Eddie Romero

Eddie Romero
Born	Edgar Sinco Romero (1924-07-07)July 7, 1924 Dumaguete, Philippine Islands
Died	May 28, 2013(2013-05-28) (aged 88) Manila, Philippines
Alma mater	Silliman University
Occupation	Film director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1947-2013

Edgar Sinco Romero (July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013) was an influential Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter, considered one of the finest in the cinema of the Philippines.

Romero was named National Artist of the Philippines in 2003, and his body of work delved into the history and politics of his country. His 1976 film Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?, set at the turn of the 20th century during the revolution against the Spaniards and, later, the American colonizers, follows a naïve peasant through his leap of faith to become a member of an imagined community. Agila situated a family’s story against the backdrop of Filipino history, while Kamakalawa explored the folklore of prehistoric Philippines. Banta ng Kahapon, his "small" political film, was set against the turmoil of the late 1960s, tracing the connection of the underworld to the corrupt halls of politics. His 13-part series Noli Me Tangere brought Philippine national hero José Rizal's novel to a new generation of viewers.

Along with Filipino-language films, he made English-language films that became cult classics, like Black Mama, White Mama and The Twilight People and worked with American actors like John Ashley and Pam Grier. Romero's films, the National Artist citation stated, "are delivered in an utterly simple style – minimalist, but never empty, always calculated, precise and functional, but never predictable." Quentin Tarantino drew on Twilight People as an inspiration for his "grindhouse" homages.

Married to Carol Gonzalez, Romero was for a time the partner of actress Mila del Sol. He died of a blood clot and prostate cancer on May 28, 2013.^[1][2] He was survived by three children. Romero was an alumnus of Silliman University.^[3]

Filmography

• Si, si, señorito (1947) (writer)
• Paloma, La (1947) (writer)
• Ang Kamay ng Diyos (1947) (director, writer)
• Kaaway ng bayan (1947) (writer)
• Hele hele bago quiere (1947) (writer)
• Sipag ay yaman (1949) (writer)
• Milagro ng birhen ng mga rosas (1949) (writer)
• Camelia (1949) (writer)
• Batalyon trece (1949) (writer)
• Sabas, ang barbaro (1952) (director)
• Buhay alamang (1952) (director, screenplay)
• Indio, El (1953) (director)
• May bakas ang lumipas (1954) (director)
• Man on the Run (1958) (director)
• The Scavengers (1959) (co-producer, writer)
• Pitong gabi sa Paris (1960) (director)
• Lost Battalion (1961) (director, writer)
• The Raiders of Leyte Gulf (1963) (director)
• Cavalry Command (1963) aka The Day of the Trumpet (director, writer)
• Intramuros (1964) aka The Walls of Hell (director, writer)
• Moro Witch Doctor (1964) (director, writer)
• The Ravagers (1965) aka Hanggang may kalaban (Philippines: Tagalog title) (director, writer)
• The Passionate Strangers (1966) (director, writer)
• Manila, Open City (1968) (director, writer)
• Brides of Blood (1968) (director)
• The Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968) (director)
• Beast of the Yellow Night (1971) (director, writer)
• Beast of Blood (1971) aka Beast of the Dead (USA: TV title), aka Blood Devils (UK), aka Horrors of Blood Island, aka Return to the Horrors of Blood Island (director, writer)
• Black Mama, White Mama (1972) (director)
• The Twilight People (1973) aka Beasts, aka Island of the Twilight People (director, writer)
• The Woman Hunt (1973) (director)
• Beyond Atlantis (1973) (director)
• Savage Sisters (1974) (director)
• Ganito kami noon, paano kayo ngayon (1976) (director, screenplay)
• Sudden Death (1977) (director)
• Sinong kapiling? Sinong kasiping? (1977) (director, writer)
• Banta ng kahapon (1977) (director, writer)
• Agila (1979) (director, screenplay)
• Durugin si Totoy Bato (1979) (screenplay)
• Palaban (1980) (director)
• Kamakalawa (1981) (director, writer)
• Desire (1982) (director)
• Padrino, Ang (1985) (screenplay)
• Hari sa hari, lahi sa lahi (1987) aka King and Emperor (International: English title) (director, writer)
• A Case of Honor (1988) (director)
• Whiteforce (1988) (director)
• Faces of Love (2006) (director)

Awards and nominations

See also

• Cinema of the Philippines
• Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Award
• List of University of the Philippines people

References

• National Artist of the Philippines citation
• IMDb

National Artists of the Philippines
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas
Architecture	1973 Juan Nakpil 1976 Pablo Antonio 1990 Leandro Locsin 2003 Ildefonso P. Santos Jr. 2014 Jose Maria Zaragosa
Cinema	1982 Gerardo de León 1991 Ishmael Bernal 1997 Lino Brocka 2003 Eddie Romero 2006 Fernando Poe Jr. 2009 Manuel Conde
Dance	1973 Francisca R. Aquino 1976 Leonor Orosa 1988 Lucrecia Reyes 2006 Ramon Obusan 2014 Alice Reyes
Fashion	2006 Ramon Valera
Historical literature	1997 Carlos Quirino
Literature	1973 Jose Garcia Villa 1973 Amado V. Hernandez 1976 Nick Joaquin 1982 Carlos P. Romulo 1990 Francisco Arcellana 1990 N. V. M. Gonzalez 1992 Rolando Tinio 1999 Edith Tiempo 2001 F. Sionil José 2003 Virgilio S. Almario 2003 Alejandro Roces 2006 Bienvenido Lumbera 2009 Lazaro Francisco 2014 Cirilo F. Bautista
Music	1973 Antonio Molina 1976 Jovita Fuentes 1987 Atang de la Rama 1988 Antonio Buenaventura 1988 Lucrecia Kasilag 1991 Lucio D. San Pedro 1997 Levi Celerio 1997 Felipe de Leon 1997 José Maceda 1999 Ernani Cuenco 1999 Andrea Veneracion 2014 Ramon Santos 2014 Francisco Feliciano
Theater and films	1976 Lamberto V. Avellana 1997 Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero 1997 Rolando Tinio 1999 Daisy Avellana 2001 Severino Montano 2003 Salvador Bernal
Visual arts	1972 Fernando Amorsolo 1973 Botong Francisco 1973 Guillermo Tolentino 1976 Napoleon Abueva 1976 Victorio C. Edades 1981 Vicente Manansala 1990 Cesar Legaspi 1991 Hernando R. Ocampo 1997 Arturo R. Luz 1999 J. Elizalde Navarro 2001 Ang Kiukok 2003 José T. Joya 2006 BenCab Cabrera 2006 Abdulmari Asia Imao 2009 Federico Aguilar Alcuaz 2014 Francisco Coching
National Commission for Culture and the Arts Cultural Center of the Philippines National Arts Center