11  INTRODUCTION as a Mild Rant BUDHI I  2006 Introduction as a Mild Rant I can’t remember exactly when I frst saw the flm Biyaya Ng Lupa  . It might have been in the early 60’s when early afer- noons meant marathon reruns of classic Pinoy flms on our black and white TV. This included a fantasy fick about a girl who transforms into a fying nemesis of evil afer swallowing a stone. Back then she wasn’t the icon that fgures in so many of today’s retro-chic merchandising. She was just Darna 2 whose job was to protect the good and fght the baddies. This included the lass who had snakes instead of hair, Valentina. But if I remem- ber right, Valentina didn’t start of as a bad girl. She just had the misfortune of having a mother that made lihi  on snakes. One of its memorable moments shows Valentina, now a grown woman, about to unveil her true self before a worshipping throng  . In previous scenes she showed the town her worth by healing its sick and dying. With her powers and her Madonna-like beauty she is hailed as no less than the Mahal na Birhen  come down to earth to save this poor folks. But the moment she takes of her turban, the villagers scream and fee in terror. She is run out of town and hunted down as a halimaw 6 . Heartbroken and chided by Kobra (a massive snake with the head of a hag) she drops all of her humanity and becomes the scourge of the town. This painstaking atempt at humanizing the villain is mir- rored in the story of Bruno, Biyaya Ng Lupa’s heavy  . Both Valen- tina and Bruno are given back-stories and sufcient motivation as to why they turn to the “dark side”. The fair treatment ac-  Biyaya Ng Lupa. Dir. Manuel Silos. LVN Pictures, 1959. 2 Darna. Dir. Fernando Poe Sr. Perf. Rosa del Rosario (Darna), Cristina Aragon (Val- entina). Royal Films, 1951.  Pinoy word for the inordinate cravings of expectant mothers during the early months of pregnancy. It is said that the object of craving leaves either a physical or psychic imprint on the baby.  Hidden from the eyes of men since childhood, Valentina secretly yearns for accept- ance as a normal human being.  The Virgin Mary. 6 Monster  Played by veteran character actor, Joseph de Cordova.