''For Your Height Only'' (also known as ''For Y'ur Height Only'') is a 1981

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

starring

Weng Weng Weng may refer to: * Weng (surname), a Chinese surname * Weng, Germany, a town in the district of Landshut, Bavaria, Germany * Weng im Innkreis, a town in the district of Braunau am Inn, Upper Austria, Austria * Weng im Gesäuse, a town in the distr ...

. Its title is a play on words on '' For Your Eyes Only'', the title of the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film released that same year. A sequel was produced in 1982, titled '' The Impossible Kid''. Weng Weng is known as the shortest man to ever be a lead in a feature film, standing at 2'9" (83 cm).

Plot

The diminutive Agent 00, the number 1 agent from the Secret Agency, is provided with a number of new hi-tech gadgets from his boss, and then sent to stop the mysterious warlord Mr. Giant, who has just kidnapped Dr. Kohler, a foreign scientist visiting Manila to offer his latest invention, the N-Bomb, to the government. Mr. Giant intends to use the lethal weapon to take over the world, but Agent 00 is ready to stop him. He can count on the help of Irma, a fellow agent who has infiltrated Mr. Giant's criminal organization, working for the drug traffickers that are headed by a gangster named Cobra. This leads to many battles between Agent 00 and the villain's henchmen. Once Irma's cover is blown, she is taken prisoner as a bait and sent to Mr. Kaiser, Mr. Giant's second-in-command, who keeps her in his lair. In order to find Kaiser, Agent 00 enlists the help of other

Bond girl A Bond girl is a character who is a love interest or female companion of James Bond in a novel, film or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Xenia Onatopp, o ...

types, such as night club enthusiast Anna and criminal reporter Marilyn, romancing his way to their allegiance. After flushing out and killing criminal bosses of increasing importance, and all of their henchmen, Agent 00 reaches Kaiser, but by then Irma has been shipped to Hidden Island, Mr. Giant's super-secret lair. After finding the secret location of the island, Agent 00 uses a prototype size-compatible

jet pack A jet pack, rocket belt, or rocket pack is a device worn on the back which uses jets of gas or liquid to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and became widespread in the 1960s. ...

to get there, and calls for reinforcements. He confronts and kills Mr. Giant himself (who's revealed to be a

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

himself, although taller than Agent 00), then along with the squad of agents from the Secret Agency, Agent 00 and Irma clean the island of all remaining henchmen. However, right after a freed Dr. Kohler has finally reached safety, Irma is shot and killed. In the final scene, Agent 00 is seen paying respect on her tomb.

Cast

– Agent 00 * Beth Sandoval – Irma *

Anna Marie Gutierrez Anna Marie Gutierrez is a former Filipina actress. Career Gutierrez was a fashion model before entering the show industry. In 1979, she was recruited as one of the cast in the movie ''Dolphy's Angels''. However, she achieved full stardom whe ...

– Anna *

Carmi Martin Carmita Martin also known as Carmi Martin (born 9 August 1963) is a Filipina actress, model, and comedian. Career She first appeared in ''Dolphy's Angels'' with Liz Alindogan, Anna Marie Gutierrez, Yehlen Catral and the late comedy king Dolphy. ...

– Marilyn * Yehlen Catral – Lola * Rodolfo Garcia – Mr. Kaiser * Mike Cohen – Professor Kohler

Gadgets

Agent 00 has gadgets that are especially made for him and his size. Among these: * Anti-Poison Ring – a ring that changes color when placed in proximity of poison. * Remote-Control Hat – a hat used as a flying, bladed boomerang. * Quick-Assembly, Small-Scale Machine Gun – a special machine gun, made to scale, to use in battle. * Tiny Jetpack – used by 00 to get to Mr. Giant's island in the finale.

Release and success

''For Your Height Only'' was released on the 2 September 1981 in the Philippines. That same year First Lady

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictator ...

organized the first Manilla International Film Festival. The objective of the festival was to promote Filipino films for them to be distributed worldwide. A lavish event took place, major entertainment figures were present including

Priscilla Presley Priscilla Ann Presley ( Wagner, changed by adoption to Beaulieu; born May 24, 1945) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the former wife of American singer Elvis Presley, as well as co-founder and former chairwoman of Elvis Presley ...

Franco Nero Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), ...

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby'' (1978). She continued to model into ...

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...

, etc. Local filmmakers saw it as a real opportunity to showcase their talents, however it was

who became the mediatic center of attention, by making daily appearances demonstrating stunts, martial arts, and exercises. ''For Your Height Only'' outsold every other film for international distribution. Film distributor Tony Maharaj who bought the film for the West Indies said the film opened at number one on the same day as

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronal ...

'' and remained there for two weeks.

Reception and legacy

Imee Marcos Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios "Imee" Romualdez Marcos (; born November 12, 1955) is a Filipina politician and former actress serving as a Senator since 2019. She is the daughter of Ferdinand Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos and the ol ...

said its success at the festival shocked and shattered everyone's artistic aspirations. Filipino film historians Teddy Co and Ed Lejano said that in the film industry the Weng Weng image was uncomfortable since at the time they had no other international figures. In the

Cinema of the Philippines The Cinema of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Pelikulang Pilipino'' or ''Sine Pilipino'') began with the introduction of the first moving pictures to the country on August 31, 1897, at the ''Salón de Pertierra'' in Manila. The following year, local ...

, ''For Your Height Only'' is the highest exported film.

became

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

' first actor with an international status. The original

Tagalog language Tagalog (, ; ; '' Baybayin'': ) is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by the ethnic Tagalog people, who make up a quarter of the population of the Philippines, and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, ...

audio track is lost.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0200642 1980s exploitation films 1981 films 1980s action comedy films 1980s lost films 1981 martial arts films 1980s spy comedy films Philippine comedy films 1980s parody films Parody films based on James Bond films 1981 comedy films