‘José Rizal’ REVIEW: A Remastered Filipino Classic
‘José Rizal’ REVIEW: A Remastered Filipino Classic
Cesar Montano as José Rizal in his final moments in life before execution in Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park) | Photo still from GMA Pictures
Every Filipino student born in the 1990s can remember watching this film as part of the school requirements including myself. However as a loner high school student, trying to find myself back then (now referred today as junior high school, thanks to K-12), I had vague memories of having this film as a requirement or having to watch this film during my Filipino classes.
Yes, really.
Until I got myself involved in heritage conservation activities beginning with my newfound interest in Escolta and Binondo, and even joined walks courtesy of Renaicimento Manila as well as a two-day tour-guiding workshop courtesy of Don't Skip Manila and the National Parks Development Committee, I had opened my eyes to the country’s rich history and culture.
Cinematography-wise, Marilou Diaz-Abaya made the right decision to depict Rizal in the context of an artist and not as a mere historical person. Taking cues from Akira Kurasawa’s Ran and Seven Samurai, along with scenes of the revolution, the film feels like watching a Baroque painting come to life. Diaz-Abaya’s José Rizal made an impact on its audience by integrating elements of fiction and non-fiction to form a uniquely threaded storyline.
Like with Diaz-Abaya’s loose women-centric triology of films Moral, Brutal and Karnal,
José Rizal, along with Muro-Ami and Bagong Buwan devolves into the same socio-political themes in this time, through the psyche of man and the intersection between criticism of society and the notions of masculinity.
José Rizal features an ensemble cast of Cesar Montano, Jaime Fabregas, Gloria Diaz, Jhong Hilario, Chin Chin Gutierrez, Joel Torre, Monique Wilson, Pen Medina and Mickey Ferriols. It even had a cameo scene featuring director and National Artist Kidlat Tahimik which made the film a highlight of all of their acting careers.
Diaz-Abaya, along with her screenwriter and consultant, Ricky Lee (credited as Ricardo Lee) spent six months developing the soul of the film. Three months of research by reading and collating various manuscripts, including Spanish translations of his novels and another three months for the final screenplay and script.
I would like to share my favorite tidbit during the opening remarks at The Met. Montano used to turn on the Spanish channel on the TV, even while he was sleeping to learn Spanish in order to get into Rizal’s character. I presume that Spanish TV channel is TVE, which is one of the widely distributed foreign cable channels here in the Philippines along with TV5Monde for French, NHK World for Japanese, and RAI Italia for Italian, channels which were a part of my childhood and helped me garner interest in international cultures.
As a result of the production’s intensive research, the scenes in his novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and the life of José Rizal were seamlessly integrated throughout his journey as a physician, writer, artist, and a patriot who seeks equal treatment of Filipinos with the Spanish.
Cesar Montano as José Rizal writing Mi último adiós (The Last Farewell) on his cell before his execution | Photo still from GMA Pictures
Anyway let’s discuss the film plot itself, shall we?
The first few scenes were epic, setting the mood for the harrowing events of the last years of the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines. Explicit scenes of abuse and punishment were shown without fear of censors since action and bold films (a.k.a. softcore pornographic films in which Seiko Films is well-known for) were the norm of its time during its first theatrical release in the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival.
Despite the harrowing subject matter, there are moments of innocence, humor, laughter and a glimpse of hope to lighten the mood, which is best depicted through Rizal’s youth up until his arrest at Fort Santiago and subsequent execution.
Overall, the story may be linear but there is a theatrical aspect to it that made this film an epic blueprint to follow such as Heneral Luna, Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo, as well as TV series such as Maria Clara at Ibarra and Pulang Araw. Leo Abaya’s production design from the Noli and El Fili plays at the Aliw Theater in Pasay was seamlessly applied to the adaptation, adding a cinematic treat.
To close this review, I would like to give a shout-out to my friends at the heritage conservation circle at Nilad Community for the eye-opening walks and involvements. And also, to all of the production staff and crew who care for the cinematic heritage of the Philippines in which film restorations like these allowed renewed interest among the next generation of audiences and Filipinos alike.
The restored version of ‘José Rizal’ premiered at the 20th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in The Metropolitan Theater. It was previously shown as one of the main entries at the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival. Restoration work is done by Central Digital Lab.
