2008). "Scorpio Nights (1985)". Lessons From the School of Inattention. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.