Darna

After a long time duelling with the hermit in me, welcome me back...or is it welcome to yet another retrospective account of your favorites in the world of music and movies. Get updated still with the latest hits as of January 2005 courtesy of My Only Radio For Life in Davao City. I haven't got enough of the 70-90's stuff enumerated some weeks back. But I am going to travel a little further backward this time if only to be considerate of my mother's feelings and her contemporaries'. So, read on:

I think my mother Carmen is very happy to know that somebody was born on the 9th of October, 1916 and he was named Mars Ravelo. Good thing he was born here in the Philippines. If you don't know it yet, "this cartoonist-writer made a major contribution to the Filipino art world" mentions his website, "and is responsible for bringing to life a super-heroine to be called, DARNA." A few notes about the Pinoy counterpart of Wonder Woman:

1. There was DARNA (1951), directed by Fernando Poe, starring Rosa del Rosario as Darna, Cristina Aragon as Valentina, Mila Nimpa as Narda and Manuel Ubaldo as Ding.
2. Darna at ang Babaing Lawin (1952), directed Carlos Vander Toloso, starring Rosa Del Rosario as Darna, Elvira Reyes as Babaing Lawin, Mila Nimpa as Narda, Manuel Ubaldo as Ding
3. Si Darna at ang Impakta, (1963), directed by Danilo Santiago, starring Liza Moreno as Darna, Gina Alonzo as Roma Paquito Salcedo as the evil twin and Jose Padilla Jr.
4. Isputnik Vs. Darna, directed by Natoy Catindig, starring Nida Blanca as Sputnik,Liza Moreno as Darna, Tony Ferrer and Dencio Padilla.
5. Darna at ang Babaing Tuod directed by Cirio H. Santiago, starring Eva Montes as Darna, Gina Alonzo as Lucila, Anita Linda, Ruben Rustia with Tito Galla and Nancy Roman with Coney Angeles as Narda
6. Darna at ang Planetman, starring Gina Pareno as Darna/Daria Boy Alajar as Ding Gina Alajar as Narda and Bella Flores w/ Vic Vargas
7.LIPAD, DARNA, LIPAD! directed by Maning Borlaza, Elwood Perez and Joey Gosiengfiao starring Vilma Santos as Darna/Narda, Angelito as Ding, Gloria Romero as Impakta, Celia Rodriguez as Valentina, and Liza Lorena as Babaing Lawin with Ernie Garcia.
8. Darna and the Giants directed by Maning Borlaza starring Vilma Santos as Darna/Narda, Don Don Nakar as Ding, Helen Gamboa as X3X, and Divina Valenciawith Max Alvarado, Ike Lozada, Florence Aguilar, and Kathy de la Cruz
9. Darna vs. the Planet Women directed by Armando Garces, starring Vilma Santos as Darna, Bentot Jr as Ding, Rossana Ortiz as Elektra, Zandro Zamora, Eva Linda and Lita Vasquez.
10. Oops, my research of sort (thanks to Mars Ravelo's website esp. for the picture) just reminded me that before Darna, there was Varga, a female superhero that already existed long before Darna did.