Filipino Cinema

[AlexHansen]

John Torres is offering DVDs of his shorts and features in an effort to raise some funds for his latest project.

[Calvin]

The World Cinema Foundation's restoration of Lino Brocka's Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag will premiere in Cannes

[Calvin]

It doesn't appear to have been mentioned here but the Film Development Council of the Philippines have been commissioned to restore 2000 (!) films and the trailers for the first two restorations can be found on YouTube:

Himala
Oro Plata Mata

Himala is out on DVD and Oro Plata Mata should be forthcoming.

[Michael Kerpan]

Wow, the restored Himala looks quite impressive -- MUCH better than the old DVD I have. A must-see film (IMHO).

[RobertB]

I ordered Himala from Kabayancentral.com. Good service, excellent packaging, and the film arrived after two weeks. But it's not the restored edition they are selling... I received the old DVD edition. Any recommendations for a DVD seller that has the new restored one?

[Calvin]

Sorry, I haven't got a clue about retailers.

Trailer for the restored Maynila sa kuko ng liwanag

Himala is available to watch online until September 11th (for $5)

[Should there be another thread for 'classic' Filipino cinema? I notice this one is in New Films]

[Reeniop41]

I'm Filipino and I actually worked (somewhat) in the Philippine film industry. I'm glad I found this thread.

Criterion should try to look at Philippine cinema and try to restore and give proper DVD treatment to some of our classic films.

Suggestions:

Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag (Manila in the Claws of Neon) by Lino Brocka
Batch '81 by Mike de Leon
Oro, Plata, Mata by Peque Gallaga
Manila by Night (a.ka. City After Dark) by Ishmael Bernal
Igorota by Cirio H. Santiago

Those are the top 5. They are must-sees.

Two contemporary films of note by two of our best Filipino directors working today which I highly recommend are: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros by Aureus Solito and Kubrador by Jeffrey Jeturian.

I'll be one of the first ones to purchase a Criterion Blu Ray of Philippine cinema! I am familiar with Lino Brocka, Ismael Bernal and Peque Gallaga's films growing up. The main problem is the lack of quality DVDs of these classics so have not even tried to watch it. My first purchase Philippine Arthouse films in a very long time is the Bluray version of Graceland which was a quite a surprise quality wise and was also a great film in its own right!

[knives]

I wrote this up thinking it was a '70s film, but that's clearly wrong. I'm leaving it unedited from that thread's version anyway out of laziness.

I've been going through a lot (a whole lot) of Filipino films for the list and for the most part they're good like the higher end dramas coming out of Mexico at the same time (and unfortunately in similar condition on home video), but last night I finally got to one which broke the mold enough to really stand as one of the most rewarding viewings of this round. Lino Brocka's A Plea to God while containing a lot of his favored melodramatic tactics including soap opera score nevertheless tackles some really sensitive material in a complex and humane way that most works and even people fail to do. The most careful element, naturally, has to do with the rape and subsequent pregnancy. I think that for all of the operatics the film is aiming for a realism with this story which Brocka tries to tackle on two fronts. Firstly he's trying to be honest to the characters and their mentality which unfortunately is rather ignorant which leads to a hating on Dolores (primarily by herself), but at the same time Brocka seems to be attempting to show the fault's of this reality emphasizing how she isn't to blame (it's horrible that this is still a relevant concern). This is at its best during the central part of the film when Dolores has yet to damn herself to marriage, but still insists on punishing herself. During those moments of clarity when she pleas for freedom there's that Mother urging her to continue with the religion induced self loathing. All the same there's Brocka there with his music and exterior shots acting as the angel on her other shoulder. At the same time, and this is where I think the movie really separates itself as a masterwork, Brocka never treats the people as bad even as their actions only cause more suffering. Even the religion which gets most of the blame is shown as intending good even as those intentions do harm through poor reasoning of morality. The way religion's culture is acquitted is as centered to the film where the magic of belief serves a great positive purpose. Brocka does a lot to not suggest that anything we've seen is actually miraculous, but the potential it could be seems enough. Even the utter failings of the miraculous, such as with the girl's legs, provide a comforting rationale that makes her living as a cripple alright. That whole sequence is somewhat the film in miniature as the girl takes on Dolores' role wishing and wanting for something reasonably better and Brocka desperate, but unable to provide it while Dolores fails her in good faith. Here things are reversed from the rest of the film as the good intention while failing still provides good as it gives the girl a stronger sense of wanting and faith. All this puts Dolores against the structure of religion, but closer to its spiritual essence. She's never sainted, but doesn't need to be because, as is emphasized time and again, she's done nothing wrong.

[kidc85]

Mubi UK are starting a Lav Diaz retrospective (one film a month) and are kicking off with Evolution of a Filipino Family. I doubt I'll find the time to sit down and watch a nine hour film, but it's an exciting undertaking on their part.

[GaryC]

Mubi UK are starting a Lav Diaz retrospective (one film a month) and are kicking off with Evolution of a Filipino Family. I doubt I'll find the time to sit down and watch a nine hour film, but it's an exciting undertaking on their part.

Mubi's copy runs ten hours and twenty-five minutes - which, given that it's SD, may mean it's lost about twenty-five minutes to PAL speed-up.

I may well try this by watching it in instalments. I've not seen a Diaz film, and the only one commercially available in the UK is the (relatively) more commercial Norte the End of History, which is in colour and a mere four and a quarter hours long. Given that BBFC costs are likely too high to make a DVD release of Filipino Family viable for the probable audience, this may be our only chance to see this film for the foreseeable future.

[GaryC]

Mubi's Diaz retropsective continues with Heremias (Book One: The Legend of the Lizard Princess), which is available until Tuesday and Melancholia, available until 6 January. They've just announced another one, Elegy to the Visitor from the Revolution, which is due to be available from 11 January. It's only 80 minutes long!

[Calvin]

ABS-CBN Film Restoration will be live streaming a fundraiser on their Facebook page at 8pm Filipino local time tomorrow. It will feature live musical performances from the Ricky Lee and Vincent de Jesus stage adaptation of Himala, as well as a script-reading of the 1982 classic and, most interestingly, a new Lav Diaz film - he's directing Shaina Magdayao and Raymond Bagatsing in an 'interpretation' of a scene from the film.