Masikip, Mainit: As square as can be

In 1977, the newly revived Sampaguita Pictures mounted on the big screen Masikip, Maluwang... Paraisong Parisukat, an Orlando Nadres material that originally came from stage. Directed by Elwood Perez, the film showed the different lives of the people working in a shoe store in downtown Manila.

The remake by Jose Javier Reyes – now entitled Masikip, Mainit Paraisong Parisukat – also follows the various lives of a bunch of people working in a Manila shoe store. However, even if the names of the characters have been retained in the remake, the individual stories of these people were changed – although not necessarily for the better. (The film remake could have been faithful to the original theater material, but I have no way of telling because I never saw any of the stage versions.)

Take for example the circumstances in the life of the male lead character, Al. As played by Christopher de Leon in the original film version, Al comes from a middle class family and need not slave it out as a bodegero in a shoe store. Trouble is, he couldn’t get along with his stepfather and as a result, he becomes rebellious and runs away from home – thus the need to do odd jobs here and there to keep himself alive.

The Al in the remake (played Jay Manalo) comes from some obscure place in Mindanao and is established to have been poor from birth. Unhappy with his station in life, he only sees negative things around him. Unfortunately, that is practically the only dimension of his character in the remake – no rebellious streak, no sense of adventure, just plain negative.

The female lead in Paraisong Parisukat is named Simplicia. As played by Alma Moreno in the first film version, Simplicia is naive – a babe in the woods who needs to be coached about life in general, including the correct use of some words in the English language. During a company outing at the beach while making sand castles, she tells Al that she is having the time of her life – "Enjoin na enjoin nga ako, eh." Al, who went to good schools before turning his back on academic life, of course, promptly corrects her.

In the remake, Simplicia (played this time by Joyce Jimenez) doesn’t really learn much from Al. Sure, he is responsible for making her realize the fact that there is life outside of the shoe store bodega. But that’s about it. No little lessons that would create layers in both characters.

In the new film version of Paraisong Parisukat, the viewer isn’t even given the clue as to why Simplicia is hopelessly withdrawn and easily retreats to her shell. She only looks catatonic most of the time, but there is no explanation why she is like that.

A standout character in Paraiso is Pastora, the supervisor who constantly licks the boots of the owner of the shoe store. Pastora is detestable. Played by Cherry Pie Picache in the current version, Pastora is cantankerous and a hypocrite who uses religious icons and novena booklets to look pious. But basically, she’s really just a nag.

Actually, Cherry Pie Picache’s Pastora is an Assumptionista compared to the Pastora played by Lorli Villanueva in the original film version. Lorli’s Pastora was loud and foul-mouthed. And, boy, did she like sex! In her tiny, unventilated office, she would summon her male employees to make love to her on top of her wooden desk while fanning herself with an abanico and letting out expletives to cover up what they were doing there.

The original film version of Paraisong Parisukat also had two other colorful supporting characters: the lecherous shoe store owner, played by Eddie Garcia, and a lady sales clerk who eventually turns to prostitution – as portrayed by Nova Villa.

Most of the supporting characters in the new version, sadly, are dull – with the exception of Angela Velez who adds so much life to her role as a wisecracking and sexually liberated sales clerk.

There is another supporting character in the movie – a battered housewife (played by Madeline Nicolas) who seeks refuge in reading fan magazines. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work.

And neither does this remake.

Frankly, I don’t see the reason for the remake of Paraisong Parisukat. Its shoe store setting to begin with is so hopelessly passé. Ask Henry Sy. For sure, there are still little independent shoe stores in the side streets of Rizal Avenue that are still hanging on despite the mushrooming of all these huge malls. But I don’t see the point why we have to make a full-length film just to show how these small shoe stores are struggling against the giant capitalists of this nation. A segment on this topic in Extra! Extra! would have been sufficient.

Masikip, Mainit Paraisong Parisukat isn’t really a bad film. It’s just irrelevant. And dull.

The original film version by Elwood Perez wasn’t really a classic. But it was colorful, alive and was a lot of fun. Too bad, the current version of Paraisong Parisukat is disappointingly square.