CNN feature on Himala with Ricky Lee, Ms. Charo Santos, and Ms. Nora Aunor
The director climbs a perch from which to view angles. He comes down and talks up close with a stuntman who will be seen being mauled by other stuntmen playing the angered crowd later. Then he approaches another actress and gives her information on how the crowd will come surging her way, with her small makeshift stalls collapsing against the storm of bodies all lost in the chaos. Later, the director acts out to two actors how the scene should be played out. He goes back to the crowd almost ministering this time to three very old ladies whose intense presence belies their lowest position in the hierarchy of performers in the film being shot. Soon, the shout of “action” brings about movements that fill the screen with the combined strength of love and hate, doubt and intense belief, of poetry and brutality.
A film reader once wrote of Kurosawa and his “ability to combine the intimacies of character revelation with exciting action sequences....” But the scenes above are not of Kurosawa’s but of Ishmael Bernal’s, and the film is not any of the Japanese director’s jidaigeki or period films but of Bernal’s Himala.
This should be of interest because outside the astonishing being that is Nora Aunor, the crowd is the other glorious revelation in the filming of Himala. It is perhaps late but still nevertheless better than never for us to witness how this film came about. We learn many lessons about directing and we are even sadder because Bernal is not with us anymore. We validate the strength—and the value—of a well-crafted screenplay, such as Ricky Lee’s opus. And whatever lingering doubt there is in the genius of Aunor is finally laid to rest in this treasure of a documentation.
The documentary, Sa Likod ng Himala runs for 20 minutes and is in Super 8mm format. Made by the in-house staff of the then-UP Film Center (now UP Film Institute), the documentary shows mainly Bernal at work. He is cool and hip, a person almost not linked to the heavy theme of the film he is managing. Yes, managing. Facilitating. Not directing.
He scrutinizes angles, pushing even the face of Veronica Palileo to a specific placement. Bernal is just short of ordering the skies to turn grey and black. He is thus in command. In full command.
Now this is where Himala, as a film, becomes a watershed in the history of Philippine film industry. One cannot stop or begin with Bernal. There are, as almost collectively agreed on, two other authors here: Ricky Lee, with his story and Nora Aunor, with her Elsa.
On Tuesday, December 16, the UP Film Institute showed the documentary. On hand to help in the event, which had the sacred air of an offering at the temple, were the fans bonded under the name ICON (International Circle of Noranians).
The screening is made doubly meaningful following the triumph of the film, Himala, as the CNN APSA Viewers’ Choice Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of All Time. The event, however, was long planned even before the said award was bestowed upon the film, further proof that the film has already been transformed into a classic even without outside intervention, Marlon Antolin and Nestor de Guzman, two officers of the group, informed me. The group does this to Aunor’s other films: screen them and use the event both as an organizational strategy and a film studies sessions.
Among the group, one could sense a keen interest in films other than Himala. But for that night, the group was using the visual memory of this documentary to know more about their favorite actor, and this film that has put on the map once more the long hidden grandeur and compelling mystery of good Filipino films.
As images began to flash on screen, the group interrupted each discovery of troubling and fantastic scenes with the fervor of applause. There were many quick approvals as there were new realizations. It was a night of secrets being revealed by this 26-year-old documentary. The magic of editing was overpowering as we witnessed the rehearsals and played them against the film scenes we have committed to memory.
Ricky Lee has been quoted about editing and editing the lines of Elsa. And so we savored the image of Aunor practicing the lines in that speaking voice that could wrap velvet passion around one’s senses. Aunor, in the footage, had her arms on her waist, and not yet the Elsa that would scream those lines in the final edition with such pain and guilt and fear.
She’s good...she’s really good, I kept telling myself, amazed as I am that we really have such kind of actor. Unschooled (better). “Unworkshopped” (much better). Not a product of any film school (excellent).
At one point, Bernal approached Aunor. It was a brief interaction, as if Bernal did not want to taint this pure instrument before him. Bernal seemed also to be more obsessed about the crowd and the so-called bit-players who were never “bit” in this film.
Aunor was ever the powerfully instinctive actor the media and the critics have always perceived her to be. One moment she was drinking a glass of water and nonchalantly smoking; the next, she was being carried by men. She looked dead! Dead. But the camera trailed and caught her raising her head, indicating that it was a rehearsal. Another shot was done. She was in a different version of that death shown earlier. The quick transformations can send chills down anyone’s spine.
The documentary is a gem. People will be talking about the scene that never made it to the final cut. This is the scene where Elsa’s corpse is pushed into the ambulance. The camera goes outside and, through the window, looks with curiosity and with awe at this image of a Christ-like figure—a Santo Entierro really—of Elsa. The angle is from her head down. The image is an aftermath of violence and a threatening start of idolatry and, maybe, of a new cult. Elsa is now a saint, a follower says in the film. In the ambulance van, Elsa is Christ! A woman has died for the sins of mankind. Dios mio, what sweet, what mad subversion!
That night, Himala was poised to be the first post-modern classic in the Filipino film industry. With some fans blown away by that last scene not being part of the final cut, it would not be surprising if for the many who have watched the documentary, the ending for Himala has already been edited, too.
Can we talk now of resurrection?
Business Mirror, December 23, 2008
Isang pambihirang video mula sa archives ng UP Film Institute (UPFI) ang pormal na isasapubliko sa unang pagkakataon. Itatanghal ang Sa Likod ng Himala, 20-minutong dokumentaryo ukol sa paggawa ng pelikulang Himala (ECP, 1982) ni Ishmael Bernal, sa UPFI Bernal Gallery, Disyembre 16, 2008 (Martes). Libre ang bawat screening na magsisimula sa ika-7 ng gabi.
Ginawa ang dokyu noong 1982 ng in-house staff ng UP Film Center (pinalawak ngayon bilang UP Film Institute). Limang resident cameramen ng Film Center ang nagsadya sa set ng Himala sa disyerto ng Paoay, Ilocos Norte. Naroon sila sa lokasyon habang kinukunan ang isa sa highlights ng pelikula—ang pagbaril kay Elsa (Nora Aunor) sa burol habang nagtatalumpati, ang sumunod na stampede, at ang pagbuhat ng mga deboto sa katawan ng bisyonaryo. Gamit ang Super 8mm movie camera, nagtulong ang lima sa pagkuha ng footage.
Ibinunga nito ang isang dokumentaryong di matatawaran ang halaga. Bukod sa makasaysayan, naidokumento rito ang buong giting na pamamahala ni Ishmael Bernal (National Artist for Film) sa pagkuha sa isa sa pinakamalalaking eksena sa Sine Pilipino, gamit ang pitong kamera at sangkot ang halos tatlong libong tao. Masisilip dito kung bakit at paano naging isang dakilang obra ang Himala na patuloy na kinikilala sa mundo.
Ang okasyon ay pagpupugay ng UP Film Institute, sa pakikipagtulungan ng International Circle of Online Noranians (ICON), sa pelikulang Himala sa pagwawagi nito ng CNN Viewers’ Choice Award for Best Asia Pacific Film of All Time. Iginawad ang naturang parangal noong Nobyembre sa 2nd Asia Pacific Film Awards na ginanap sa Queensland, Australia.
Ang Himala ang pinakaimpluwensiyal na pelikula ni Bernal. Nagkaroon ito ng bersiyong teatrong musikal at dramang panradyo, at naging inspirasyon din ng isang award-winning film. Di na mabilang ang pagtukoy dito sa iba’t ibang midyum ng kulturang popular. Nakatanim na sa kamalayan ng Filipino ang mga linya sa pelikula.
Pinukaw din ng Himala ang atensiyon ng mundo. Binuksan nito ang Manila International Film Festival noong 1983. Sa Europa, nag-premiere ito sa Berlin Film Festival bilang official selection para sa Golden Bear nang taon ding iyon, bago lumahok sa Moscow filmfest. Sa dating USSR, itinanghal ito sa mga siyudad ng Kiev (Ukraine) at Alma-ata (Kazakhstan). Isinali rin ang pelikula sa 19th Chicago International Film Festival kung saan ito nag-uwi ng Bronze Hugo Prize para sa Best Feature Film.
Sa nakalipas na higit dalawang dekada, nailibot na ang pelikula sa Taipei, Bangkok, Tokyo, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Vienna, New York, at iba pang siyudad. Ngayong taon, bahagi ang iHimalaBHimalaHimala ng programa ng Berlin Hot Shots Film Festival (Germany) at Paris Film Festival (France).
Mabibili sa video stores ang DVD ng Himala, bahagi ng seryeng Obra Maestra ng Star Records.
The UP Film Institute (UPFI), in cooperation with the International Circle of Online Noranians (ICON), will hold free screenings of Sa Likod ng Himala, a movie-in-the-making documentary on Ishmael Bernal’s masterpiece Himala (ECP, 1982), fittingly at the UPFI Ishmael Bernal Gallery on December 16, 2008 (Tuesday), starting at 7 pm.
In Super 8mm format, this 20-minute documentary was made by the in-house staff of the former UP Film Center (now expanded into the UP Film Institute). It features raw footage of Bernal, the staff, and the cast in action during the filming of the movie’s momentous stampede scene. The UPFI has preserved the original 26-year-old reel of the film in its archives in almost pristine state—a miracle of sorts
This one-night-only event is meant to honor the film Himala, starring Superstar Nora Aunor and penned by Ricky Lee, for winning the CNN APSA Viewers’ Choice Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of All Time, presented recently at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Screen Awards held in Queensland, Australia (see video).
This special tribute, a surprise year-ender for the UPFI, has been planned even before Himala got the CNN APSA award. “The fact that this Bernal film has been shortlisted with the works of world cinema masters like Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, Wong Kar-wai, and Ang Lee,” said UPFI resident programmer Nonoy Lauzon, “is a great feat by itself.”
Described by critic Alfred Yuson as “definitely world class,” Himala holds the distinction of opening the 2nd Manila International Film Festival in 1983. It was handpicked by Berlin festival director Moritz de Hadeln, no less, to be part of the competition film selection of Berlin International Film Festival in the same year, the first and only Filipino film so far that competed for the Golden Bear. It was then screened in key Russian cities—Moscow, Kiev, and Alma-ata—before it went to the Chicago International Film Festival where it won the Bronze Hugo Award for Best Feature Film.
Himala has remained as one of National Artist Ishmael Bernal’s most exhibited films in both local and international film events. From the ’80s to the current decade, it has been shown in world’s key cities such as Taipei, Bangkok, Tokyo, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Vienna, and New York. This year, iHimalaBHimalaHimala was included in the programs of Berlin Hot Shots Film Festival and Paris Film Festival.
The Bernal Gallery on the same day will showcase a mini Himala exhibit, organized by the International Circle of Online Noranians. The group will also conduct a short program honoring the film and some of the people behind it. In between screenings of the documentary, ICON will also hold activities such as film discussion and forum with distinguished guests.
Sa loob ng tatlong taon, mula 1969 hanggang 1972, nakagawa si Nora Aunor ng 18 LP at 216 singles. Halos bawat minuto ay maririnig ang kanyang plaka—sa jukebox, sa radyo, o sa TV. Saan mang lugar—sa mga pamilihan, sa mga pampublikong sasakyan, sa mga opisina, sa mga kapistahan at iba’t ibang okasyon. Sa bawat record stores sa Raon, minu-minuto kung patugtugin ang kanyang plaka.
Sa top ten chart ng local recordings, madalas number one si Nora at ilan pa niyang kanta ang karaniwang nasa listahan. Sa paramihan ng benta ng plaka sa Pilipinas, tumba kay Nora ang The Beatles at si Elvis Presley.
Pumasok si Nora sa recording industry sa panahong namamayani ang colonial mentality ng mga Pinoy; ikinahihiya ng marami ang pagtangkilik sa local singers. Binago ito ni Nora. Mayaman o mahirap, masa o elitista, kinagiliwan ang tinig ni Nora. Pinatugtog ang kanyang plaka sa bawat bahay—hamak man o malapalasyo.
Umabot hanggang sa labas ng bansa ang paghanga sa boses ni Nora. May mga nagpadala sa Alpha ng mga sulat ng paghanga. Sa Sabah, naiulat na ipinagbibili ang mga plaka ni Nora sa presyong pang-black market. Pinakamabili doon ang Hawaiian songs ni Nora. Sa London, ibinalita ng isang Filipina na kaliwa’t kanan ang panghihiram ng dala niyang mga plaka ni Nora—ng parehong mga Filipino at Briton. Isang Tsino ang nagsabing hindi siya makapaniwala na may mang-aawit na kasinghusay ni Nora ang Pilipinas. Maraming Filipino na nasa ibang bansa ang nag-request na mapadalhan ng kopya ng mga record ni Nora (“They Go for Nora, Too!” Philippines Daily Express, July 18, 1972). Sa Guam, nangunguna rin sa bentahan ang plaka ni Nora. Isang Amerikanong nagngangalang Douglas Whitney ng California ang nagsabing isa si Nora sa pinakamahusay na mang-aawit na narinig niya. (Philippines Daily Express, “Superstar, Hinangaan ng mga taga-Guam, US,” August 14, 1973).
Binuksan niya ang pinto para sa maraming local singers. Sa tagumpay ni Nora, lumakas ang loob ng maraming record producers na tumuklas ng mas maraming local talents at mag-produce ng maraming albums. Naging aktibo ang maraming musikero. Nagkasunod-sunod ang tulad nina Eddie Peregrina, Victor Wood, Tirso Cruz III, Edgar Mortiz, Vilma Santos, Novo Bono, Manny De Leon, Esperanza Fabon, Perla Adea, at marami pang iba.
Adaptations ang kalakaran noon sa industriya. Pinatunayan ni Nora na may merkado rin ang mga lokal na komposisyon. Sa kanyang ikalawang album (More, More, More), halimbawa, pito ang original songs. Nang magtagumpay ang album, naging in-demand ang Filipino song writers tulad nina George Canseco, Danny Subido, at Bert Dominic.
Kinikilala ng mga nakakabatid sa loob ng industriya ang mahahalagang kontribusyon ni Nora Aunor sa pagsulong ng Philippine recording industry.
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