During my the first preview, I didn't get to hear the words well of the possesed girl in the first part of the film. Although, Biboy had already told me that the girl had supposedly spoken in Tagalog. When we saw it again, yes, indeed! She said, in a devil's voice, "Papatayin namin sila..."It was an ecstatic feeling hearing our language being spoken on a Hollywood movie. Remember "Her Alibi" starring Tom Selleck with a Filipino maid cursing? T'was very funny!
Or this B-movie actually shot in the Philippines with an eating crocodile monster called "Krocodylus" (not the international title). It has Filipino actors in it, as well, like Rez Cortez and Maureen Larazabal canoodling with the ever handsome (model) Joel West, among others.
The truth is, I'll be proud of it as the concept is clear to me! Heck, it is seldom that we get to be "recognize" in Hollywood! It is just I'm a Filipino and fighting off prejucides against our race is hard enough, what more put to a movie unabashingly?
With "Constantine", I wonder why the devil has spoken in Tagalog and not some language that truly didn't exist? Could the people behind the film have some connections with the Filipino community? Actually, the character who played the possessed girl was a Filipina named Joanna Trias. Could be she related to Jasmine? Or is it because Filipinos, being devout Catholics, believe in such - exorcism, possession, and the devil? Or does it want to portray again the kind of Filipinos that the movie called "Aswang" did?
"Aswang" is about an American family who lived in the Philippines for quite a long time, particularly Samar, if I remember it right. They went back to the US and committed murders because they had to - they are aswangs! They need to feed themselves. They were with a Filipina helper who was the one who turned them into such. They even know how to speak our language! The film wants to portray that Samar is truly the land of the aswangs. It didn't make mention that aswangs are Filipino legends or myths or that some Filipinos actually practice in certain parts of the province. They just told it as if it was a simple known fact.Hollywood have a knack of turning other nations into villains. They were done with the Europeans and Africans, now they are targetting the Muslims and Asians! Are they turning the Filipinos into their own kind of villains?
Anyway, other Constantine trivia from www.imdb.com:
- Originally, Tarsem Singh was attached to direct with Nicolas Cage to star. However, the director said that "With Cage, I can not make the film I had wanted to". Soon after Singh left the picture, Cage did as well. (Could "Constantine" be better with Nic Cage in it? No way! I'd rather have Keanu! But a Collin Farrell in it would be the best! *wink wink* A bad boy role for the guy with a "bad boy" image!)
- In the comic book "Hellblazer" on which the movie is based, the character of John Constantine is from Liverpool. In the movie, the character is from California.
- A character named Ellie, who was a demon Constantine dealt with early on, was completely cut from the film. Francis Lawrence stated that she was left on the cutting room floor because he wanted Constantine to be completely alone when he meets Angela. He also stated that an unrated DVD would contain Ellie's scenes. Ellie was played by Michelle Mognahan.
- Keanu Reeves bought the Holy Shotgun prop and gave it to Director Francis Lawrence as a gift.
- According to the director at the 2004 Wizard World Convention in Chicago, the decision to make John Constantine an American was made because Keanu Reeves was cast in the part and it was felt he couldn't play a convincing Brit. (Has Keanu ever convinced us as the character that he played?!)
- Although the movie Constantine is based on the comic book Hellblazer, the movie title was changed because it was too similar to Hellraiser. The comic book itself was actually meant to be called Hellraiser, but Clive Barker came up with the title first.
- The appearance of John Constantine in the comics was based on the singer, Sting.
