Tagalog Movie

Directed by Lamberto V. Avellana
Story by Donato Valentin
Screenplay by Johnny Legarda
Theme Music Kundiman ng Luha, by Nicanor Abelardo

Eddie Rodriguez and Charito Solis in the
Avellana classic 'Kundiman ng Lahi'

Charito Solis is Isang, whose mother's death leaves her no choice but to live and work for her tight-fisted aunt Siyanang (Rosa Aguirre) and her alcoholic husband Teryo (Joseph De Cordova). She is treated like a servant by her aunt and becomes the object of desire by her lascivious step-uncle (Joseph De Cordova).

Rosa Aguirre as the abusive aunt

Lamberto Avellana's Kundiman ng Lahi is possibly the first Filipino film that best shows the clear move, in the late 1950s, towards a more open depiction of erotic desire in Philippine Cinema. It is a significant leap from the neo-realism of his own Anak Dalita (1956) where Rosa Rosal portrayed a prostitute, sexy but hardly sensual. On the other hand, Charito Solis, in Kundiman ng Lahi, is a simple village girl, innocent and virginal, unaware of her own sexuality. She is victimized at every turn, but unlike her 'bold' counterparts today, she suffers in silence.

Actual frames from the film:
Her uncle Teryo expresses 'fatherly' concern for Isang

Charito Solis won the FAMAS Best Actress Award for her performance in Kundiman ng Lahi.

Charito Solis in a publicity photo in 1959

NOTES: VHS versions come in plain box.
Copying is done entirely by LVN Pictures.
This vintage video is not a restored version.

• Charito Solis
• Eddie Rodriguez
• Joseph De Cordova
• Rosa Aguirre
• Oscar Keese
• Miguel Lopez

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