My first films with Cirio Santiago and Teddy Page.

-->1985 had a slow start, I didn't really hunt for the movies and had fun on the tatami in Rizal Memorial. I wanted those judoka of mine to perform at their best when they were about to join the ASEAN-games in Taiwan, but as far as I remember none of them succeeded to reach the podium. Well, it takes many years of preparation to reach that level. A little disappointed I decided to invest more of my time in this movie-thing. One way or another I was to meet with Cirio Santiago, a local giant in the film-industry who became president of the Philippine Film Development Fund in 1995.( He died last 3 years later).

Those also were the days I met with Richard Harrison and Teddy Page, sometimes I got confused in which film I was working in, cos I met a lot of the same guys, AD's and directors again. Working titles didn't help either...

This also was the periode James Gaines' 'Blackfire' was shot. I was on the set for a couple a days but can't really remember the stuff we did...hmmm

It was a period of shooting some scenes one day, then a couple a days later another call to do more action scenes or other fighting choreographics. I learned it was the shooting for Blooddepts.

Blood Debts, full movie

 It was fun to see Richard again not much later on the set of the Eliminators (or one of the others..!!), he didn't seem to bother the time-lap as he continued his story where he stopped it last time, telling about his number one pride, his son Sebastian.

He always talked about him. And wasn't it about his son, he would talk about the hundreds of movies he featured in. His filmography is phenomenal, and though most of his films rank B, he once in awhile had a peak coming up with a nice piece a shit.

I loved the guy and talked with him for hours. He seemed to have some problems with the retreating hairline, but solved that by implants. Yeah Rich, it's hard growin' older.

It was a wrap. I could add 2 more movies to my beginning filmography.... I thought....(it was 'n aka...!!!)

The same happened on the set with The Destroyers, King's Ransom and Devastator. I don't know how long it took to shoot these movies, cos I wasn't there all the time. I didn't live in Manila so I wasn't around every day. But I knew where to go though..! Easy and cheap by Jeepney, I studied my map and knew how to find my way in MM. It wasn't always necessary to visit the casting bureau's, a phone call would do to learn the location...I just went there...! Anyway, these 3 movies with Cirio lasted several weeks I guess, it didn't ring a bell that cast and crew were all the same.... Henry Strzalkowski, Nick Nicholson, Steve Rogers, James Gaines, Bill Kipp, David Light, Richard Harrison....and all the others...

Then there were the foreign releases with different/translated titles on the covers.

....It was only 25 years later I found out those 3 films were all the same shoot. Renewed contact with my old movie-Buddies helped me to refresh memories and to add or change details.

Kings Ransom. Or one of the others...!

Whatever. They were hunting us, shooting at us and trying to kill us. I didn't know why ( they gave me no script !). We were told to run and answer fire and fight.... Who were we ??

A couple a goons, some awkward hoodlums, roughnecks defending their weed plantation. I think Nick Nicholson called it something like: "We're the motherfuckin' bad guys, that's what we are..", as I asked him whom we should impersonate. 
 

Jeez, they did some character-casting on us....

Now, I don't know why I had several resurrections to die another violent death. May be there weren't enough stuntmen or Cirio just liked the way I died, who knows, but I was brutally murdered at least 5 times in this movie. After a metamorphoses I had to show up for another ready- to-die action.

The set-up for the next trap is pretty simple. While on the flee I ran in to an ambush. There's a rope's loop under a tree hiding a booby trap, the moment I hit the loop I'll be pulled up the tree hanging upside down swinging one leg.

At the evil place I go face first by hooking my own leg. I hit the ground, my rifle is flying away from me. At that point the camera stops rolling. The loop is carefully placed around my ankle. I'm not moving an inch... everybody is ready and there we go. Action.

OK, it was action I tell you. There were four guys, off-frame, pulling this rope with all their enthousiasm to the limit. So I ended off-frame as well, in top of the fucking tree. It had to be done again, so they got a mark where to stop pulling and I was placed back in position #1.

"Ready for take 2 ? ... Action !"

And up it went again. Oh yeah, at the right height this time, but I was moving and swinging and spinning around, clashing with the tree. I tried to make the best of it and started yelling and cursing for help. But Cirio didn't like it, he had planned something else. It had to be done a third time.

"The direct is shouting action again, the guys start pulling and I go up". But half-way only, from there I went back down with the same fucking speed as I got up. I had a split second to duck my head before I hit the ground with a serious impact. The knot to extend the rope didn't hold and slipped. All four guys were on their asses as well. I was mad like hell, threw away my wig and told them to find another fucking stupid asshole to perform in their fucking amateur approach.

I didn't hurt myself at all cos I could break the fall just in time, but I didn't feel much like hanging up/down again. I mean I perished a couple a times already that day, where was my enthousiasm ? Puh...

Now I expected someone to come down and ask me to try again. I probably would have. But they didn't. They didn't dare fucking me up one more time.. hahaha. Well they found me a double to finish the high-light. I was watching this picture from a distance and noticed that my double was placed in up/down position directly. He needed to hang to a complete still. I had no idea what was going on. I still didn't get it when they placed a bamboo frame, having sharp spears all over, around his body. Curiously I asked a smartass what they were intent to do. He explained to me that the booby trap had a follow-up. This bamboo frame is suppose to pierce the person as it swings down from the trees. Now it will be shot backwards. The frame is pulled away in this shot, but edited the reverse way. Yeah, now I got the picture why I had to hang in pose. But I wasn't told. Never mind.

I found myself a nice place behind the cams to value the first class trick. The same four guys, holding another rope with the bamboo frame now, were ready on action. I remember me thinking: I hope they made a good knot this time. There was no rehearsal, they pulled at action...

Now, how many times can you fuck up ???????? Cameras are rolling, ACTION... and they pull their asses off. Oh, believe it or not, two of them slipped out of their slippers and the frame ( quite heavy), went back the way it came. I tell you, my heart stopped beating for a while...Only inches before it was to hit my double, the move came to a hold. I had this 'funny' feeling in my stomach I can't explain to you. Wasn't I suppose to have hung there ??........ This was A Dangerous Life, was my conclusion. But I would do some more films with Cirio !!!! read more .