THE SINGULAR BRILLIANCE OF NORA AUNOR

She is that superior an actress that many who grew up at the time of her imperial reign over showbusiness instinctively think of her as unglamorous, worn out, visibly rough at the edges. Thanks in no small measure to the roles she made famous—the downtrodden Nelia in Atsay, the obsessively fixated Bona, the hapless Elsa in Himala, the disregarded child-woman Babette in Bakit Bughaw ang Langit, and in film after film where she essayed ill-fated characters in the margins of society.

In truth, away from the glare of the limelight, Nora Aunor is an elegant creature. In the number of times I was privileged to observe and engage her in conversation, Nora came across as a woman of grace. Perhaps it is her early training in music and her instinctive talent to interpret even the most mundane lyrics into gripping auditory experiences that have given this diminutive woman the timing of a prima ballerina.

The Superstar mesmerizes on the cover of Star Studio.

With master photographer Jun de Leon behind the camera, Nora makes an elegant pose--looking relaxed and languid yet exuding electric energy through her riveting gaze.

Whether seated on a couch or standing in front of a mirror, Nora moves deliberately and with careful calculation—like a jaguar stalking its prey, or a butterfly with wings unfurled in the middle of flight. Away from the prying eyes of the public and the press, it is as if she is in the middle of a command performance for the queen as she gracefully articulates with her hands, as she languidly crosses her legs and turns pensive, or even as she lets out a hearty laugh.

Her unerring elegance is most breathtakingly captured on celluloid in the dance rehearsal scene of Laurice Guillen’s quiet drama Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo where Nora portrays a star on the rise. I have never seen her dance so gracefully, so full of meaning and yet so precise and intentional. She shows this grace again in the musical scenes of Mario O’Hara’s Kastilyong Buhangin and in the opening of Lino Brocka’s Binata si Mister, Dalaga si Misis where Nora sings a medley of Canseco classics all made up and looking divine in a flowing, skin-toned draped gown.

Stylish, glamorous and absorbing--Nora in high fashion on the cover of Preview.

Critics almost always praise her eyes—those two compelling globes that have the ability to turn from fiery to frosty in a millisecond. Few realize that Nora is a peerless physical actress who can turn ordinary scenes into moments of cinematic brilliance with her mastery of movements.

In Bona, when she first encounters Raquel Montessa in the constricted kitchen-cum-dining room, she moves quickly in rhythm with her terse and tense dialogue. These two brilliant actresses exchange verbal missiles while crisscrossing the limited space in utter fluidity of motion. Finally, when the emotions explode, the two characters spill onto the street to sweep the audience with  their full, ferocious force.

Another unfair advantage that the Superstar has is her perfect bone structure. The fluid curve of her nose, the gentle rise of her cheeks, and the distinct jawbones facilitate her effortless facial expression. A gamut of emotions pass through her visage like clouds passing over the earth.

In Himala, the explosive assassination scene that terminated Elsa’s sermon showed once again Nora’s brilliance in physical acting. With one hand clutching her heart and the other outstretched as if grasping an invisible support, the actress wisely showed the complete silhouette of her body against the cloudless sky. With that, she was able to paint a transfixing picture of dying in the span of a few, quick frames. Through that short scene, she gives the audience a vicarious experience of being assassinated so that the viewer flinches in  horror and imagined pain.

Nora in a trench--few realize that she has one of the best legs in showbusiness.

After nearly eight years of self-imposed hiatus in the US, Nora is back and the younger generation of photographers, stylists, makeup artists, hairstylists, and clothes designers—people who were hardly around when she held the public awestruck in her hands—are discovering Nora’s unique beauty and elegance. In her recent covers for the glossies such as Star Studio, Yes and, most recently, Preview, Nora’s timeless allure and magic are again being put on view.

Even the simple act of pulling her hair becomes a moment of beauty--note the tension in the fingers and the smolder in her eyes. The pose is akin to a powder keg that can explode any minute into spectacular fireworks.

These new images are reasons enough to celebrate—especially for her new legion of fans that can’t get enough of the Philippine’s most brilliant star. Indeed, Nora’s enduring radiance, and her powers of physical poetry shine bright and clear… even from the flat, single dimension of a magazine cover.

Text by Vix Sev

Photos from Star Studio and Preview magazines