The bizarre history of Filipino B-films, as told through filmmaker Andrew Leavold's personal quest to find the truth behind its midget James Bond superstar Weng Weng.The bizarre history of Filipino B-films, as told through filmmaker Andrew Leavold's personal quest to find the truth behind its midget James Bond superstar Weng Weng.The bizarre history of Filipino B-films, as told through filmmaker Andrew Leavold's personal quest to find the truth behind its midget James Bond superstar Weng Weng.
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Did you know
- TriviaErnesto dela Cruz, better known as Weng Weng, was an actor, stunt performer, martial artist, and Philippines' first international celebrity, who happens to be a short person at 83 cm (2 feet, 9 inches) tall. Born in Baclaran, Parañaque with a primordial dwarfism condition, dela Cruz started exercising and studied karate. In the mid 1970s, dela Cruz was noticed by film producers Peter and Cora Caballes of Liliw Productions, and got the pseudonym Weng Weng. Following this, dela Cruz played supporting roles in films, and shared his first top billing with Ramon Zamora in Chopsuey Meets Big Time Papa (1978). Dela Cruz's first lead in the action film spoof Agent OO (1981) was followed by two sequels. It became dela Cruz's most well known role, where he demonstrated skills in stunts and martial arts. Agent OO's sequel For Your Height Only (1981) turned dela Cruz in an international star and gave him the notoriety to become a unique figure in cinema. After its local release, first lady Imelda Marcos organised a lavish film festival in the hope to present Filipino films to foreign distributor. At the event, For Your Height Only outsold every other film on foreign sales, while dela Cruz was the mediatic center of attention and the breakthrough celebrity. In the Philippines it is still their highest exported film, and within their acting community dela Cruz's international reach hasn't been topped. Following his success, dela Cruz appeared in three more films D'Wild Wild Weng (1982), The Impossible Kid (1982), his final performance as Agent OO, and The Cute... The Sexy n' The Tiny alongside Berting Labra and Pia Moran. Eventually, Peter and Cora Caballes changed professional paths and dela Cruz never worked again in the media industry. Dela Cruz spent the rest of his life with his family in Baclaran and died at the age of 34 in 1992. With the passing of time, dela Cruz became a cult film icon. Online, some of his movies went viral. By the 2000s, a lot of information published about him was unclear or hyperbolic mythos, some with accounts that support them. Research about his life led to the making of two successful documentaries Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010), and The Search for Weng Weng (2013).
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Search for Weng Weng SUFF Q&A (2014)
Featured review
A win-win for fans curious about Weng Weng
Perhaps you're like me and were only aware of the midget Weng Weng from funny programs of shorts at festivals. To be fair, I've never seen a complete movie of this little guy playing a James Bond-type spy in a few 70s Fillipino movies. Beforehand, I found the little excerpts of his work hilarious and ridiculous so why not a documentary about this obscure, forgotten "star". This documentary told me everything I wanted to know about Weng Weng and more. It mostly takes place in the Philippines and interviews a lot of his co-workers of the time. It also tries to solve the mysteries of where he came from, what he was like and what happened to him. It also has plenty of footage, some never seen before, of Weng Weng in action so it could be worth watching just for that. All is not fun and funny as we learn more about his life and fate. It's also amazing when the director manages to hang around with and interview a very famous Filipino who I thought was dead. I thought the documentary was in danger of being derailed at that point by spending almost too long with that surprise guest star, but it eventually got back on track. Don't worry about not understanding the sometimes thick accents, because everything that needs to be subtitled is subtitled. I was pleasantly surprised overall and I think almost anyone with an interest in B-movies might enjoy this.
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Very good)
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Very good)
helpful•80
- Quebec_Dragon
- Jul 31, 2014
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- Also known as
- Weng Weng nyomában
- Filming locations
- Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines(Imelda Marcos sequences)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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- Budget
- A$50,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Search for Weng Weng (2007) officially released in India in English?
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