Dyesebel

Dyesebel
Publication information
Created by	Mars Ravelo
In-story information
Species	Half-human/Half-mermaid
Team affiliations	Darna
Partnerships	Fredo
Abilities	Able to live on or under the sea.

Dyesebel is a popular mermaid character in the Philippines. The comic book character was originally conceived by the Filipino comic book illustrator, Mars Ravelo and drawn by Elpidio Torres. Dyesebel is a prominent character in Philippine cinema and television.^[1] It was first serialized in Pilipino Komiks in 1952-53, and was later adapted into the big screen that same year. The movie topbilled Jaime de La Rosa as Fredo and Edna Luna as Dyesebel. The movie produced under Manuel Vistan Productions, Inc. and released thru Premiere Productions, was directed by the great Gerardo 'Gerry' De Leon.^[2][3]

Dyesebel first appeared in the pages of Pilipino Komiks in the 50s then in Kampeon Komiks (Champion Comics) from 1975.

History

Dyesebel is unique among the merfolk for she is the only mermaid born of human parents from the surface world. A mermaid from birth, she is shunned by the superstitious due to her physical form.

The story of Dyesebel begins when an amnesiac mermaid-turned-human named Lucia fell in love with a human. They got married and had a beautiful baby, but instead of a human baby she delivered a mermaid. The child is called "Dyesebel" . Although surprised by their daughter's strange form, Lucia and her husband Tino promise to love their child no matter what. But in no time at all, their neighbors discovered the couple's secret. When the community is hit with a series of catastrophes, the town believes that the anomaly is caused by Dyesebel; an accusation that leads to Tino's death. After her father is killed by an angry, superstitious mob, Dyesebel is taken to the ocean by her mother where she is sent into exile since her chances for survival are greater there than on land. Unknown to Lucia is that in the heart of the sea, Dyesebel's adventures and misfortunes will begin. It is within the confines of the waters that Dyesebel will lead a new life-a journey that would take her to the depths of the sea, as well as to chaos of the city.^[4]

One day the young girl-mermaid got lost in the ocean and found by Banak who adopts her and takes her to their kingdom where she is welcomed into their community. Years later, a jealous mermaid named Dyangga makes Dyesebel's life miserable among the denizens of the sea which leads Dyesebel to try returning to the surface world. She meets a kind, handsome young man named Fredo who falls in love with her and protects her, but then she is kidnapped by Fredo's jealous former girlfriend's (Betty) new boyfriend and displayed at the circus. She is subsequently rescued by Fredo and is brought back to the ocean where she is again told that although Fredo doesn't want to see Dyesebel go, he'd rather let her go than see her hurt by evil men on the surface world. Dyesebel discovers that she can also be a human being by visiting Amafura to get a secret necklace which makes her human; but a price must be made, for her to sacrifice her true possession, in order to gain something special. This time around, Dyesebel returns with a magic conchshell that transforms her into a full human form and returns to Fredo where they marry.^[5]

Plots

1953: Dyesebel

The first person to play Dysebel on the big screen was Edna Luna in a 1953 film made by Gerry de Leon for Manuel Vistan Production/Premiere Production.

In the Philippines, the lore of Dyesebel began with the story of a girl born to a mermaid-obsessed Filipino mother. Whilst pregnant, Dyesebel 's mother obsessively looked at a collection of mermaid pictures from a calendar which eventually affected the infant's form when it was born with a fishtail instead of normal human lower extremities. Dyesebel's father, angered by his child's deformity, wanted to abandon the child, only to be hindered by a bolt of lightning during a typhoon. To avoid the stigma of having a mermaid child, the couple decided to leave their village and relocate where they can raise Dyesebel in secret, hidden from prying eyes. The mermaid Dyesebel eventually met other mermaids while spending time by the seashore, and through her sea adventures, she comes into contact with Diangga, a sea-witch who had the power to transform sea-creatures like Dyesebel into normal humans. Dyesebel fell in love with a normal human man. But after her secret of being a mermaid was exposed, it prompted the jealous former girlfriend of the man with whom Dyesebel was in love, to kidnap Dyesebel and place her in a carnival. Dyesebel was later saved by her human lover. Diangga, the sea-witch, eventually transformed Dyesebel into a permanent female human with normal lower extremities.^[1][6]

1964: Anak ni Dyesebel

In 1964, eleven years after, Director Gerardo de Leon directed a sequel to his first Dyesebel. He reunited the cast of the blockbuster 1953 movie Dyesebel in a sequel based on Mars Ravelo's Anak ni Dyesebel (Liwayway #4, 1963-1964). The movie introduced Alona (played by Eva Montes who also played Darna in the 1965 movie Darna at ang Babaing Tuod), the daughter of Dyesebel (Edna Luna) and Fredo (Jaime dela Rosa).

1973: Dyesebel

The 1973 Dyesebel movie ("Si Dyesebel at ang Mahiwagang Kabibe") directed by Emmanuel H. Borlaza was closer to Mars Ravelo's heroine mermaid. The character inhabits an undersea kingdom of mermaids, cast out from the land of humans due to the belief that mermaids are the cause of misfortune. Dyesebel became attracted to a male human being and swore to find any means to be transformed into normal human woman, in order to be with the man that her heart desired.^[1][7] In this movie, Vilma Santos played the role of Dyesebel making her the only actress to play both Darna (four times) and Dyesebel, both classic Mars Ravelo creations. Romeo Miranda played Fredo.

Perhaps this is the best one that depicts the Mermaid riding on a giant seahorse, fighting against a Giant Octopus and is being helped by electric eels to fight the behemoth, Mermaids galore!! and Dyesebel's "Magic Conchshell" that turns her human.

1978: Sisid, Dyesebel, Sisid

In "Sisid, Dyesebel, Sisid" (1978) made by Sampaguita Pictures Dyesebel (Alma Moreno) was a mermaid born to a rich couple. The husband claimed his wife had an affair with a merman. Still loving and accepting, they moved to their beachhouse where Dyesebel was kept in a wheelchair covered with a blanket to hide her tail. It was only her parents and her nanny who knew her identity as a mermaid. As she grew up into a lady mermaid (still on shore) the family hires Fredo and his dad as their gardener. Fredo and Dyesebel fall in love and after Dyesebel reveals herself to Fredo, they decide to get married (complete with Dyesebel wearing a wedding gown, in a fishtail). Shortly after they got married, Dyesebel's parents died in a plane crash. Then, Dyesebel discovered that Fredo is a womanizer. In full despair, she heard (after a long, long time) the ocean calling her and she joined the mermaid kingdom. Trying to be happy, she admitted that she misses Fredo and asks Banak (Nova Villa) how to be become human. She leads her to Dyangga (Bella Flores), a human octopus, where with the help of a merman friend, kills Dyangga to get the magical pearl on her head. She becomes human for an hour or so, only to break up with Fredo and decide to be a mermaid forever, and live in the ocean she was deprived from since birth.

1990: Alice Dixson's Dyesebel

Perhaps the most memorable Dyesebel movie to date, this version is common that makes Dyesebel of what it is now: it was the first Dyesebel to use the "orange-colored" fishtail, which is commonly used now. She used real underwater scenes, in the aquarium, showcased a combination of her life on the water and on land, thus having mermaid-human transformations, and to show a realistic storyline on love and relationships.

A couple found a wounded and stranded pregnant mermaid on shore, who died after giving birth. Being childless, the couple adopted the mermaid's daughter and named her Dyesebel, From Dyesebel's childhood through her teenage years, she and her family moved from place to place to get away from angry mob. The teen Dyesebel (Carmina Villaroel) starts to ask questions why she's a mermaid and shows signs of wanting to become a human. It was at this time that they decide to let Dyesebel go into the sea with the other mermaids (not shown on screen) where she has the chance to encounter with Edward (Robert Ortega) as a teen. Fast forwarding to the present day where Dyesebel is now a lady Alice Dixson. She then sees Edward (Richard Gomez) again as an adult, then searches Banak, a sea witch this time, to help her acquire human legs through a magic shell. However, its only temporary, the shell has to be within her reach 24/7 or else she'll have her tail back.

She finds shelter by Marina (Malou De Guzman) and Iday (Judy Ann Santos) who later on discovers her identity but still remain true to her. She also found Edward's wallet washed from the shore. Still having Edward's wallet that was misplaced on the water Dyesebel and her friends look for Edward and becomes a famous model by a friend of Edward's. Dyesebel and Edward finally meets and become lovers, however, Malou, Edward's almost-stalker-like-girlfriend-wannabe tries to break their relationship, at the same time, Dyesebel has a hard time keeping her identity a secret to Edward. Until she finally admits it to him, and shows him her true self, where they broke up for sometime. Edward realizes he cannot live without her, they are about to become closer and Malou accidentally finds out, and exposed Dyesebel's mermaid identity in a birthday party for Edward. The media and the government took interest on her, as a display on the country's underwater museum. Edward rescued her, and Malou discovered Dyesebel's magic shells, steals it and breaks it. However, it only turned Dyesebel into a human permanently and Malou into a mermaid, permanently.

1996: Dyesebel

Dyesebel is a 1996 film version Charlene Gonzales played Dyesebel with Matthew Mendoza as Fredo. It was directed by Emmanuel H. Borlaza who also directed the 1973 Dyesebel movie starring Vilma Santos.

On-screen actresses and actors

In the movies, Dyesebel was portrayed by Filipino actresses, Edna Luna, Vilma Santos, Alma Moreno, Alice Dixon, and Charlene Gonzales. In television, she was personified by the actress Ara Mina in a cameo appearance in Mars Ravelo's Darna (2005 TV Series) and portrayed by Marian Rivera in Mar's Ravelo's Dyesebel, year 2008. Vilma Santos and Marian Rivera are only the two actresses who played two of Mars Ravelo's komiks characters respectively, namely Darna and Dyesebel.^[1]

Chronological list of actresses who played Dyesebel in the movies and on television

Chronoligical list of actors who played Fredo in the movies and on television

2008 TV series

Dyesebel (TV series)

GMA Network had announced that they will be doing a TV series of Dyesebel for 2008,It begins airing on April 28, 2008. The producers were eyeing Rhian Ramos for the title role but it ended up with Marian Rivera. It was also said that Dennis Trillo had the part of Fredo but turned out to be Dingdong Dantes, Marian's leading man in MariMar. The same network has earlier made a TV series of Mars Ravelo's works like Darna and Captain Barbell.

The series premiered on April 28, 2008^[8] and was expected to air for 25 weeks or 125 episodes,^[9] with Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes in the lead roles, and Joyce E. Bernal at the helm.^[10] The series ended on October 17, 2008. It was internationally aired on GMA Pinoy TV, which became a huge success to viewers abroad.

2014 TV series

ABS-CBN had announced that they will be doing a Dyesebel for 2014, It begins airing in an unspecified date. In 2014, It was announced No Other Woman's, Anne Curtis will become the next Dyesebel.^[11] Afterwards, they also announced that Gerald Anderson will join the cast as Fredo and Sam Milby as Liro.^[11]

Collected editions

See also

• Panday (comics)
• Zuma (comics)
• Philippine mythical creatures

External links

• 's Dyesebel
• Dyesebel illustrations, photographs and screenshots in Philippine comics, film and television at MarsRavelo.Tripod.com
• Dyesebel at the International Catalogue of Superheroes
• Dyesebel (1950) at the Internet Movie Database
• Dyesebel (1973) at the Internet Movie Database
• Dyesebel (1990) at the Internet Movie Database
• Dyesebel (1996) at the Internet Movie Database

References