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Starzan: Shouting Star of the Jungle
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Wikipedia article
'Starzan: Shouting Star of the Jungle', also known as simply 'Starzan', is a 1989 Filipino comedy film directed by Tony Y. Reyes, written by Reyes and Joey de Leon, and starring de Leon as the titular character. It also stars Zsa Zsa Padilla, Panchito Alba, Tina Paner, Cris Villanueva, Cynthia Patag, and Rene Requiestas. The film is a parody of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character Tarzan.
Produced by Regal Films, it was released on January 4, 1989, and was a box office hit, earning 24 million in Metro Manila alone. It became the highest-grossing comedy film in the region at the time, surpassing 'Batang Quiapo' (1986). Critic Lav Diaz gave the film a mixed review, recognizing de Leon and Requiestas as a good comedic duo and commending the film's depiction of the environment's unjust treatment, though he expressed concern about the potentially lowering standards of audiences for films.
The success of 'Starzan' effectively launched a franchise. This includes two sequels, 'Starzan 2: The Coming of Star Son' (1989) and 'Starzan III: The Jungle Triangle' (1990), a spin-off film, 'Cheeta-eh, Ganda Lalake?' (1991), a television series, and an album.
Cast
*Joey de Leon as Starzan
*Zsa Zsa Padilla as Jane
*Panchito Alba as McDoogan
*Tina Paner as Marie
*Cris Villanueva as Anton
*Cynthia Patag as Dooday
*Rene Requiestas as Cheetaeh, Starzan's sidekick
*Rommel Valdez as Ruto
*Spanky Rigor as Indiana Jones
*Don Pepot as Patsangga
*Bomber Moran as Chief Raprap
*Joaquin Fajardo as Chief Bullook
*Vangie Labalan
*Pong Pong
*Larry Silva as a pirate
*Cris Aguilar
*Danny Rojo
*Danny Labra
*Manny Doria
*Rey Solo
*Ernie Forte
*Ding Salvador
*Nemie Gutierrez
*Noel Ong as Ungga, a chimpanzee
*Gerald Granada
Soundtrack
The film's theme song was included in the compilation album 'Starzan, Cheeta-eh! At Iba Pa Ganda Tugtog' .
Release
'Starzan' was released by Regal Films on January 4, 1989.
Box office
The film was a box office success, earning 24 million in Metro Manila alone. Thus, the film became the highest-grossing comedy film in the region at the time, surpassing Pablo Santiago's 'Batang Quiapo' from three years prior. Executive producer Lily Monteverde gave Joey de Leon a 1 million bonus as a result of the film's success.Critical response
Lav Diaz, writing for the 'Manila Standard', gave 'Starzan' a mixed review, stating that though de Leon and Requiestas are a good comedic combination, they need better, "fragrant material". Diaz gave his concern that audiences might only settle for enjoying "kabantutan" or lowbrow fare such as the film, citing its inclusion of the yell "Cheetaeh!", the last two syllables of which meaning "poop". However, he commended 'Starzan's clear depiction of society's disrespectful treatment of the environment, and suggested that the film could be used by the Haribon Foundation in their advocacy.See also
*'Cheeta-eh, Ganda Lalake?', a 1991 spin-off
Home media
'Starzan' was released on DVD by Regal Entertainment on July 26, 2013.
References
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