Efren & Edna in Banga ni Zidamar

Efren Reyes and Edna Luna were no loveteam at the premiere studio in the ’50s, but they co-starred in several films, including Banga ni Zidamar and Pedro Penduko. Both movies were directed by Gerry de Leon, who in the ’70s would be named National Artist.

Banga ni Zimadar (1953) is costume picture with an Arabian fantasy land as setting. Pedro Penduko is considered a De Leon classic, with a typical barrio as backdrop.

De Leon also directed Edna in the original Dyesebel (1953) and Efren in Ifugao (1954), which won three awards in the 1955 Asian Film Festival held in Singapore: Best Director (De Leon), Best Actor (Reyes) and Best Screenplay (Ding M. de Jesus and Cirio H. Santiago).  — RKC