SARI-SARING SINENG PINOY

     It's often the case that films we loved in our childhood don't hold up half as well when viewed again as an adult. Likewise it's very common to rediscover a film we hated in our teenage years only to find that we were completely wrong and that said pariah is actually a masterpiece. Bira! Darna Bira! (MBM Productions, 1979) is a more complicated example of this prolonged change of heart. Dodgy special effects, hammy acting, a nonsensical plot, the film reveals itself for what it really is, one of the most deliberately and thrillingly silly films ever to grace the screen. There is also some enjoyment to be derived from the fact that the film is helmed by the same man who made Ibong Lukaret (1975) and Ibilanggo si Neneng Magtanggol (1977). And for all the film's technical shortcomings, Tito Sanchez does direct very well. His compositions are good, the stunts and fights are well-choreographed, the characterization is memorable and most importantly, he captures the spirit of the original comics. The reason that Bira! Darna Bira! works so well, both as a comic adaptation and a film in general is that it is aware of the limitations of both its source material and the level of spectacle its budget allows. The film updates the characters a little, but otherwise the story plays out in exactly the same romping style of the original story.

     If we attempt to take Bira! Darna Bira! seriously, watching it as a proper superhero movie looking for deeper meanings in its talkier scenes, we'd last about five minutes before either bursting out laughing or giving up. The plot is totally ludicrous, requiring us to accept a load of unbelievable coincidences. By getting knowing laughs, Bira! Darna Bira! is a triumph or at least as close to one as we could expect. The fact that we laugh at it so lovingly is no accident, Sanchez manages to tap into the inherent silliness of the plot. It would be very easy to view Bira! Darna Bira! with disdain or contempt. Just as the film is directed with wit and intelligence while retaining a sense of humor and above all it's virtually faultless as a slice of pure entertainment. For all its faults and there are many, Bira! Darna Bira! is a triumph of both the sublime and the ridiculous. It's incredibly silly from start to finish and you just won't care.