Agent 00 (lost Filipino spy action-comedy film; 1981)
Presumably the poster to the film
Status: Lost
General Information
Agent 00 is a lost Filipino movie which was the directorial début of Eddie Nicart as well as being the first starring role ever given to international superstar Weng Weng. The film was distributed by Liliw Films due to Weng Weng being "adopted" by Peter Caballes. The importance to this film being found is because the character Agent 00 would reappear in the cult classic For Y'ur Height Only which helped the Filipino film spread outside the Philippines. The film is also significant for having popular stunt man turned actor Dante Varona and likely stars Ramon Zamora who is often dubbed Bruce Lee of the Philippines. Due to not yet fully expanding outside the Filipino market yet this film likely wasn't dubbed the way the sequels were. Despite confusion existence of the prequel has confirmed by the director himself in the 2003 documentary The Search for Weng Weng.
Historical Relevance
Imelda Marcos was The First Lady of the Philippines for 21 years who tried her best to exploit the film industry as a propaganda tool but also as a form of cultural growth. Filipino films at festivals set up by Imelda Marco struggled to sell but For Y'Ur Height Only started making an impact by selling into foreign markets. For Y'Ur Height Only the sequel to Agent 00 is one the highest grossing Filipino movies outside the Philippines to this day.
Sequels
For Y'ur Height Only The Impossible Kid
External Links
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/movies-and-tv/weng-weng-a1707-20170425-lfrm https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304796816_%27You%27re_Really_a_Miniature_Bond%27_Weng_Weng_and_the_Transnational_Dimensions_of_Cult_Film_Stardom https://gruesomemagazine.com/2016/12/20/search-weng-weng-2013-big-surprises-small-package/ https://tubitv.com/movies/525852/the-search-for-weng-weng https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149369/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv