The Butcher | Could this be the reason why Scorpio Nights 3 has excessive sex scenes?

The first half of the 1980s was the last golden age of Philippine cinema. Among the best films produced ever in the country came from 1982: Oro, Plata, Mata, Himala, Batch ‘81, Relasyon, and Moral.      

The year 1985 also had an excellent harvest of local films: Kapit sa Patalim (Bayan Ko), Miguelito (Ang Batang Rebelde), Misteryo sa Tuwa, Hinugot sa Langit, Virgin Forest, and Paradise Inn.     

There were also two controversial films in 1985. Kapit sa Patalim underwent political persecution since it was released several months prior to EDSA I.     

The other movie released in 1985 that was much talked about was Scorpio Nights by Peque Gallaga. It was dismissed by the conservative sector of society as glorified porn.     

It didn’t take long, however, for Scorpio Nights to redeem itself. Looking back, it isn’t a bad film after all. Had it been released during a lean film year, perhaps it could have even won best picture.    

For one, Scorpio Nights has a lot of social statements. Set in a dingy accessoria in the bowels of Manila, it shows how miserable the lives of Filipinos has become, no thanks to poverty.     

Scorpio Nights eventually became an iconic film. The title became so catchy, there had to be a Scorpio Nights 2 that stars Joyce Jimenez and Albert Martinez. Its story, however, is so different, it cannot qualify as a remake.    

Scorpio Nights 3, which is streaming on Vivamax, is the actual remake. It is directed this time by Lawrence Fajardo.     

There is no need to compare the Gallaga film and this recent one by Fajardo. Nothing beats the original.    

Scorpio Nights 3, however, still has its own virtues. No, not moral virtues – that’s for sure.    

Scorpio Nights 3, to begin with, is soft-porn. Oops, are social media users already starting to race each other to get to this site?    

The sex scenes in this remake make the original version look like Walt Disney. In the opening scene alone, there is already a menage a trois with frontal nudity. There are countless scenes of humping and thumping and still more humping and thumping.     

There is oral sex and sexual positions that include one that is done through a hole in the ceiling of a two-story house. Admittedly, that is already over-the-top.     

With that out of the way, it’s time to proceed to the real core of the film. Yes, the production values are top-notch.     

Written by Roy Iglesias, Scorpio Nights 3 is a retelling of the original version with the three main characters intact. The 1985 film has Anna Marie Gutierrez living with husband Orestes Ojeda on the ground floor of a rundown accessoria. The upstairs tenant is Daniel Fernando, who watches the lovemaking sessions of the couple below through a hole in the ceiling.     

Orestes is a security guard who leaves behind Anna Marie, who is supposed to keep house, except that the only dinner she serves her husband at night – and that is every night – is boiled rice and a can of sardines. She is so lazy that she doesn’t even bother to sauté the sardines if only for some variety in her husband’s viand.

The lead female character in Scorpio Nights 3 (played by Christine Bermas) does a lot more. At least, she sautés the sardines this time and cooks simple meals that don’t necessarily require the kitchen wizardry of Martha Stewart.        

And she is certainly more productive. During the day, she engages in online sex for a living. Her partner (Mark Anthony Fernandez) is aware of her job, but his sole condition is for her not to engage in actual sex with her clients. He only wants her to have sex with him, which they do every night – with the tenant upstairs (Gold Aceron) watching through his peephole.     

The tenant in the second floor in the first Scorpio Nights is a student in some downtown university. This time, the voyeur is still a student, but also plays in the band at night.     

Of the three main characters, it is Mark Anthony Fernandez who delivers the best performance. Fortunately, his role gets expanded and is given another layer (the Orestes Ojeda character hardly talks). He has a lot of room therefore to showcase his acting talent.     

As expected, there is still some rawness in the two newcomers. Christine Bermas, whose sexiness is in the same mold as Krista Ranillo, has a lot of promise though.    

Except for the fact that they engage in more lurid sex scenes, the cast members of Scorpio Nights 3 have an easier time compared to Daniel Fernando and company. The characters of the original film very seldom speak. And yet they have to convey a lot of human emotions, which is quite a challenge for most actors.     

The approach used by Lawrence Fajardo in his remake is different to that one employed by Peque Gallaga. The Gallaga version is grittier – maybe because he was fortunate to have found an accessoria in a stinky part of the city. The griminess of the surroundings helps add more texture to the movie.     

Scorpio Nights 3 has to make do with what looks like a crumbling provincial house. It’s been close to four decades, after all, since Gallaga shot his film, So much had changed in the landscape of Manila.     

But aside from the fact that Fajardo’s team is unable to find the right location for the updated version of Scorpio Nights, the new edition can still boast of other superior production values: the cinematography, editing, music and sound engineering.     

Even the screenplay by Roy Iglesias deserves some praise: It doesn’t stick one hundred per cent to the original material. It is a wise decision to revise the script because this allows the story to move up to contemporary times.     

Stretching the character of Mark Anthony also enables the film to adjust to current day scenarios that are more scary compared to 1985 – when the first Scorpio Nights was first released. Yes, the world is more wicked today.     

By updating the story, Fajardo is able to address more pressing issues in society. The year 1985 was so much simpler. Sure, there were already bad people then, but there are more evil deeds committed today.     

The aim of the first Scorpio Nights was to show poverty and the decaying standard of morality at the time of its exhibition. Both societal problems still exist in our midst today. But add to that greed and endless materialism.     

The excessive sex scenes could be the director’s way of telling the audience how the world had become morally depraved – worse than it had ever been before.

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