''Kumander Dante'' () is a 1988

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 ...

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

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 ...

about the co-founder of the

New People's Army The New People's Army ( fil, Bagong Hukbong Bayan), abbreviated NPA or BHB, is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), based primarily in the Philippine countryside. It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aimi ...

, the militant arm of the

Communist Party of the Philippines The Communist Party of the Philippines ( fil, Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) is a far-left, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. It is desi ...

, Bernabe "Kumander Dante" Buscayno. Produced and directed by Ben "M7" Yalung from a screenplay by

Ricky Lee Ricardo Lee (born as March 19, 1948) is a Filipino screenwriter, journalist, novelist, and playwright. He was conferred the Order of National Artists of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022. Starting in 1973, he has written more ...

, the film stars

Phillip Salvador Phillip Mikael "Ipe" Reyes Salvador (born Felipe Reyes Salvador; August 22, 1953) is a three-time FAMAS award-winning Filipino film and television actor. Acting career Salvador made his film debut in 1971 with ''Adios Mi Amor''. He toiled in m ...

as the titular rebel, alongside Laarni Enriquez,

Paquito Diaz Francisco Bustillos Diaz Sr. (May 28, 1937 – March 3, 2011), also known professionally as Paquito Diaz, was a veteran Filipino actor and movie director. He specialized in antagonist roles for both action and comedy films. Biography Early life ...

Charlie Davao Charles Wahib "Charlie" Valdez Davao (October 7, 1934 – August 8, 2010) was a Filipino actor known for roles in film and television. Early life Born Carlos Wahib Davao y Valdez in Iloilo City of a Filipino mestizo of Spanish and Arab descent ...

, Robert Talabis, Bing Davao,

Bomber Moran Bomber Moran, born Arturo Ocampo, (October 18, 1944 - August 14, 2004) was a Filipino actor noted for his starring roles in action movies. Life and career Moran was born in Manila, Philippines on October 18, 1944. During his career he acted in o ...

, King Gutierrez, E. R. Ejercito, and

Ruben Rustia Ruben Matias Cayari (July 25, 1923 – April 7, 1994), professionally known as Ruben Rustia, was a Filipino actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his portrayal of President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1988 Australian miniseries ''A Dangerous Li ...

; Buscayno himself provides the narration. The film was produced by Cine Suerte and was released on September 1, 1988. Critic

Lav Diaz Lavrente Indico Anciro Diaz (born December 30, 1958) is a Filipino independent filmmaker and former film critic. Frequently known as one of the key members of the slow cinema movement, having made several of the list of longest films, longest na ...

gave ''Kumander Dante'' a positive review. It was nominated for five

FAMAS Award The Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards (also known as the FAMAS Awards) are the annual honors given by the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), an organization composed of award-winning writers and movie columni ...

s, for Best Action Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Diaz), Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Art Direction, but it did not win in any category.

Cast

as Bernabe Buscayno / Kumander Dante * Laarni Enriquez *

* Robert Talabis * Bing Davao *

* King Gutierrez * E. R. Ejercito *

Lucita Soriano Lucita Soriano (born Lucita Soriano Adriano; March 22, 1941 – July 8, 2015) was a Filipino actress, who appeared in more than 215 movies and television shows. She was runner-up in the Miss Philippine Press Photography (PPP) 1964 beauty pagean ...

*Ernie Zarate *Mario Escudero *

Joel Lamangan Joel Lamangan (born September 21, 1952) is a Filipino film director, television director and actor. His award-winning films includes '' The Flor Contemplacion Story'', ''Sidhi'', '' Deathrow'', ''Hubog'', '' Aishte Imasu 1941'', '' Blue Moon'' an ...

* Zandro Zamora as Kumander Alibasbas * Mon Godiz as Ka Amado *Franco Mateo as Victor Corpuz *Ramon Reyes as

Ninoy Aquino Benigno "Ninoy" Simeon Aquino Jr., (; November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac. Aquino was the husband of Corazon Aquino ...

Luis Gonzales Luis F. Mercado (June 21, 1928 – March 15, 2012) also known as Luis Gonzales, was a Filipino actor who appeared in more than 100 films during his career, most of them by Sampaguita Pictures. Early life Raised in Tondo, Manila, Gonzales may be ...

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

Production

It is actor

' third portrayal of

, after the films ''

Iginuhit ng Tadhana ''Iginuhit ng Tadhana (The Ferdinand E. Marcos Story)'' (), also known as ''Man of Destiny'', is a 1965 Filipino biographical film about then-Senate President Ferdinand Marcos. Directed by Mar S. Torres, José de Villa, Jose de Villa and Conrado C ...

'' in 1965 and ''Pinagbuklod ng Langit'' in 1969.

Bernabe Buscayno Bernabe Buscayno, also called Kumander Dante, is the founder of the New People's Army, the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Early life Bernabé Buscayno was one of eight children born to impoverished tenant farmers under a ...

stated in an August 1988 interview on the television program ''Public Forum'' that "40% of the film is not true", sharing that director Ben Yalung had altered certain portions of

's screenplay involving action sequences such as by adding the fictional scene of Buscayno disguising himself as a woman in a

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

, to which Buscayno said that he only used a

kalesa A kalesa or calesa is a two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage used in the Philippines. It is commonly vividly painted and decorated. It was a primary mode of public and private transportation during the Spanish colonial era of the Philippines, though i ...

when he needed to be brought to a hospital for treatment. He also revealed that he had previously intended to delay the film's release in order to correct the inaccuracies, but decided against it due to the lengthy and expensive process of filing a complaint.

, who portrayed Buscayno in the film, also stated that they had to add scenes "for cinematic purposes" in order for the studio to make a profit at the box office and recoup the large budget it provided for the film.

Release

''Kumander Dante'' was graded "A" by the

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (English: "For Intelligent and Responsible Viewing") , employees = More than 33 , chief1_name = Diorella Maria Sotto-Antonio , chief1_position = Chairperson , agency_type = Film and television classification , parent_agency ...

(MTRCB), indicating a "Very Good" quality, and was released in theaters on September 1, 1988.

Critical response

, writing for the ''

Manila Standard The ''Manila Standard'' is a broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines. , it is owned by the Romualdez family. The Romualdezes, through incumbent speaker of the House Martin Romualdez, also own Journal Publications, Inc., the owner of tabloid pap ...

'', gave the film a positive review. Though he criticized the filmmakers' decision to not heed

's qualms about inaccuracies and exaggerated action scenes in the film ("even if irectorYalung's over-exaggeration of fight scenes is removed, the life of Dante would still reach Lam-Ang proportions"), he still commended Yalung's direction, Ricky Lee's screenplay, and the film's shot-on-location scenes.

Accolades

References

External links

* {{Ben Yalung 1988 films 1980s action drama films 1988 action films Cultural depictions of Benigno Aquino Jr. Cultural depictions of Ferdinand Marcos Filipino-language films Films about communism Films about rebels Films set in the 1970s Philippine action films Philippine biographical films