Back into Temptation Island

Camp — as an adjective — connotes negative thoughts: Consciously artificial and even vulgar.

Through the years, however, I believe that this informal word began to take on a new meaning. I daresay, in fact, that it had evolved into an art form.

In mid-1980, the late Joey Gosiengfiao churned out for Regal Films a sexy movie entitled Temptation Island. It starred products from beauty pageants: Azenith Briones, Bambi Arambulo, Jennifer Cortez and a very young Dina Bonnevie, a Miss Magnolia second placer, who had just been launched successfully into stardom via Katorse. Deborah Sun was also there, but she was deglamorized and was made to play a maid.

To this day, Lily Monteverde swears she lost a lot of money on that film. It bombed big-time at the tills. Film critics panned it. Temptation Island will always be referred to as the campiest movie ever made in the history of Philippine cinema.

But thanks to its constant exposure on afternoon movies on free TV — and later on Cinema One — Temptation Island became a cult classic.

Like other film aficionados today, I also watched it for the first time on television. In July 2008, I saw it a second time (and that was after several years) during its screening at the Paris Cinema International — when the French organizers decided to focus on Philippine movies.

I’m telling you, I never had so much fun till I watched it that time. When I saw it on the small screen in the ‘80s, I thought it was plain garbage.

But after almost three decades, it had turned into a gem of a classic. I wouldn’t say it is a great film. It is actually indescribable. One thing for sure though: It was engaging.

Even the foreign audience during that screening enjoyed this strange movie from the Philippines. I only saw two people leave the venue, but maybe because it was screened rather late and perhaps they had to catch a train.

When the lights went on after the screening, we heard a thunderous applause from the crowd. And then a Caucasian gentleman approached Mother Lily and told her: “You must have been crazy to produce this movie.”

As I walked with the rest of the Philippine delegation back to the hotel, I wasn’t sure how I felt. Should I have been proud of it? Was it an embarrassment to the country? I have no idea either if that Caucasian who made that remark to Mother Lily was happy about the film. I sensed that even his thoughts were tentative. But surely watching it was quite an experience for him.

On the part of Boots Anson-Roa (she sat beside me during the screening), the film must have loosened her up to bravely take off her shoes while we walked along a wooden part of the path that had slats in between. I saw another side of her for the first time. And that must have been all because of Temptation Island.

At the war room in the hotel, the delegates — Digna Santiago, Manet Dayrit, Bayani San Diego, etc. — couldn’t stop talking about the film. Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos (they weren’t wed yet) later joined us and both of them became very curious about the film. In the middle of all that howling conversation — still about the movie — I jokingly told Judy Ann to keep her schedule free for Temptation Island’s remake. She wittingly shot back: “Busy po ako!”

And what do you know? Regal Films is indeed doing a remake of Temptation Island (with Chris Martinez as director) and I hear that there is now a rigodon of cast members, who have to sacrifice other commitments because the shoot will be in far and isolated Ilocos Norte.

 Temptation Island — when it finally became a cult classic — was actually turned into a stage play. But now, it will be given a new life on the big screen.

I have a feeling that Mother Lily’s gamble will pay off this time. I pray she succeeds.

But is Temptation Island worth a remake? Why not?

No other film — local or foreign — had wracked my brains the way it did. It’s a strange material that will make you wonder and think. Think about what? I wonder.

But it will make you ask: Where did this come from? It’s one of a kind.

You can say all you want about this film, but Temptation Island became instrumental in giving a positive definition to the word camp.