Angel Locsin: “Ang aking future mother-in-law, ike-claim ko na po siya...Nakakatuwa na naisipan ng Star Cinema na kami ‘yung opening salvo. Hindi basta-bastang posisyon ‘yun, so maraming salamat sa tiwala. Of course happy na ma-share ‘tong experience na ‘to, of course kay Tita Vilma. Ilang artista lang ba ang makakapagsabi na nakatrabaho na nila si Vilma Santos...” (Ador V. Saluta, Balita, 04 Nov 2015)
Angel Locsin: "...Iba yung ano, para sa akin kaseh, hindi makukumpleto ang iyong career kung hindi mo makaka-trabaho yung mga Greats...Kasi, Tita Vi, hay naku si Tita Vi, parang Greatest of Greats, parang iba talaga siya, professionalism, ang galing...ganda actually, iba yung...saka yung charisma niya...meron palang ganung tao, yung bang nagglo-glow kahit sa malayo...sobrang loveable, charismatic, iba talaga siya, iba yung precense niya." (Jeepney TV, You Tube, 11 August 2019)
Ai-Ai de las Alas: "As a kid in Tondo, Ate Vi was already my idol. My cousins, aunt and I would wake up early to watch the first screening of her movies on the opening day. My mom used to be protective of me. She didn’t want my legs to get bruised. But one day when I went to the store to buy pictures of Ate Vi, I fell down so my legs got wounded. My mom scolded and spanked me but I didn’t mind her. What was important was that I had new pictures to add to my Ate Vi scrapbook. When I was working as a secretary in Bulwagang Gantimpala, I finally saw Ate Vi in person. I was starstruck. She was very accommodating when I asked to have a picture with her. Even now that I’m already in show biz, I am still in awe of her. I found more reasons to admire her as an actress, public servant and friend. There are only two people whose advice I follow—Tito Boy Abunda and Ate Vi." (Dolly Anne Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 04 Nov 2015)
Michael de Mesa: "What really struck me was Vi’s humility. She’s down-to-earth. I remember during our acting workshop, I asked her to come alone instead of arriving with her usual entourage. And she did. I saw a true artist who was very open to learning and her being a gigantic star didn’t hinder it. Even to this day when we work together, she still asks me: “Did I say it right?” She has not changed. Such a genuine and sweet human being. That’s why she is sincerely loved by many." (Dolly Anne Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 04 Nov 2015)
Jose Mari Chan: "If there’s a Peter Pan, then Vilma Santos is Tinker Bell. She has this endearing quality that elicits joy in others. From when she was a child star, Vi could play practically any role on screen. As a public servant, she has maintained an impeccably clean reputation. I have not heard anyone who has said an unkind word about Vilma." (Dolly Anne Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 04 Nov 2015)
Aiko Melendez: "When we were shooting “Sinungaling Mong Puso,” Ate Vi was late for five minutes. That was the first time I saw an actor apologize so humbly to the crew. We had a scene where I had to humiliate her. I was hesitant at first, but she told me not to be intimidated and just do what I had to do. She even gave me tips on how to deliver my lines. Luckily, I got nominated in that movie for best supporting actress. I did well mainly because of Ate Vi’s pointers. She has no hang-ups in life that’s why I am a certified Vilmanian." (Dolly Anne Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 04 Nov 2015)
Joel Lamangan: "What I can’t forget about working with Vilma Santos is her remarkable professionalism. She comes to the set prepared. The moment she hears the director say “Action!” she spontaneously becomes the character needed in the scene. She is not “gimmicky.” She avoids fuss when preparing for a serious scene. She does not need extra attention to be able to do what is required of her. She is an actress par excellence."(Dolly Anne Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 04 Nov 2015)
Tommy Abuel: "Vi and I portrayed husband and wife in Danny Zialcita’s “Karma.” In one scene, I had to beat her up. It was difficult emotionally and physically but because Vi was cooperative and uncomplaining, the shoot went without a hitch. I won best supporting actor in Famas for that film. I would not have won if my leading lady was not as brilliant as Vi."(Dolly Anne Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 04 Nov 2015)
Lloyd Samartino: "Early in my career, Vi and I worked together in “Good Morning Sunshine” under Direk Ishmael Bernal. She was a delight to work with. The movie was very campy and we used to laugh at the dance routines we had to do… I would love to work with her again. I have admired her greatly from afar as to how she has transformed her career from show biz to politics." (Dolly Anne Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 04 Nov 2015)
Vice Mayor Ina Alegre: “I’ve been idolizing her since I was a kid...Actually, I am taking the same path that she did.” (Ricky Lo, The Philippine Star, 06 Jan 2018)
Yul Servo: "...Magaling siyang magpaliwanag at maglatag ng solusyon sa mga problema...Mas nae-enjoy ko ang mga gawain ko sa kongreso dahil gaya sa TV at pelikula na may script o direktor, may mga tulad ni Ate Vi at iba pang kaibigan kong nasa House na very open at willing mag-share ng mga karanasan nila sa governance at suportahan ang mga advocacy namin para sa mga tao..." (Ambet Nabus, Bandera, 11 Dec 2017)
Roderick Paulate: : "...Hindi naman sa movies lang nagstart, di ba, ang pagkakaibigan ng Paulate at Santos, kasi kaibigan na nila ang sister ko at si Ate Emily, Loida, si Mommy, magkakaibigan na sila, iyon bale parang lumalabas, second batch na lang ako, di ba?...tapos nagsama kami nuon, naging magkapatid kami sa Kasalanan Kaya...kami ni Vi, two years din di nagkita pero I think si Vi yatam di sa pambobola, parang magkadikit na talaga 'yung dugo, parang hindi kailangang magkita, parang na-prove na namin sa isa't isa 'yung friendship...there was a time nagalit si Vi, perfectionist pa 'yan ha, nakikialam sa production, nakikialam sa set niya, kasi gusto niya, ayaw niya yung dinadaya yung fans niya eh, di ba? Nahihiya 'yun sa mga Vilmanians kapag nagperform ng half-baked, hindi puwede, hindi puwede basta na lang, kung mag-rehearse, tatlo-apat na araw para duon sa number na 'yon, nagbibigay siya ng time for that, nagbibigay siya ng time for that...there was a time, parang mainit ang ulo niya, tinawagan ako ni Chit Guerrero, alam mo kahit anong itsura ko, tumakbo ako mula sa kama, tumakbo talaga ako naka-short, purontong, nakunan pa ako ng TV, ngiti-ngiti, kasi talagang, o sige kaseh ganito ang mukha niya...but after awhile alam mo makikita mo talaga ang pagmamahal galing sa Vilma Santos, mahal niya ang trabaho niya, mahal niya ang mga fans niya, hindi niya dinadaya ang mga fans niya...kaya kita mo naman, hindi ka magtataka, Vilmanians mula nuon, hanggang ngayon nandidiyan pa rin sila, nakikita ko pa sila..." (ABS-CBN Entertainment, 26 Oct 2017)
Raymond Isaac: "...My friend, Ate Vi ang Darna ng buhay ko!...whenever, wherever you are, we Love you, I love you, mahal ka naming lahat, and my only wish is huwag kang titigil uminom ng bato ni Darna, para maganda ka pa rin at malakas ka pa rin at thank you rin sa lahat ng tinulong mo sa mga tao, out in the open and I'm talking to, I personally, would like to thank you for all the people that you'd help..." (ABS-CBN Entertainment, 26 Oct 2017)
Kim Chiu: "...Thank you for being an inspiration, idol na idol talaga kita, nagartista, sing and dance, acting and now politics, and the good family, masayang buhay, so gusto ko ring maging ganyan, pangarap ko rin yung life mo, but I just want to say thank you sa pagiging mabait mo sa akin during nang nagka-work tayo sa The Healing and I hope to work with you sa mga future projects..." (ABS-CBN Entertainment, 26 Oct 2017)
Kim Chiu: "...Sobra siyang empowered woman and ang galing niya sa mga tao. Hindi mo siya makikitaan na napagod na siya kahit ang dami na niyang kinausap na mga tao..." (Brooke Villanueva, Metro, 14 December 2019)
Maja Salvador: "...Ako ang iyong baby, si Baby April, nagsama po tayo sa MMK, at hinding-hindi ko po iyon makakalimutan, dahil mas na-inspire pa po ako sa trabaho ko nang dahil po sa inyo, iyong mga pag-uusap po natin sa set ng MMK dahil sobra-sobra dami ko pong natutunan, maraming-maraming salamat po, kung anuman po ang mga na-achieve ko ngayon ay isa po kayo sa mga dahilan n'yon at sana po ay makatrabaho ko kayo, I love you mommy..." (ABS-CBN Entertainment, 26 Oct 2017)
Xian Lim: "...We had a talk sa room lang...nagusap kami, kami-kami lang...sabi niya sa akin, I've been so long in the industry for so long, so long, hanggang ngayon hindi ko pa rin alam ang ginagawa ko, don't feel pressure in whatever you are doing kasi ang kailangan mo lang isipin ay ang mahalin mo ang lahat ng taong nasa paligid mo, 'yung lang and everything will fall into places...last na lang konti, kasi lang opportunity na ganito, to actually tell you mom, na ang laking bagay talaga nung nagkasama tayo, it was actually during the press conference po talaga na hindi ko na nakayanan, napigilan ang sarili ko talagang ang sakit po kasi talaga na magkaroon ng mga negative comments na sinasabi po talaga na sinasabi po talaga ng mga tao tungkol sa akin, and yet nandiyan po si mom Vi na to tell everyone na...iba po yung nakita niya sa akin, I was in the point na dina-doubt ko na talaga ang sarili ko na napakasama ko bang tao, kasi yun ang point na ganuon ang tingin ng lahat and yung nagsalita na si Mama, ng press com na it make me question, and made me drop everything na maybe merong, theres is light, and there is that hope, and so thank you mama, malaking bagay talaga iyon..." (ABS-CBN Entertainment, 26 Oct 2017)
San Jose del Monte Bulacan House Representative Rida Robles: "...Idol na idol ko si Ate Vi. Very passionate siya sa kanyang position at dahil artista muna siya bago naging politician marami na siyang experience sa pakikitungo sa tao and very humble pa rin siya..." (Jun Nardo, Bandera, 31 March 2019)
Hon. Rep. Alfred Vargas: "... Ate Vi is my ninang sa kasal...she is a model for all of us...I wouldn’t be where I am today if it were not for the opportunities and breaks given to me in showbiz. I owe a lot to this industry and I will forever be grateful. And this is my own small way of trying to give back, by advocating sustainable policies for the general welfare of our beloved industry..." (Ronald Constantino, Tempo, 02 May 2018)
Quezon City (5th District) Rep. Alfred Vargas: "..One movie is fine with me. You know, Ate Vi is my idol. She has proven that actors can be good public officials, from being mayor of Lipa to governor of Batangas and now congresswoman. Masipag siya. We hold office close to each other in what is known as the Showbiz Wing. That’s also where Congressmen Christopher de Venecia, Yul Servo, Lucy Torres, Edward Maceda and Dan Fernandez have their offices. Someday, I hope to do a movie with Ate Vi..." (Ricky Lo, The Philippine Star, 01 September 2019)
"haaaaahhhh…haaaaaahhhh....di ko sinasadya!...di ko sinasadya!" - Pina
Basic Information: Direction: Maryo J. De los Reyes; Adapted screenplay: Jake Tordesillas; Original screenplay: Via Hoffman; Cast: Vilma Santos, Michael De Mesa, Miguel Rodriguez, Francis Arnaiz, Richard Gomez, Mark Joseph, Lito Pimentel, Joey Hipolito, Joey Marquez, Tony Santos Sr., Caridad Sanchez, Lucita Soriano, Dante Castro, Bing Davao, Alicia Alonzo, Mia Gutierrez, Anna Feliciano, Strawberry, Ross Rival, Janet Beltran, Kristel Romero, Rene Hinojales, Ruben Balan, Rey Doria, Perry Fajardo, Emma Mendoza, Emil De Guzman, Archie Adamos, Vic Belaro, Rene Balan, Nemie Gutierrez, Joe Lapid, Rabes Marquez, Pong Mercado, Arbie Antonio, Alex Toledo, Gil Zaldaga, Remy Reyes, Nina Lorenzo, Alfred Barreto, Rey Ferrer, Manny Torres, Monette Arroyo, Chinggay Feliciano, Lea Locsin, Maloy Marquez, Linda Lanuza, Cheche Morales, Sally Blanco, Gloria Mercado, Nancy Romero, Arthur Cassanova, Nonoy Gaites, Deo Macalma, Alex Baluyut, Johnny Francisco, Enrico Villa, Helen Pondevida, Aida Carmona, Eileen Tinio, Madeleine Nicolas, Raquel Villavicencio; Original Music: Jaime Fabregas; Cinematography: Ely Cruz; Editing: Jess Navarro; Production Design: Cesar Hernando, Lea Locsin; Sound: Joe Climaco, Jun Martinez; Producer: Via Hoffman
Plot Description: A young Pina was traumatized when her family was murdered while she had her first menstruation. She grown up into a serial killer transforming herself to different personalities as she seduced one man at a time grossly killing them while in the act of sexual pleasure. Eventually Pina was caught by the authorities. Considered by some critics as a feminist movie, Tagos ng Dugo has the feeling of claustrophobic but stylized European slasher movie that showcased the wide acting range of Philippines’ cinematic diva, Vilma Santos. The film lacks the usual long dialogue of her previous films but in this film, she was given a chance to show her body movements and “eye” acting that climaxed with tour de force ending, a mad lion being caught by armed hunters.
Film Achievements:FAMAS: Best Actress - Vilma Santos; CMMA Best Actress - Vilma Santos; FAP: Best Musical Score - Jaime Fabregas, Best Actress nomination - Vilma Santos
Film Reviews: "...In Filipino movies, drama is synonymous with exaggeration. In many films, scenes of cruelty, violence and torrid sex are depicted with little restraint so that they border on distasteful. In Tagos ng Dugo (1987), a young girl is raped after her parents are mudered. While she's being abused, blood from her murdered mother's body drips through the ceiling and falls on her forehead. In Kapag Napagod and Puso (1988), a harassed movie director (Christopher de Leon) takes out his frustration on his young wife (Snooky Serna) by smashing her face, pounding her head on the wall and punching her pregnant body black and blue. Once it was sufficient to depict adult activities by implication. To speak of sex on screen, it was enough to show a couple closing a door as they entered a room. A passionate embrace or a kiss is always followed by a quick fade to black. But nowadays, with sexual liberation and the heightened sense of realism demanded by viewers, Filipino movies have become more graphic in their treatment of sexual matters. There is now a greater curiousity for the phenomenon of the woman's body. It is a must to depict menstruation (Tagos ng Dugo), labor pains (Kapag Napagod ang Puso) and a miscarriage (Burlesque Queen, 1977) by showing blood stains on the garment near the area of the vagina and blood trickling down a woman's leg. The first signs of pregnancy are always dramtized by showing a woman throwing up in asink (Pasan Ko ang Daigdig, 1987). Abortion scenes have a very clinical look: a woman must be shown lying down with her legs in stirrups as a doctor or quack performs the bloody operation. Since abortion is illegal in the Philippines, it is common to depict abortion scenes ending in tragedy. In Celso Ad. Castillo's Nympha (1971), a woman is left to die naked, wallowing in her own blood on the floor after doctors fail to stop her bleeding following an abortion. Childbirth scenes are just as graphic. In Nunal sa Tubig (1977), a baby's head is shown emerging from a vagina..." - Emmanuel Anastacio Reyes, Notes on Philippine Cinema (Collected Writings on Cinema)..." - Emmanuel Anastacio Reyes, Notes on Philippine Cinema Collected Writings on Cinema (READ MORE)
"...I had actually intended to evaluate the industry’s artistic accomplishments from January to June this year, but the consideration of causes simply overwhelmed the original subject. Anyway, in providing a listing of the more acceptable items, it would serve our purposes well to keep in mind that these titles were originally greeted with expressions of disappointment and frustration, with only passing acknowledgement of their respective merits – to which I now most carefully give mention...Tagos ng Dugo (Maryo J. de los Reyes, dir.): kinkiness rounded out with psychological backgrounding and propelled forward with a sense of conviction and sympathy for the plight of the subject..." - Joel David, National Midweek, 26 August 26, 1987 (READ MORE)
"...And what do we make out of Maryo de los Reyes' Tagos ng Dugo, with its grossly improbable tale of multiple schizophrenia and made all the worse by the director's penchant for pseudo-character changes? Personally, i would rate Vilma Santos here as having been last year's most colorul character instead of a consumate performer...." - Justino Dormiendo, Manila Standard, Feb 23, 1988 (READ MORE)
"...She has lost some pounds (due to the gruelling shooting of her recent film, Tagos ng Dugo, but she is still the same radiant beauty...Santos is likewise bugged by the observation (presumably by some Nora Aunor supporters) that her performance in Tagos ng Dugo, wherein she portrayed a psychopath, was "Norang-Nora." She could not divine how the comment was made in the first place. Was it becauise, in the film, she was handled by Maryo de los Reyes who is known to be a close friend and one of the favorite directors of Nora Aunor? Or, was it because her role in Tagos called for a lot of the so called Nora-style acting -expressive eye movements, prolonged byt quiet crying binges? Is she, in the eyes of some Aunor loyalist, as good as actress now as their idol? "Wala akong ginagaya," defended the actress. "That was Pina, the role, I was acting out. I did not think of Guy or anybody else when I was doing the film. "But you know, that (comment) is good," she said as an after thought. "Kinukumpara pa rin kami hanggang ngayon. That means kami pa rin - the rivalry is still strong." On the other hand, one is hard put to imagine Aunor attempting Santos' "patented" acting style (the ease and confidence in delivering kilometric line, among others). If and when she does in any of her future films, I told the actress, we would also say "Vilmang-Vilma" siya! She burst out laughing..." - Mario V. DumaualManila Standard, Feb 19, 1987 (READ MORE)
First of all, serial murder is almost alien to Philippine crime journalism, a fact that’s due certainly to our police force’s lack of records on such cases. Now, this police record gap may of course in turn reflect a lack of local police coordination towards (or, worse, capability for) determining crime patterns as possibly serial. Unless those determinations have to do with the usual cop-out that goes like this: “it’s another NPA hit” blah blah blah, or “its another murder similar to the one that happened last week, and this is reflective of pornograhy’s...”. My above statements are meant to illustrate a national wont to demean our own police organization’s capability (or, worse, intelligence) that may neither be fair nor productive, but it would be a habit that certainly is not undeserved given the record -- official and memorial -- of the police prioritizing its own people’s interests and “rackets”. Given this background, therefore, Tagos ng Dugo can be said to be a demonstration of serial crimes’ possible placement in local shores, and that would certainly be a valid view. Except, of course, that in effect Tagos is also -- and probably should be read primarily as -- a demonstration of possiblities other than the merely forensic. I say “should be”, since the police is portrayed fairly in the film, albeit not exactly generously. So what could be all the fuss about Tagos’ value? “Production values” is the often-heard reason, needing elucidation. A breakthrough for Philippine psychological movies? Probably.
Let me explore a few other angles on this seeming cross between Francois Truffaut’s “The Bride Wore Black” and Luis Benuel’s “Belle Du Joir” -- I don’t know if screenwriter Jake Tordesillas or Delos Reyes himself should be congratulated for the cohesion of multi-resultants in this work. Part of this multi-readings would be the movie as a feminist take on womankind’s monthly pains as a form of excuse for female monthly insanities, insanities our macho’s regard as regular terrorism on the whole of mankind (men or society as a whole). It is with that reading that the ending apologies, by Vilma Santos in the lead role, might be understood as a plea for understanding of how all of woman’s monthly Eve-behavior should not be seen as a Biblical sin but as an equal (to, say, man’s beastly) naturalness... Another feminist reading, more radical perhaps, would treat the film as a view of how Philippine society (the men in it, primarily) approaches provincial innocence, educational weakness, and “female’s weaker sanity” as stimuli for abuse... There is, however, the possibly more general reading of the film as an apologia for insanity qua itself, how it should be treated as a disease instead of as a monster to be eliminated... And finally, there’s the possiblity that the film is actually a depiction of how crazy the world outside the insane mind really is, albeit this view would probably be the least successful direction for the film... As a bonus, maybe we can also bring the movie to more latent, more philosophical territory, say, how it depicts the sanity of innocence. But, given the validity and possible weight of all those approaches, what finally makes this movie a jewel in Philippine cinema history is how it brings forth -- every time you watch it -- its case achievements in directorial and film editing dramaturgy ( including the recurring stage-like choreography, Hitchcockish camera positionings, and acting pacing within). For the serious student of third world filmmaking, here is a requisite Philippine movie from where to cull precious fragments. In these fragments, he/she is sure to find sparkles that are in themselves gems. Source: E Nadurata's Vilma Santos’ web-site
Bihirang talakayin sa pelikulang Pilipino ang mga problemang sikolohikal. Matapang itong sinuong noong 1987 nina Direktor Maryo J. de los Reyes at ng manunulat na si Jake Tordesillas sa Tagos ng Dugo (V.H. Films). Itinatampok si Vilma Santos bilang Pina isang babaeng may madilim na nakaraan. Nang magkaroon ng buwanang bisita si Pina sa unang pagkakataon pinaliguan ito ng kanyang ina (Alicia Alonzo) taliwas sa pamahiin nating mga Pilipino na bawal maligo ang isang babae kung ito ay may regla. Dahilan ito upang magkaroon siya ng dismenorrhea. Bahagi ng kanyang nakaraan ang malagim na pagpatay sa kanyang pamilya ng kapatid (Archie Adamos) ng kalaguyo ng kanyang ama (Ross Rival). Nagdalaga si Pina sa loob ng mental hospital at nang nasa tamang edad na ito at sapat na pag-iisip, nakitira na ito sa kanyang tiyahin (Caridad Sanchez) at ang asawa nitong hepe ng pulis (Tony Santos, Sr.). May mga eksenang halaw sa banyagang pelikula. Ang eksenang nakabihis tsina si Pina nang nakipagtagpo siya sa isang telephone lineman (Joey Marquez) ay galing sa karakter na China Blue ni Kathleen Turner sa Crimes Of Passion ni Direktor Ken Russell. Maraming bahagi ng kuwento ang kuha sa nobelang The Seven Deadly Sins, ngunit kung iisipin, ano'ng pelikula nga ba hindi kumuha ng inspirayson sa mga obrang gawa ng ibang kinikilalang direktor?
Nagtatrabaho si Pina sa isang karinderya sa tapat ng presinto at dito niya unang nakita si Andy (Francis Arnaiz) isang pulis na kasama sa trabaho ng kanyang tiyuhin. Dito unang nabuo ang natatagong obsesyon ni Pina kay Andy. Sa pagtakbo ng istorya maraming naka-enkuwentrong iba't-ibang lalaki si Pina. Sa tuwing dumarating ang kanyang buwanang bisita ay tumatakas siya sa bahay at nagpupunta sa isang lumang mansyong malapit sa kanyang tinitirhan. Nag-aayos, nagbibihis, sumasama sa unang lalaking nakapansin sa kanya at habang nakikipagtalik, bumabalik ang mga alaala ng karahasang naranasan sa kamay ng mapang-aping mga lalaking nagsamantala sa kanya at ito at kanyang pinapatay. Sa anggulong ito halos umikot ang kabuuan ng pelikula. Masasabing naging matapang ang mga bumuo ng pelikulang Tagos Ng Dugo dahil sa tahasan nitong tinalakay ang sekswalidad ng mga pangunahing tauhan. Mapapansing pinagtuunan ng pansin ang kabuuan ng karakter ni Pina na buong husay ginampanan ni Vilma Santos. Ang aktres ay halos nasa lahat ng eksena sa pelikula. Maituturing na "hysterical" ang uri ng pag-arte ni Vilma ngunit sa pelikulang ito ay malaki ang naitulong nito upang maipahatid niya ang sapat na emosyon sa epektibong paraan. Malaki ang naitulong ni Direktor Maryo J. de los Reyes sa pagsasalarawan ng kuwento ni Pina. Nailahad niya ng maayos ang mga problemang sikolohikal hindi lamang ni Pina kundi ng buong lipunan. Makikitang binigyang diin ang posibleng solusyon sa mga suliraning ipinamalas sa pelikula. Maaring may ilang pagkukulang ang pelikula sa naging takbo ng istorya ngunit naisalba ito ng mahusay na pagdidirehe ni de los Reyes. Sa anggulong ito naging malaking bahagi sa tagumpay ng Tagos Ng Dugo ang direktor dahil sa tuwiran niyang naipahayag ang patotoo sa mga isyung tinalakay sa buong pelikula. Dito rin natamo ni Vilma ang kanyang ikaapat na FAMAS Best Actress Award bago siya tuluyang naluklok sa Hall Of Fame nang sumunod na taon. - Jojo De Vera, “Hindi Mapigil Ang Tagos Ng Dugo,” Sari-Saring Sinengpinoy Blogspot
The story revolves around Pina, a woman haunted by her past traumatic experiences. She always feels afraid at the sight of blood. Whenever she is physically or emotionally injured, she experiences the so-called "post-traumatic syndrome," which persuades her to kill every man who has hurt her. She disguises herself as a prostitute with different personalities, and becomes a mysterious murderer. The Review - The future National Artist for Film and recent U.P. Gawad Plaridel and Gawad Suri awardee Vilma Santos has done a gamut of roles. She is the only Filipina actress on record who has the most impressive resume of great performances (and is credible in any role, including Darna, the Pinoy female version of Superman), and has amassed 50 plus acting trophies. The Variety magazine and the world film community has dubbed her the Filipino Cinematic Diva and the Meryl Streep of the Philippines. If her luck continues, she may end up in Guinness’ Almanac as an actor with the most number of acting awards. One of my favorite Vilma characters is that of Pina, a serial killer, in Tagos ng Dugo. Directed by Mario J. Delos Reyes, it won four best actress awards for Vilma: her second CMMA, fourth FAMAS, and two from magazine polls. When it comes to edgy, neurotic, complex roles, leave it to Versatile Vilma, the Meryl Streep-like cerebral and intuitive actress who was born to play them. Vilma’s foray into the "luka-luka" genre began in Dama De Noche where she plays twin sisters, one of which is, you bet, neurotic. Bernal’s classic Ikaw Ay Akin is best remembered for the manic-depressive, chain-smoking, Valium-popping, liberated, free-spirit Sandra (Vilma). Says critic Mario Bautista in his review: As the uptight Sandra, Vilma Santos has the script’s choicest, wittiest lines. She makes the most of them and gives a fairly accurate portrait of an emotionally insecure young woman. She likewise handles her final breakdown exceedingly well. There is a common thread in classic films like Broken Marriage, Relasyon, Tagos ng Dugo, Bata, Bata, Dolzura Cortez and Hahamakin Lahat. Outstandingfilms, thanks to Vilma’s perfect portrayal of women on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It is no wonder that the late National Artist Lino Brocka quoted: "Vilma can do any role now. She registers like water, she has overtaken Nora Aunor." The U.P. MassCom jurors concurred with Brocka and gave Vilma that seal of approval by giving her the National Artist award precursor, the prestigious U.P. Gawad Plaridel for excellence in film acting. And oh yes, let us not forget the Gawad Suri Award. In layman’s terms, she is the best in the business, period!
Back to Tagos ng Dugo. At best, it is Vilma’s most emotionally and physically, albeit, draining role. Maryo J. made Vilma succeed to say more with less as we will find out. In the opening scene, Pina’s medical history is revealed: schizophrenia, painful menstruation, manic-depressive. Then we see the pubescent Pina screaming and writhing in pain on her first menstruation, calls out to her mother: "Inay!" The luminous Alicia Alonzo plays her mother and tells her “dalaga ka na!” Menarche and puberty did not sit well with Pina. While menstruating, she discovers of her father’s affair with a circus girl who her father accidentally kills in the "knife roulette" show, as the victim’s blood spills on her face. The girl’s family gets even, kills her whole family one night, while she gets raped. Tagos ng Dugo. Here’s the message: hell hath no fury than a woman violated while having painful menstruation. She has bridges to burn and many losses in her life. She has become a lost and tormented soul. A victim. A monster is born. Oscar best actress Charleze Theron may have taken an inspiration from Vilma’s Pina. Flash forward: Orphan and just released from a mental institution, the grownup Pina is seen staying with her aunt Caridad Sanchez and her husband, a police officer, Tony Santos, Sr. This is where Pina’s "calvary" as victim (again) begins. So many men, so many abusers, or so we thought. Enter Michael De Mesa, Santos, Sr.’s nephew who has lust at first sight on Pina. "Malagu, ’ne?" (She’s beautiful), De Mesa gushes on the coy and evasive Pina. In Kapampangan, Tony tells De Mesa that she was just released from the mental hospital. Michael attempts to enter Pina’s room one night but is unsuccessful.
Next to Dekada ’70 perhaps, this is one movie where Vilma succeeded in quiet scenes, by just using her eyes. Whether she writhes quietly in pain during her period or is scared of the inevitable such as Michael’s evil intent, this is the vintage Vilma now. Less is more. The triumph of restraint and hard work. Versatile, Inc. She meets the nice and good-looking cop (Francis Arnaiz) in the police station where she works as a sloppy, unfocused canteen helper who gets easily rattled by men around her, earning the ire of her boss Lucita Soriano. "Ano ba Pina, ang tanga-tanga mo. Ang dami mo nang nabasag na baso, hah?" Arnaiz is different: caring, sensitive, a gentleman. She is Pina’s crush and hero. She steals her crush’s photo ID and in her secret hideaway, kisses the photo, followed by a nervous, hysterical laugher, reminiscent of her confrontation scene with Gloria Romero in Kapag Langit ang Humatol? Enter a notorious rapist who is now in jail who held Vilma by the neck and mashes her breasts. Vilma becomes hysterical and cries unconsolably even after Arnaiz and the cops come to her rescue. This scene is again Vintage Vilma. When the rapist is released from prison, he chooses Vilma as his first victim and in the rape attempt, Arnaiz shoots him dead. Again, blood droops on Pina’s face. Tagos ng Dugo. Next thing we know, De Mesa almost succeeds in raping her but falls off the window when Vilma fights back. She uses Michael’s knife to scare him off. Now wiser, stronger, sophisticated and smarter, Pina finds solace and a sanctuary in an abandoned house across from where she lives. She learns how to apply mascara and wig. A serial killer is born. This is where she plans her revenge. So many men, so little time. It’s payback time. In the wise use of flashbacks, we learn that Pina is violated again and again by the very people who should be helping her cope with her unstable mental status, one of which is the evil warden Lito Pimentel. She falls in love with her therapist who politely turns her down. It is a series of painful abuse and rejection for the sad, sad life of Pina.
In a memorable and touching scene, the camera pans on a screaming, out of control, bloodied, lost her sanity Pina, angry one moment, repentant ("di ko sinasadya!") the next, and then mumbles incoherently. Prison bars are etched across her whole body, and the movie ends. Pina is Vilma and Vilma is Pina. This is their story. This is their movie. This is acting at its best. Thank God, Mayor Vilma Santos has come to the rescue of the Pina’s in this world. Unlike the super heroine and fictitious Darna who kicks butt as she battles with the forces of darkness and defend the people, here is Vilma, the philanthropist and the Mother Theresa of her generation, in the flesh, reaching out to the poorest of the poor of her Lipa constituents. Through her loving heart and helping hands, she has actually helped thousands of society’s outcasts, the poor and the needy. This is the Vilma Santos today: successful, revered, in demand, a winner in all fronts. A National Treasure! Who would have thought that the second fiddle to another actress will become the greatest film practitioner of all time and a capable Mayor? A great actress and an excellent Mayor. Nobody does it better. - Mar Garces, “Tagos Ng Dugo: The original Naglalayag Revisited,” V Magazine 2006
First of all, serial murder is almost alien to Philippine crime journalism, a fact that's due certainly to our police force's lack of records on such cases. Now, this police-records gap may of course in turn reflect a lack of local police coordination towards (or, worse, capability for) determining crime patterns as possibly serial. Unless those determinations have to do with the usual cop-out that goes like this: "it's another NPA hit" blah blah blah, or "it's another murder similar to the one that happened last week, and this is reflective of pornography's . . .". My above statements are meant to illustrate a national wont to demean our own police organization's capability (or, worse, intelligence) that may neither be fair nor productive, but it would be a habit that certainly is not undeserved given the record -- official and memorial -- of the police's prioritizing its own people's interests and "rackets." Given this background, therefore, Tagos Ng Dugo can be said to be a demonstration of serial crimes' possible placement in local shores, and that would certainly be a valid view. Except, of course, that in effect Tagos is also -- and probably should be read primarily as -- a demonstration of possibilities other than the merely forensic. I say "should be," since the police is portrayed fairly in the film, albeit not exactly generously. So what could be all the fuss about Tagos' value? "Production values" is the often-heard reason, needing elucidation. A breakthrough for Philippine psychological movies? Probably. Let me explore a few other angles on this seeming cross between Francois Truffaut's The Bride Wore Black and Luis Buñuel's Belle du Jour -- I don't know if screenwriter Jake Tordesillas or De los Reyes himself should be congratulated for the cohesion of multi-resultants in this work. Part of this multi-readings would be the movie as a feminist take on womankind's monthly pains as a form of excuse for female monthly insanities, insanities our machos regard as regular terrorism on the whole of mankind (men or society as a whole).
It is with that reading that the ending apologies, by Vilma Santos in the lead role, might be understood as a plea for understanding of how all of woman's monthly Eve-behavior should not be seen as a Biblical sin but as an equal (to, say, men's beastly) naturalness. . . . Another feminist reading, more radical perhaps, would treat the film as a view of how Philippine society (the men in it, primarily) approaches provincial innocence, educational weakness, and "females' weaker sanity" as stimuli for abuse. . . . There is, however, the possibly more general reading of the film as an apologia for insanity qua itself, how it should be treated as a disease instead of as a monster to be eliminated. . . . And finally, there's the possibility that the film is actually a depiction of how crazy the world outside the insane mind really is, albeit this view would probably be the least successful direction for the film. . . . As a bonus, maybe we can also bring the movie to more latent, more philosophical territory, say, how it depicts the sanity of innocence. But, given the validity and possible weight of all those approaches, what finally makes this movie a jewel in Philippine cinema history is how it brings forth -- every time you watch it -- its case achievements in directorial and film editing dramaturgy (including the recurring stage-like choreography, Hitchcockish camera positionings, and acting pacing within). For the serious student of third-world filmmaking, here is a requisite Philippine movie from where to cull precious fragments. In these fragments, he/she is sure to find sparkles that are in themselves gems. - Vicente-Ignacio S. de Veyra III, “Tagos Ng Dugo (1987): Maryo J. de los Reyes' Jewel,” Geocities, July 2002 - April 2004
"...At first, policemen manning the station likened Pina's arrival in their canteen as a breath of fresh air in the dirty world they work in. Although she is not entirely all right up there she is pretty and quiet. An industrious helper she only absents herself once a month because of extreme dysmennorhea. Then men started getting killed within the vicinity of the police station. A vacationing overseas worker a prisoner on bail a handsome playboy a drug crazed youth... Is it only a coincidence that the murders seem to happen exactly on the days Pina is experiencing her very painful monthly period?..." - Mav Shack (READ MORE)
