Philippine Showbiz Today
October 22 - November 7, 2016
Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015
9
Laurice Guillen pleased with
restored version of directorial debut
In the 1970s, Laurice Guillen
was one of the sought-after
actresses in Philippine cinema
with FAMAS and Gawad Urian
supporting actress nominations
in five films directed by Lino
Brocka, namely Tinimbang Ka
Ngunit Kulang, Lunes, Martes,
Miyerkules, Huwebes, Biyernes,
Sabado, Linggo, Gumising Ka,
Maruja, Init and Inay.
But by the end of the decade,
Guillen wanted to broaden her
horizons as colleagues in the
industry like Mario O’Hara and
Mike de Leon were encouraging
her to try her hand at directing.
O’Hara, in particular, showed her
several finished scripts for her to
work on. One script in particular,
immediately caught her fancy.
The story of an engaged
couple who still needed to give
closure to unresolved issues
in their previous relationships,
O’Hara’s Kasal? was the script
Laurice chose for her 1980
directorial debut.
To her surprise, working on
Kasal? was fairly smooth sailing as
Guillen had an easy time casting
reliable actors like Christopher
de Leon, Hilda Koronel, Chanda
Romero and the late Jay Ilagan
upon O’Hara’s recommendation.
She also got other friends like
Charito Solis, Dindo Fernando,
Phillip Salvador, Edgar Mortiz, Lino
Brocka, Menggie Cobarrubias, a
very young Janice de Belen and
even her own husband, Johnny
Delgado, to appear in cameo
roles.
When she showed the
finished product to O’Hara, he
was surprised that she followed
his script to the letter.
“He said to me, ‘Why did you
follow the script?’ and I asked,
‘Am I not supposed to follow
the script?’ And he said, ‘No, it’s
only a guide. You’re supposed to
give it your own personal touch.’
So that’s actually the first thing I
learned about directing,” Guillen
recalled to InterAksyon during the
premiere of the film’s restored and
remastered version last Sunday at
the UP Town Center as part of the
Back Throwback section of the
ongoing QCinema International
Film Festival.
Guillen added that O’Hara
must have wanted to embellish
more and add to what he wrote.
But she contended that the
script was already perfect as it
was. When De Leon showed her
the rushes of Kasal? at the LVN
studios, she immediately felt a
sense of fulfillment and even
likened working on the project as
like giving birth to her first child.
“When I saw it, I thought to
myself, this is me. Not like in the
sense that it’s a photograph or
stillshot of me but in the sense
that the film was reflective of my
sensibilities and everything that I
am,” she admitted.
In the book, “Focus on
Filipino Films (A Sampling 1951-
1982), critic and Manunuri ng
Pelikulang
Pilipino
founding
member
Nicanor
Tiongson
wrote that Guillen “succeeded
in molding her characters into
real people by insisting on a
casual but deeply felt acting
style, on ordinary situations (no
big dramatic scenes), on mood
rather than melodious music,
and on accurate, not showy,
production.”
Another film critic, Noel Vera
said that as debut features g