Macho Dancer

First of all, I was amazed that such a bold film could come out of the Philipines, which I'd always imagined to be a pretty conservative state which would repress a film with so much Young nudity. India has never made such a film, though I have no doubt the story could be Indian too (the difference being that i know of no clubs in Bombay or Delhi or Calcutta which has naked boys dancing on stage - could that really be so common in Manila?). The boys here are of ambiguous sexuality. Are they gay? Or just horny? They seem to do it only with customers and not with each other. And they hang around with girl prostitutes who treat them as "one of us." The main protagonist is actually straight, it turns out, falling in love as he does with a female prostitute. But at the same time, he's perfectly comfortable being a gay rent boy - there's absolutely no angst associated with that and instead there's much bonhomie and fun in the changing room as he teenager prepare to go on stage for their "macho dancing." ! That, I think, was one of the most appealing aspects of this movie.

Like the later and much glossier MIDNIGHT DANCERS, MACHO DANCER depicts the lives of male prostitutes in Manilla; unlike MIDNIGHT DANCERS, however, it is considerably more gritty and disquieting. The story concerns Pol (Alan Paule), a young man in the provinces who has drifted into prostitution with an American G.I. in order to help support his impoverished family. When his patron finishes his tour of duty, Pol's friend Greg (Bobby Sano) urges him to try his luck in Manilla.

Once in Manilla, Pol becomes a "Macho Dancer," working as a performer and prostitute at a police protected club in the tourist belt--and becomes friends with fellow club worker Noel (Daniel Fernando) and upscale call-girl Bambi (Jacklyn Jose.) Although we realize they are motivated by poverty and lack of other skills (time and again the characters simply state "I was hungry"), the film paints itself in extremely tantalizing, erotic colors--and much more explicitly so than MIDNIGHT DANCERS--but as the story progresses the eroticism of the film segues into an extremely dark story of the foundations of the sex-trade: youth, poverty, hunger, and a corrupt police and economic system that preys on all three. By the film's conclusion one feels extremely guilty for having, perhaps, salivated a bit over the boys and girls--for it is precisely that reaction that creates the marketplace which so brutally preys upon them.

The youthful cast members are extraordinarily beautiful, casual with their nudity and behavior before the cameras, and surprisingly talented in their ability to convey both the beauty that makes them so sensual and the dark, dangerous world through which they scramble. The entire cast is remarkable, and Jacklyn Jose is a standout--an extraordinary beauty and remarkably gifted actress. Although MACHO DANCER hooks its audience with titillating eroticism, it has a sharp jab that prevents that same audience from romanticizing prostitution in any way. All the more disquieting for it display of beautiful youth, after seeing MACHO DANCER it becomes impossible for one to think of prostitution as a "victimless crime." Recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

MACHO DANCER

Aspect ratio: 1.37:1

Sound format: Mono

Abandoned by his American lover, a naive country boy (Alan Paule) seeks his fortune in Manila, where he's drawn into a world of erotic dancing, prostitution and drug running, leading to betrayal and murder.

Combining elements of melodrama and social commentary, MACHO DANCER marks a return to the subject of male prostitution for director Lino Brocka (MANILA: IN THE CLAWS OF NEON), who paints a picture of the Filippino sex industry as a dangerous arena, fuelled by drugs and police corruption, where innocent young men must compromise their virtue in an effort to stay alive. The densely plotted screenplay (co-written by Ricardo Lee and Amato Lacuesta) is filmed with genuine gusto, though Brocka fails to break any new ground on the subject (see also MIDNIGHT DANCERS and BURLESK KING, both directed by Mel Chionglo), and proceedings are stifled by Paule's amateurish performance as the gullible waif who struggles to keep his head while all around him are succumbing to the worst excesses of their unhappy lifestyle. More successful is ultra-sexy Daniel Fernando (star of Peque Gallaga's influential erotic drama SCORPIO NIGHTS) as a veteran 'macho dancer' whose association with a crooked police officer (Johnny Vicar) results in tragedy and horror, and Jacklyn Jose (YOUR WIFE, MY WIFE) as the stereotypical 'tart with a heart' who succumbs to Paule's dubious charms (yes, another 'gay' film in which the leading man falls for his leading lady!).

The running time is padded with lengthy excerpts from the various stage performances, in which naked young guys oil each other up and gyrate to synth music (Fernando's dance sequence with co-star William Lorenzo is worth the price of admission alone!), though the film's sexual content is fairly coy by western standards. Some of the dramatic sequences are allowed to overrun, and the climax is predictably ironic, but the narrative still packs something of an emotional wallop, and while production values are modest, the film's mixture of beefcake, sentimentality and violence is frankly irresistible.

(Tagalog dialogue)