Kakabakaba Ka Ba?
| Kakabakaba Ka Ba? | |
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 The poster of the restored version | |
| Directed by | Mike De Leon |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Rody Lacap |
| Edited by | Ike Jarlego, Jr. |
| Music by | Lorrie Ilustre |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Languages | |
Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (lit. Does Your Heart Beat Faster?) is a 1980 musical-romantic comedy film produced by LVN Pictures (in its last offering), written by Clodualdo "Doy" del Mundo Jr., Raquel Villavicencio, and Mike De Leon, and directed by De Leon.
The film revolves on two couples who found themselves in conflict with the foreign commercial giants that control the Philippine economy, the Japanese and the Chinese. Moreover, it involved the Catholic Church which has a stranglehold on the Philippine society itself. The film reflects on the Philippine economy and society being primarily controlled by other forces for their own benefits and become instruments in performing illegal activities.[1] Actors Christopher de Leon, Sandy Andolong, Jay Ilagan and Charo Santos starred as main cast in the film, while Johnny Delgado and APO Hiking Society's Boboy Garovillo portrayed the main villains.
Summary[]
As he arrives home from Japan, Johnny (Christopher de Leon) unknowingly smuggles in high-grade opium via an unassuming audio cassette. Japanese gangsters go after him and his friends to take back their goods. Johnny's group takes refuge in a church in Baguio, but there they discover that the priests and nuns there are fakes and actually in league with the Japanese. Adding to the mayhem is the Chinese mafia, which has an agenda of its own that pits them against the Japanese. Appropriately, hijinks ensue in a battle cum musical extravaganza.
Plot[]
Cold open[]
The film begins in 1964 at the Manila International Airport, Onota (Boboy Garovillo), a member of the yakuza, arrives in the Philippines but the checkpoint denied his entry when he was caught by the customs where they found out that he smuggles diamonds hidden in a Japanese doll. Five years later, in 1969, he tried it again and disguised himself as a Japanese hippie but he was caught again by the customs because they discovered that he would smuggle dollars hidden in his guitar. Seven years later, in 1976, he disguised again and cross-dressed himself as a Japanese woman wearing a kimono (specifically, a geisha) but unfortunately, he was caught again when they discovered he would smuggle opium hidden and strapped inside in his kimono sash.
Main plot[]
In present-day Japan (1980), Onota has given a chance by his boss, the Japanese Grand Master (George Javier), after he failed his missions on smuggling diamonds, dollars, and opium in the Philippines in three respective periods. These failures led to Onota cut his fingers as punishment for not achieving the goals.
Cast[]
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Christopher De Leon | Johnny |
| Charo Santos | Melanie |
| Jay Ilagan | Nonong |
| Sandy Andolong | Nancy |
| Boboy Garovillo | Onota |
| Johnny Delgado | Pinoy Master |
| Armida Siguion-Reyna | Madame Lily |
| Leo Martinez | Padre Blanco |
| Nanette Inventor | Mother Superior |
| Joe Jardi | Wagner |
| Moody Diaz | Melody/Virgie |
| Danny Javier | Santacruzan |
| Dyords Javier | Grand Master |
| Jim Paredes | Conductor of the New Minstrels Band |
| UP Concert Chorus | fake priests and nuns |
The APO Hiking Society made a contribution to this film. While Buboy Garovillo and Danny Javier portrayed the characters of Onota (main villain) and Santacruzan (supporting role) respectively, Jim Paredes made a cameo appearance as the conductor for the New Minstrels Band in the finale.
Release[]
Original theatrical release[]
Kakabakaba Ka Ba? was released in the Philippines on August 8, 1980 by LVN Pictures. The film made its international release, starting in Japan on January 31, 1993. Aside from Japan, the film was also released in France on July 4, 2008, and Italy on May 6, 2011, as part of the Udine Far East Film Festival.
Digital restoration and re-release[]
The film was commissioned by ABS-CBN Corporation to be digitally restored and remastered by L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy and was supervised by Davide Pozzi. This is the first film in the ABS-CBN Film Archives entirely done abroad. The restored version of the film was re-released with in select cinemas on December 9, 2015. It also received an overseas release in Japan on October 26, 2017 as part of the Cross-Cut Asia exhibition for the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival in Tokyo, Japan.[2][3]
Television release[]
The restored version of the film made its television premiere on ABS-CBN's late-night special presentation program, Sunday's Best, on July 2, 2017, at 11:15 PM. It was the first film to be broadcast under the Restored Classics banner. According to the Kantar Media-TNS statistics, the showing attained a 2.9% nationwide audience share.
Reception[]
Critical reception[]
Kenji Ishizaka, the program director of the Cross Cut Asia section, loved watching the film when it first premiered in the Japanese mainland in 1991. The program director was then part of the Japan Foundation at the time of the release. He described the film as "a high-quality musical" and he felt that most of the classic films, including Kakabakaba Ka Ba?, should be watched by the younger generations.[2]
Accolades[]
FAMAS Awards[]
| Year | Result | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Nominated | Best Director Mike De Leon Best Supporting Actor Johnny Delgado Best Picture |
Urian Awards[]
| Year | Result | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Won | Best Direction Mike De Leon Best Editing Ike Jarlego, Jr. Best Music Lorrie Ilustre Best Sound Ramon Reyes Best Supporting Actor Johnny Delgado |
| Nominated | Best Supporting Actor Boboy Garovillo Best Supporting Actress Nanette Inventor Best Supporting Actress Armida Siguion-Reyna Best Screenplay Doy del Mundo Mike De Leon Raquel Villavicencio Best Production Design Raquel Villavicencio Best Cinematography Rody Lacap Best Picture |
See also[]
- Mike De Leon
- Christopher De Leon
- Charo Santos
- Jay Ilagan
- Sandy Andolong
- Johnny Delgado
- APO Hiking Society
References[]
- ^ Infos on polsci167.blogspot.com
- ^ a b San Diego Jr., Bayani (November 14, 2017). "'Kakabakaba' returns to Japan". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Discovering Asian Cinema: Will Your Heart Beat Faster? (CROSS-CUT ASIA)". Tokyo International Film Festival. November 14, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
External links[]
- 1980 films
- 1980s musical comedy films
- Philippine films
- Philippine musical comedy films
- Star Cinema films