| Kumander Dante | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ben (M7) Yalung |
| Screenplay by | Ricky Lee |
| Story by | Bernabe Buscayno[1] |
| Produced by | Ben (M7) Yalung |
| Starring |
|
| Narrated by | Bernabe Buscayno[1] |
| Cinematography | Jose Batac Jr. |
| Edited by | Augusto Salvador |
| Music by | Lutgardo Labad |
Production company | Cine Suerte |
Release date |
|
| Country | Philippines |
| Language | Filipino |
Kumander Dante (lit. 'Commander Dante') is a 1988Filipinobiographicalaction film about the co-founder of theNew People's Army, the militant arm of theCommunist Party of the Philippines,Bernabe "Kumander Dante" Buscayno. Produced and directed by Ben "M7" Yalung from a screenplay byRicky Lee, the film starsPhillip Salvador as the titular rebel, alongside Laarni Enriquez,Paquito Diaz,Charlie Davao, Robert Talabis, Bing Davao,Bomber Moran, King Gutierrez,E. R. Ejercito, andRuben Rustia; Buscayno himself provides the narration. The film was produced by Cine Suerte and was released on September 1, 1988.
CriticLav Diaz gaveKumander Dante a positive review. It was nominated for fiveFAMAS Awards, forBest Action Picture,Best Supporting Actor (Diaz), Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Art Direction, but it did not win in any category.
It is actorLuis Gonzales' third portrayal ofFerdinand Marcos, after the filmsIginuhit ng Tadhana in 1965 andPinagbuklod ng Langit in 1969.
Bernabe Buscayno stated in an August 1988 interview on the television programPublic Forum that "40% of the film is not true", sharing that director Ben Yalung had altered certain portions ofRicky Lee's screenplay involving action sequences such as by adding the fictional scene of Buscayno disguising himself as a woman in aVolkswagen, to which Buscayno said that he only used akalesa when he needed to be brought to a hospital for treatment.[1] 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.[1]
Phillip Salvador, 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.[2]
Kumander Dante was graded "A" by theMovie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), indicating a "Very Good" quality,[3] and was released in theaters on September 1, 1988.[4][5]
Lav Diaz, writing for theManila Standard, gave the film a positive review. Though he criticized the filmmakers' decision to not heedBernabe Buscayno's qualms about inaccuracies and exaggerated action scenes in the film ("even if [director] Yalung's over-exaggeration of fight scenes is removed, the life of Dante would still reachLam-Ang proportions"), he still commended Yalung's direction, Ricky Lee's screenplay, and the film'sshot-on-location scenes.[1]
| Group | Category | Name | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAMAS Awards[6] | Best Action Picture | Kumander Dante | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actor | Paquito Diaz | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Joe Batac Jr. | Nominated | |
| Best Music | Lutgardo Labad | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction | Bobby Bautista | Nominated |
Nakakaloko kasing si Dante pa ang narrator ng pelikula.
CAPRI................Kumander Dante
CAPRI....Petrang Kabayo at Ang Pilyang Kuting