Eddie Romero

Edgar Sinco Romero, (July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013), commonly known as Eddie Romero, was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter.

Early life

Career

As a teenager, Romero wrote the screenplay to Gerardo de León's 1941 film Ang Maestra, and was briefly the editor-in-chief of the Negros Chronicle War News in the same year, with future screenwriter Cesar J. Amigo and future Dumaguete City mayor Jose Pro. Teves as part of his staff. Romero was named National Artist of the Philippines in 2003, and his body of work delved into the history and politics of his country. His 1976 film Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?, set at the turn of the 20th century during the revolution against the Spaniards and, later, the American colonizers, follows a naive peasant through his leap of faith to become a member of an imagined community. Aguila situated a family's story against the backdrop of Filipino history, while Kamakalawa explored the folklore of prehistoric Philippines. Banta ng Kahapon, his "small" political film, was set against the turmoil of the late 1960s, tracing the connection of the underworld to the corrupt halls of politics. His 13-part series Noli Me Tangere brought Philippine national hero José Rizal's novel to a new generation of viewers. Romero co-produced the 1959 horror film Terror Is a Man, which was directed by his friend and fellow director Gerardo de Leon, with whom he would later co-direct other films. Romero directed some critically acclaimed war films in the early 1960s, such as Lost Battalion (1960), The Raiders of Leyte Gulf (1963) and The Walls of Hell (1964). Along with Filipino-language (Tagalog language) films, he made English-language films that became cult classics, like Black Mama, White Mama, Beast of the Yellow Night, The Woman Hunt, Beyond Atlantis and The Twilight People and worked with American actors like John Ashley and Pam Grier. Romero's films, the National Artist citation stated, "are delivered in an utterly simple style – minimalist, but never empty, always calculated, precise and functional, but never predictable." Quentin Tarantino drew on Twilight People as an inspiration for his "grindhouse" homages. Romero is especially known to horror film fans for his three "Blood Island" films from the late 1960s - Brides of Blood (1968), The Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1969) and Beast of Blood (1970), which he directed, co-produced by "Hemisphere Pictures" (which was composed of Romero, Kane W. Lynn and Irwin Pizor). Romero later called his American-financed "cult" films – including the "Blood Island" series – "the worst things I ever did". When the kung fu craze started in the 1970s, Romero turned his back on the international market for Filipino films which he had virtually created. After 1976, he made smaller, more personal "art" films in Filipino. The Cultural Center of the Philippines 'Cine Icons' honored Romero with free film screening of Aguila (film) on April 3, 1 p.m. at the GSIS Theater.

Personal life

Romero was married to Carolina Gonzalez (1922-2019). She was a great-granddaughter of Don Francisco Gonzalez y Reinado, owner of the legendary 39,000-hectare Hacienda Esperanza that included the municipalities of Santa Maria, Santo Tomas, Rosales and San Quintin, extending through the rest of Pangasinan and the provinces of Tarlac and Nueva Ecija. She was the first cousin of Francis Gonzalez Moran, father of 1973 Miss Universe Margarita Moran-Floirendo. Romero was also, for a time, the partner of actress Mila del Sol. He had three children-film director and board member of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Jose "Joey" Gonzalez Romero IV, Ancel Edgar Romero, President of HumanGood Affordable Housing in the San Francisco Bay Area and Leo John Romero, a non-profit housing executive based in Sacramento, California.

Death

Romero died on May 28, 2013. He had been suffering from prostate cancer when he developed a blood clot in his brain.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

In 2003, Romero was awarded the National Artist Award by the Philippine government for his contribution to Philippine cinema and broadcast arts. Earlier in 1991, he was awarded the Gawad CCP para sa Sining. In 2004, he was also awarded the Cinemanila Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2024, Senator Grace Poe authored Senate Resolution No.1040, honoring Romero in his July 7 centennial. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Dumaguete LGU, in a 3-day centennial, featured lectures by Nick Deocampo and film screening of restored movies at Silliman University's Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium. His bust by sculptor Frederic Caedo, was unveiled by Mayor Felipe Antonio B. Remollo, Joey Romero and NCCA Deputy Director Marichu Tellano.

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