Contributor: Jen Magtibay
A number of people do not know that Cavite has a large contribution on important scenarios of international films especially if it is an action-compact film or a sci-fi film.
Cavite, with its natural abode that depicts the culture of Asians such as Indonesian, Cuban and Thai constructed establishments; it is indeed a perfect location that Hollywood is looking for. Some of the Hollywood films shot in Cavite were Platoon (1986), Missing in Action (1984), DNA (1997), Thirteen Days (2001).
Platoon is an American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is a Vietnam War trilogy movie. The other two were Born on the Fourth of July starring Tom Cruise where it was shot in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur and Heaven and Earth.
Missing in Action, a controversial film for being similar to Rambo. It was a story about Vietnam War POW/MIA issue. Braddock get back to Vietnam after escaping 10 years earlier to find other American Soldiers missing in Vietnam. Cavite was used as one of the locations to portray Vietnam at that time since America and Vietnam government was not yet settled regarding some issues.
DNA, a science fiction movie shot also in Cavite. An evil scientist’s DNA experiment on the bones of a mysterious jungle creature brings the carnivorous beast to life. The film also featured some of local actors and actresses like Joel Torre, Tom Taus and Susan Africa.
Thirteen Days is a book-based movie from The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis by Ernest May and Philip Zelikow. It is a 2000 docudrama directed by Roger Donaldson about the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, seen from the perspective of the US political leadership. Cavite served as a representation of Cuba.
I believe Caviteños will still look forward for more movies to be shot on their province. Cavite, as a site for these Hollywood movies, is one of the things we as Filipinos should be proud of. We have bountiful resources and a land where development is still possible. If Cavite made it before, I believe, we can still make it today.
Images from:
Amazon.com
