NORA AUNOR

The voice behind the face has been described as golden, as “smoky torch,” as versatile – from mild to sweet. But it was the face that catapulted Nora Aunor to the realm of make believe, the movies. And with her entry, the world of Philippine show business and entertainment was never the same again.

Nora the actress was phenomenal. While her long playing records had been runaway bestsellers, it was her movies, first with Sampaguita Pictures in the late sixties and then, with Tower Production, where she was tutored by director Artemio Marquez, which turned Nora into a superstar, the superstar. She had broken the color line in Philippine movies when the rule used to be that heroines or lead female stars must be fair of skin and chiseled of profile. Mestizo, Hollywood-like stars like Gloria Romero, Ric Rodrigo, ruled the local silver screen and they established foreign norms for beauty and acting talent. Though Nora was neither fair nor statuesque, she bloomed into a beauty all the more fascinating because it was not the usual. A simple demure country girl from Iriga, Camarines Sur, her features reveal her large, liquid and lovely eyes, her dusky complexion of fine golden tints and a speaking voice that’s soft but full of emotion.

As an actress, Nora is natural. She underplays rather than overacts; she moves naturally with a sensitivity that makes a scene explode in meaning. In other words, she projects a real presence. Partnered with love team Tirso Cruz III, Manny De Leon, Cocoy Laurel and later, with dramatic actor Christopher De Leon (whom she married but whose marriage was later annulled), Nora’s movies were smash hits. She was only seventeen when she was bestowed the sobriquet, “The Superstar”. In the next two decade, Nora’s star shone ever so brightly and perked up the local movie industry with a preference for Pinoy-looking stars such as Vilma Santos, Amy Austria and Eddie Peregrina.

When Nora arrived, fans realized that they didn’t have to aspire to something or someone foreign. They could now empathize with their look-alike Nora and her exploits on the make-believe world. As a consequence, the credibility of local screen performances increased tremendously. More importantly, Filipino films gained confidence in tackling issues that involved the masa, the masses of average Filipinos who patronized and swooned over Nora and her charmed company. Film directors like Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal in the 70s and 80s also came up with more socially relevant and mass-oriented films. For that Nora would have to be thanked. She subverted the colonial mentality that had plagued local movies in decades past.

Meantime Nora (whose real name is Nora Villamayor) starred in movies, waxed records and became the icon of the silver screen. She had also honed her flair for acting, even garnering a Best Actress Award for her role as a peasant girl-healer in “Himala”. Her versatility as an actress proved that she could really stay on top.

Nora the Superstar dominated the T.V. boob tube with her long-running variety special, “The Superstar,” then with “Ang Makulay na Daigdig ni Nora”, from the seventies to eighties. It would be in the latter part of the 80s when younger singers and actresses would emerge, like Sharon Cuneta who has now earned the title, “Megastar,” Snooky Serna, Maricel Soriano, among others.

However after thirty years of singing and acting, Nora’s magic soon lost its spell. Stardom and celebrity status must have been difficult to cope with, given her own volatile temper and rather inconsistent handling of her gift both as actress and recording artist, as well as her own private life. Her son Ian, with Christopher De Leon, has also joined the movies but has yet to assert his box office appeal.

Nora has since tried to revive her acting career. At the Cairo Film Festival in 1998, Nora was named best actress for her riveting performance in “The Flor Contemplacion Story”. In the last elections in May 2001, she ran but failed as governor of her home province.

But whatever Nora’s detractors would say today, her millions of fans would recall with nostalgia that once upon a time there was a shy, diminutive singer who defied conventions and triumphed. The undefeated champion of Darigold Bulilit singing contest, the 13-year old Tawag ng Tanghalan champion, the Superstar who was self-assured, playful and funny, the Superstar who was gifted by her fans a doll named Maria Leonora Theresa instead of a Snoopy, the Superstar who could wring out the profoundest human emotions from her portrayals especially of the downtrodden and the underdog and the masa because she was once upon a time, one of them.

**From The Cultural Icons Of The Philippines /pages 161-163.