BOMBA QUEEN... The Rise And Fall Of A Star

Bomba Queen

There are films which do not suggest any alternative way of life or behavior but whose importance derive from the range of their content or from the cogency of their observation or perception of reality. There had been a few films about the movie industry and movie personalities, but their perception of the reality of the industry or of the people in it are either shallow or downright idiotic. One common representation is that it is a glamorous world where people are immoral because of their sophistication. This is not the perception of a neophyte movie scribe or a backward provincial and it is obviously not true. The other perception is slightly debased and thoroughly cynical. According to it, you can have all the glamour in the movies if in exchange, you are willing to sell your soul to the devil. A woman has to surrender herself to a director, a producer or a movie actor. This observation has an element of truth to it which has been used as the basis for justifying pornography. Bomba Queen (Seiko Films, Inc.) gives us an authentic depiction of what really happens within the industry and the lives of movie personalities. Efren Piñon knew the world of the movie industry from the inside. He was involved in its operations but went into it with a sense of irony and with the understanding that enabled him to hold his own perspective. Whether acting on a general or isolated truth, Piñon recruited the central characters of his film from the gutter. In tracing the rise of these characters, he was able to provide a larger framework against which to examine the sectoral world of the movie industry.

Yvonne's (Sarsi Emmanuelle) rise to stardom is traced in the picaresque manner so that we are able to have an overview of a larger segment of society. Her rise opens up for her a world presented as decadent, represented by Mama Carol (Miss Rita Gomez), a woman of leisure and her lover Elmer (Ronaldo Valdez) who uses Yvonne as some sort of emotional stimulant. Meanwhile, Ador (Roy Flores), a stunt man introduces her to the movies and becomes an actress. As she rises into stardom, their relationship, initially founded on genuine love for each other is destroyed as Yvonne becomes a sex object for her new leading man Andrew (Rafael Roces). Her rise to stardom starts as well as her fall, morally and spiritually. The irony however, is that as Yvonne gets an entry into this world, it becomes necessary for her to prevent  the truth of her life for fear that her background will be exposed. Piñon transforms this stereotype into a foil for Yvonne and as some kind of suggested alternative way of life. Piñon fully fleshes out his characters. Emmanuelle is unforgettable. She plays her role with maturity and understanding. Emanuelle, using only her face, conveys the hope, the doubt, the sadness and the final hopelessness. On a factual level, Bomba Queen examines the nature of the system in the industry. Its directors are illiterates, they work entirely on stupid improvisations, most of the people in it come from the gutter, bringing into the operations of the industry their instabilities, their pettiness and barbarism.

Directed By: Efren C. Piñon
Screenplay: George Vail Kabristante
Director Of Photography: Manolo R. Abaya
Music By: Jaime Fabregas
Film Editor: Edgardo "Boy" Vinarao
Production Designer: Cesar Jose
Produced By: Seiko Films, Inc.
Release Date: April 25, 1985